WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Richard H. Baker, R-Baton Rouge, announced today that House-Senate conferees on the FY ’07 Homeland Security Appropriations bill have accepted legislative proposals by Baker to authorize the use of “Katrina Cottages” and other reforms of federal policy governing post-disaster long-term housing.

On May 16 of this year, Baker introduced the “Natural Disaster Housing Reform Act” (H.R. 5393), that would amend the Stafford Act to authorize the use of safer, more cost-effective modular housing, or “Katrina cottages,” and to provide greater flexibility in the federal response to disasters by expanding current policy of providing short-term housing, usually in the form of trailers, to include strategies for disasters that create long-term housing needs.

Provisions of Baker’s bill, which passed the House Financial Services Committee unanimously on June 14, were included in the FEMA reform section of the Homeland Security spending bill, which now awaits approval by both chambers of Congress.

“One of the hard lessons learned from a catastrophic situation like Katrina, with widespread destruction and a clear need for long-term housing of evacuees, was that we need to do a better job than simply throwing billions at stop-gap measures that don't lead toward recovery and don't help people rebuild their lives,” said Baker. ”The reforms we pass today give the government greater flexibility to offer more common sense options and to mobilize creative alternatives that are safer, more attractive, and more cost-effective in the long run,” Baker added.

Key reforms in the legislation include:

National Disaster Housing Strategy

FEMA is required to create a National Disaster Housing Strategy by:
· Consulting with HUD, USDA, and state and local governments to create a disaster housing strategy.
· The strategy must include the most effective and cost-efficient means of providing both short- and long-term housing needs for disaster victims.
· The strategy must create a cost-sharing and flow of funds plan to eliminate bureaucratic red tape that might prevent the sharing of housing units in federal, state and local government inventories.
· The strategy must create a plan to rehabilitate or renovate existing rental housing to make it suitable for occupation, including plans to pay for these improvements.
· The strategy must include plans to offer housing to disaster victims in close proximity to employers and other necessary living services.
· The strategy must include plans to manage housing sites to ensure that density is reduced, sites are located near necessary public services, and to improve site operations and security.
· Plan must be updated at least every 5 years.

Katrina Cottages (Semi-Permanent Housing)

The President may provide permanent and semi-permanent housing in locations in the U.S. if:
· No alternative housing is available (existing housing stock is destroyed or capacity exceeded).
· Other types of assistance (rental vouchers and travel trailers) are unavailable, infeasible, or not cost-effective.