John Edwards for President: ARCHIVAL MIRROR-Edwards Details Six New Proposals to Help Get New Orleans Back on its Feet

Edwards Details Six New Proposals to Help Get New Orleans Back on its Feet

Aug 27, 2007 4:05 PM

Builds on his existing agenda to help rebuild the Gulf Coast

New Orleans, Louisiana – Today, Senator John Edwards will visit New Orleans to participate in Senator Mary Landrieu's "Hope & Recovery" Summit, where he will announce six new proposals to strengthen recovery efforts in New Orleans and prevent another failure in federal response on the scale of what happened after Katrina and Rita hit. These proposals build on Edwards' existing plan to help the Gulf Coast rebuild.

"Our government's response to Hurricane Katrina has been a national shame," said Edwards. "But while our government continues to fail the people of New Orleans, the American people continue to take action to help rebuild. As president, I will make sure that our government does everything in its power to help New Orleans recover. We are not the country of the Superdome in New Orleans after Katrina. We can prove it by fulfilling our moral responsibility to get New Orleans back on its feet."

Edwards has visited New Orleans several times to help with rebuilding efforts. He announced his candidacy for president in New Orleans in December 2006. In the spring of 2006, he took 700 college students to the area to help rebuild.

Edwards' new proposals address the health care crisis and spur economic growth in the health care sector, make the streets safe with a surge of federal resources, bring back residents by fully funding the Road Home program and addressing rental housing needs, hold government and private contractors accountable for waste, fraud and abuse, put someone in charge of federal recovery and rebuilding efforts and with "Brownie's Law," make sure political appointees at agencies like FEMA are actually qualified for the jobs to which they are appointed.

As president, Edwards will help New Orleans get back on his feet by:

Addressing the nursing shortage and supporting the proposed biomedical corridor: Edwards will invest in nursing school capacity, offer up to full scholarships for nurses who commit to working in New Orleans and improve working conditions to keep nurses from leaving and to bring more back. Expanding nursing education programs will ensure access to health care while helping fuel development of the proposed biomedical corridor.
Providing new resources to make the city's streets safe: Edwards will provide funding federal funding for 500 new officers, and help the local law enforcement recruit returning skilled Iraqi veterans. Edwards will pay for the new law enforcement initiatives with an aggressive prosecution initiative to recover money from private contractors that used crony connections to secure Katrina/Rita recovery contracts and then ripped off taxpayers.
Fully funding the "Road Home": Edwards is calling on Congress and the President to keep their promises and help make up the $3 billion difference to people of the Gulf to "do what it takes" to help rebuild the region by bringing back residents while creating good renovation and home repair jobs.
Putting someone in charge: Edwards will appoint a Chief Recovery Officer to channel presidential leadership, ensure accountability, cut red tape and deliver results for the people of the Gulf Coast.
Appointing a Special Gulf Coast Inspector General: Edwards will appoint a Special Inspector General with subpoena power to offer the public a full accounting of recovery spending at every level of government and investigate irresponsible contractors, referring fraud for aggressive prosecution by the Justice Department.
Passing "Brownie's Law," so agencies like FEMA get the job done: Edwards will enact a new requirement - "Brownie's Law" - ensuring that senior political appointees actually are qualified to perform the job to which they are appointed. Brownie's Law will require that heads of executive agencies and other senior officials have demonstrated qualifications in the field related to their job.

For more details on these proposals and Edwards' existing agenda to get New Orleans back on its feet, please read the fact sheet below.

