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Bishop Joins Congressional Delegation To Gulf Coast

August 1, 2007

WASHINGTON, DC. Congressman Sanford Bishop today announced that he will be joining a congressional delegation of 14 House members, including the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, to the Gulf Coast region just prior to the two-year anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The trip, which runs from August 12-14, will allow Democratic Members to return to a region they visited a year ago and assess the impact of the legislation they passed in the first stage of their new majority.

“A Congressional Delegation traveled to the region last year to assess the status of recovery efforts and determine what needed to be done to speed up a lagging rebuilding process,” said Congressman Bishop. “In seven short months we have delivered on that promise. We appropriated over $6.4 billion for Gulf Coast recovery assistance and passed a provision to waive the local fund matching requirement under the Stafford Act, which will allow access to funding for thousands of rebuilding projects in the region that have been stalled for months.”

“Additionally, with its low elevation, proximity to large bodies of water and temperate climate, the Second Congressional District is not immune from the kinds of disasters the Gulf Coast experienced two years ago,” continued Bishop. “I believe this trip is important not only to renew our nation’s commitment to the region, but to learn from our mistakes and be better prepared for the future.”

The three-day trip will focus on the progress made and outstanding needs in the areas of education, housing, health care and infrastructure. In Louisiana, the lawmakers will hold a policy conference with local and state officials, visit the Lower 9th Ward, tour the St. Bernard Health Center, visit a New Orleans school, tour the New Orleans levee system, and visit the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans. In Mississippi, Members will tour the consolidated Pass Christian school system, visit a family living in a formaldehyde-laced FEMA trailer, take a windshield tour of Pass Christian and hold a town hall meeting in Bay St. Louis on insurance reform.