James Norton: “Mr. Speaker, as amended, H.R. 3495 is a bill to establish a national commission on children's needs as they relate to…”

“Mr. Speaker, as amended, H.R. 3495 is a bill to establish a national commission on children's needs as they relate to all hazards, including major disasters and emergencies. I strongly support the creation of this commission because there is no doubt that in dire circumstances the needs of children are different from the needs of adults. This realization is one of the many lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina. Almost 5200 children were reported missing or displaced to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Hurricane Katrina. This bill is a step in the right direction in identifying the needs of children in such conditions and deserves our support. Consistent with other commissions, this bill provides that the Chair and Vice Chair be chosen from commission members. The role of State and local emergency managers is acknowledged in commission membership along with private nonprofit organizations. The committee recognizes that State emergency managers and local emergency managers perform complementary but not identical functions and therefore recognize in a commission such as this it is important to have both groups represented. The commission will produce an interim report and a final report with specific recommendations which will be sent to Congress and the President.”