BUILDING ONE AMERICA STARTS IN NEW ORLEANS

"We are not the country of the Superdome in New Orleans after Katrina. We can prove it by fulfilling our moral responsibility to get New Orleans back on its feet."
- John Edwards

Almost two years after President Bush promised to rebuild New Orleans on national television from Jackson Square, vast stretches of the city and St. Bernard Parish remain deserted. Based on mail delivery data, the city's population is barely two-thirds of what it once was and according to the latest data from FEMA, more than 73,000 families from the Gulf are still living in FEMA trailers. [GNOCDC/Brookings, 2007; FEMA, 4/25/07; FEMA, 7/31/07]

The pace of recovery is slow. The displaced African-American population, in particular, has been slow to return. Murders have spiked - already the most dangerous city in the country, the number of murders this year is running 25 percent higher than in 2006. At the end of this past school year, only 45 percent of New Orleans public schools operating pre-Katrina had re-opened. [GNOCDC/Brookings, 2007; Calgary Herald, 8/25/2007]

One bright spot for the region is the growing potential for a new biomedical corridor in the city. In July, John Edwards called for the Veterans Administration to site a new veterans medical center in downtown New Orleans, linked to a new state-funded hospital. On August 21, the VA announced its preliminary decision to do exactly that. The two new institutions will form the core of the biomedical corridor, helping meet the area's complex health needs and reviving health care as an economic engine for the region.

NEW INITIATIVES FOR RECOVERY AND ACCOUNTABILITY

Building on his existing agenda to help the Gulf Coast rebuild, John Edwards today announced six new proposals to strengthen recovery efforts in New Orleans and prevent another failure in federal response on the scale of what happened after Katrina and Rita hit. The new proposals address the health care crisis and spur economic growth in the health care sector, make the streets safe with a surge of federal resources, bring back residents by fully funding the Road Home program and addressing rental housing needs, hold government and private contractors accountable for waste, fraud and abuse, put someone in charge of federal recovery and rebuilding efforts and make sure political appointees at agencies like FEMA are actually qualified for the jobs to which they are appointed.

