Vegas
05-12-2007, 12:54 AM
http://www.wdsu.com/news/13298915/detail.html?rss=no&psp=news
BATON ROUGE, La. -- A state Senate committee said the Louisiana Recovery Authority, established after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to develop policies for rebuilding and recovery, should be scrapped.
Lawmakers on the Senate Local and Municipal Affairs Committee on Thursday cited frustration with what they said was foot-dragging in the aid process that is hampering citizens' ability to rebuild their hurricane-shattered lives. They said the LRA was worsening the problem.
The LRA was created by Gov. Kathleen Blanco after the 2005 storms and put into law shortly thereafter by the Legislature at the urging of the governor's office.
The authority's governing board includes nearly all members appointed by Blanco.
Sen. Cleo Fields' bill to abolish the LRA entirely goes next to the full Senate for debate.
Recovery authority board members and staff were not on hand at the committee meeting to oppose the bill. They sent a letter to Fields before the meeting, asking him to postpone the discussion because the LRA had a board meeting scheduled at the same time.
Norman Francis, chairman of the LRA board, said Fields' bill misses the mark. He said Fields blames the slow pace of Road Home aid on the recovery authority, which isn't managing the program.
The LRA created the Road Home, but it's run by a private contractor hired and overseen by Blanco's Office of Community Development.
Fields said he plans to ask LRA officials to address the committee next week. He said he won't bring his bill up for a vote on the Senate floor until after that meeting.
BATON ROUGE, La. -- A state Senate committee said the Louisiana Recovery Authority, established after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita to develop policies for rebuilding and recovery, should be scrapped.
Lawmakers on the Senate Local and Municipal Affairs Committee on Thursday cited frustration with what they said was foot-dragging in the aid process that is hampering citizens' ability to rebuild their hurricane-shattered lives. They said the LRA was worsening the problem.
The LRA was created by Gov. Kathleen Blanco after the 2005 storms and put into law shortly thereafter by the Legislature at the urging of the governor's office.
The authority's governing board includes nearly all members appointed by Blanco.
Sen. Cleo Fields' bill to abolish the LRA entirely goes next to the full Senate for debate.
Recovery authority board members and staff were not on hand at the committee meeting to oppose the bill. They sent a letter to Fields before the meeting, asking him to postpone the discussion because the LRA had a board meeting scheduled at the same time.
Norman Francis, chairman of the LRA board, said Fields' bill misses the mark. He said Fields blames the slow pace of Road Home aid on the recovery authority, which isn't managing the program.
The LRA created the Road Home, but it's run by a private contractor hired and overseen by Blanco's Office of Community Development.
Fields said he plans to ask LRA officials to address the committee next week. He said he won't bring his bill up for a vote on the Senate floor until after that meeting.