New Panel to Hold Katrina Hearings

Sen. Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., will conduct a field hearing Jan. 29 in New Orleans as she takes the helm of a newly created subcommittee to examine the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina and ongoing recovery efforts.The House Financial Services Committee has also scheduled a Katrina hearing for Feb. 6. in Washington. Sen. Landrieu is the chair of the Homeland Security Committee's new disaster recovery subcommittee. "There are tremendous ongoing challenges to our recovery in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast, and I will use my new oversight authority to ensure that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal agencies are supporting our efforts as effectively as possible," Sen. Landrieu said. ".... Rest assured, I will use this authority responsibly and work to craft solutions." The House panel will focus on the loss of public housing and efforts to provide affordable rental housing for working families. The committee members will focus on state grant programs to help homeowners rebuild and repair their homes.