Address the Nursing Shortage and Support the Proposed Biomedical Corridor: Nurses are the backbone of our health care system, essential to providing primary, specialty and long-term care. The nursing shortage in the New Orleans area, already bad before Katrina, is at crisis proportions -- the state now needs to fill 4,000 to 5,000 slots for registered nurses and 2,500 for licensed practical nurses. At the same time, primarily because so many experienced educators have left, nearly 1,600 qualified applicants are on waiting lists for nursing programs in Louisiana; and the percentage of nurses trained in the state who are leaving has more than doubled over the last five years. While the area's residents look for work, its hospitals are turning to importing immigrant nurses from the Philippines. Edwards' vision for a New Orleans recovery fills needed jobs with the survivors and residents. He will invest in nursing school capacity, offer up to full scholarships for nurses who commit to working in New Orleans and improve working conditions to keep nurses from leaving and to bring more back. Expanding nursing education programs will ensure access to health care while helping fuel development of the proposed biomedical corridor. [LHWC, 2007; The Advocate, 8/19/2007; Louisiana Board of Nursing, 2007; CityBusiness, 4/1/2007]
Provide New Resources to Make the City's Streets Safe: The police department in New Orleans has lost more than 500 officers over the last two years - about 30 percent of the force. Unless something is done, an average of ten to twelve officers will continue to leave the NOPD every month. Edwards believes we need a surge in New Orleans, not in Baghdad. As president, he will provide funding federal funding for 500 new officers, gradually shifting responsibility to the city as it recovers. To help recruit and train these officers, Edwards will help the NOPD in attracting returning veterans, especially highly-skilled Military Police officers, offering readjustment assistance and training in community policing techniques. [Cannatella, 2007]
Edwards will pay for the new law enforcement initiatives with an aggressive prosecution initiative to recover money from private contractors that used crony connections to secure Katrina/Rita recovery contracts and then ripped off taxpayers. One example is particularly glaring in light of New Orleans' crime problems: Blackwater Security was paid $33.3 million to "provide security" in the months after Katrina. Providing security after national emergencies is traditionally a function of the National Guard and local police, and can be more efficiently done by public servants rather than by mercenaries. Blackwater contractors were paid $950 a day, which is approximately eight times the salary of a New Orleans Police Officer. In contrast, New Orleans teachers and volunteers from community groups like ACORN were working for free to keep local schools safe. [Sarasota Harold-Tribune, 4/8/07; The Guardian, 8/1/2007]
Fully Fund the "Road Home": The principal federally-funded program designed to help residents repair their homes faces a multi-billion dollar shortfall because FEMA underestimated the number of houses that were severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Louisiana has committed $1 billion towards making up the difference; more state funding would mean cuts in assistance to homeowners, renters, schools and other needs. Edwards is calling on Congress and the President to keep their promises and help make up the $3 billion difference to people of the Gulf to "do what it takes" to help rebuild the region by bringing back residents while creating good renovation and home repair jobs. [LRA, 2007]
Put Someone in Charge: The job of helping New Orleans recover and rebuild demands accountability. Edwards believes President Bush should have put someone in charge at the federal level who reports daily to the Oval Office on progress and results. It's not too late. As president, Edwards will appoint a Chief Recovery Officer to channel presidential leadership, ensure accountability, cut red tape and deliver results for the people of the Gulf Coast.
Appoint a Special Gulf Coast Inspector General: Congress has appropriated more than $94 billion to help the Gulf Coast recover and rebuild. In addition, federal agencies have used general funding to respond to the disasters. However, a recent investigation by the Congressional Budget Office reported that because of a lack of transparency, "CBO has been unable to track those funds." Similarly, the GAO reported last year that, "the federal government is not adequately tracking and reporting, on a governmentwide basis, on the use of [then] $88 billion in hurricane relief and recovery funds." The House Committee on Government Reform identified 19 contracts last year, valued at $8.75 billion, plagued by significant waste, fraud and abuse. And, one study finds that almost two years after the storms, less than half the money set aside for rebuilding (not short-term response) has actually been spent. Edwards will appoint a Special Inspector General with subpoena power to offer the public a full accounting of recovery spending at every level of government and investigate irresponsible contractors, referring fraud for aggressive prosecution by the Justice Department. All penalties and recovered funds will go to projects that put money on the ground with Gulf Coast residents, such as the Road Home and federal support for rental housing. [CBO, 2007, GAO, 2006, Waxman, 2006; Buchanan and Komm, 2007]
Pass "Brownie's Law," So Agencies like FEMA Get the Job Done: The Bush administration's failed response to Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the cost of cronyism and incompetence in government. The director of FEMA, Michael Brown - previously an ousted commissioner of the International Horse Association - was patently unqualified for the job. Edwards will enact a new requirement - "Brownie's Law" - ensuring that senior political appointees actually are qualified to perform the job to which they are appointed. Brownie's Law will require that heads of executive agencies and other senior officials have demonstrated qualifications in the field related to their job.

EDWARDS' EXISTING PLAN TO HELP NEW ORLEANS RECOVER AND REBUILD

John Edwards launched both his presidential campaign and his Road to One America tour in New Orleans because he believes that the challenge of building One America starts right here. In the spring of 2006, he took 700 college students to the area to help with rebuilding efforts. Edwards has announced a three-part plan for rebuilding the Gulf: (1) rebuilding infrastructure - housing, schools, and hospitals - that is built to last so that people have something to come back to, (2) creating jobs to bring them back, (3) making the region safe from storms - with levees that can withstand another Katrina, and strengthening public safety to keep residents safe from crime.

Rebuild an Infrastructure that Is Built to Last: The rebuilding of infrastructure is stalled. New Orleans needs new hospital and clinics, schools and roads. Some say we can put off rebuilding the infrastructure until people move back. But that is putting the cart before the horse - people aren't moving back because the infrastructure isn't there. Today, Edwards proposed plans to:

Build a New Veterans' Hospital Downtown: The Veterans Administration is trying to decide where to build its new regional medical center. There is no better place for America to fulfill its commitment to those who have sacrificed for our country than in the city of New Orleans. Edwards applauds the VA's preliminary decision to select downtown New Orleans as he called for in July, and is urging the VA to fast-track the environmental review and design process so construction can begin. Constructing the new hospital downtown - to recognized flood-safe specifications - will enhance development of the downtown medical district, create hundreds of construction jobs for local residents and bring back health care workers to the region.
Build a 21st Century Infrastructure: Sadly, New Orleans is still far away from restoring basic infrastructure, much less an infrastructure to compete in the 21st century. Only 17 percent of pre-Katrina buses are operating in the city -- a figure that remains unchanged since March of 2006. Less than 30 percent of pre-Katrina acute care hospital beds are open. There is a particular crisis in mental health. The number of psychiatric care beds has fallen from 450 to 80, and suicides are up 300 percent. [GNOCDC/Brookings, 2007; LA Times, 4/30/07; Citation]
Integrate New Housing: We must end the old racial and economic isolation of pre-Katrina New Orleans. Edwards supports the construction of affordable rental and owner-occupied housing in economically integrated housing. He will increase federal funding for housing vouchers and the HOPE VI neighborhood revitalization program, and he will tie federal housing and transportation funding to state and local efforts to reform zoning and housing laws and promote effective transportation policies. That way, the poor housing that separated hundreds of thousands of city residents from good jobs, good schools and good health care - and the new isolation of trailer homes - will be a thing of the past.
Preserve Livable Housing: One of the most urgent problems is the lack of affordable housing, but HUD wants to demolish livable public housing projects. We need more mixed-income housing, but Edwards opposes knocking down livable apartments until replacement units are ready. [AP, 6/7/07]

Create Good Jobs to Bring People Back: The economy is growing stronger, but the availability of affordable housing and services are significant barriers to residents returning. Employment is down in the sectors where many moderate-income displaced residents worked, like health care and the public sector, including education.
- Create Good Jobs: Displaced New Orleans residents will not return unless there are good jobs to return to. Edwards will make sure the jobs of rebuilding New Orleans carry good, local prevailing wages. He has proposed hiring 50,000 Gulf Coast residents to fill stepping stone jobs dedicated to civic works - rebuilding infrastructure that will help local and returning residents gain skills and experience.
- Protect Workers from Contractor Exploitation: The private contractors hired to repair damaged infrastructure have routinely exploited the local workforce. One study found that up to 60 percent of construction workers are being cheated out of wages. Unlike most states, Louisiana does not enforce wage violations because the state does not have its own minimum wage law. And the U.S. Department of Labor only had four bilingual investigators last year. Edwards will revive the Department of Labor, creating a new wage and hour taskforce to target the industries with the worst abuses.
Make the Region Safe: It's unreasonable to expect the people of New Orleans to return to a city that isn't safe. And we have seen the cost of cutting corners. We can't help New Orleans recover unless we help make New Orleans safe. Edwards is committed to protecting the city and the region from weather and from crime:
- Protect the Gulf from Another Major Storm: The Army Corps has missed its deadlines for planning new levees. Now we are in the middle of the second hurricane season after Katrina and the city is not safe. The current target for the Army Corps of Engineers -- to protect against a 100-year storm - is inadequate. It would not have stopped Katrina, and global warming is raising the risk of future catastrophic storms. As president, Edwards will do whatever is necessary to ensure that Katrina never happens again. That means stronger levees and the restoration of coastal wetlands -- a natural barrier for storm surges that also protect ports, refineries, and other infrastructure. [Engineering News-Record, 11/6/06]
- Strengthen Public Safety to End the Epidemic of Crime and Violence: Following Katrina, New Orleans has experienced an epidemic in violence. The homicide rate has shot up over the last year. The homicide rate is 15 times higher than New York City; there were 161 murders reported last year, but only one murder conviction. The police are still working out of trailers and rely on the help of the National Guard to keep the peace. Edwards will make sure the city takes as much responsibility as it can bear, while providing it with the funding it needs to make the streets safe again. [CSLJ, 2007; NOPD, 2007]