I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 265 
To provide for the establishment of an independent, Presidentially-appointed 
Commission to assess the circumstances related to the damage caused 
by Hurricane Katrina on or between Friday, August 26, 2005, and 
Tuesday, August 30, 2005. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 5, 2007 
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To provide for the establishment of an independent, Presi-
dentially-appointed Commission to assess the cir-
cumstances related to the damage caused by Hurricane 
Katrina on or between Friday, August 26, 2005, and 
Tuesday, August 30, 2005. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hurricane Katrina 
Disaster Inquiry Commission Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. DEFINITION. 
For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘Commission’’ 
means the Commission established under this Act. 
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The President shall establish 
an independent, nonpartisan Commission within the exec-
utive branch to discover and assess the circumstances re-
lated to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina on or 
between Friday, August 26, 2005, and Tuesday, August 
30, 2005. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR ESTABLISHMENT.—The Presi-
dent shall issue an executive order establishing a Commis-
sion within 30 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act. 
SEC. 4. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION. 
(a) NUMBER OF COMMISSIONERS.—The Commission 
shall consist of 15 members. 
(b) SELECTION.—The members of the Commission 
shall be chosen in the following manner: 
(1) The President of the United States Con-
ference of Mayors shall be a member of the Commis-
sion. 
(2) The President shall appoint the remaining 
14 members, and shall designate the Chairman and 
Vice Chairman of the Commission from among its 
members. 
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(3) Five of the 14 members appointed by the 
President shall be selected by the President in the 
following manner: 
(A) The majority leader of the Senate, the 
minority leader of the Senate, the Speaker of 
the House of Representatives, the minority 
leader of the House of Representatives, and the 
President of the collective-bargaining organiza-
tion including the largest number of emergency 
medical responders, shall each provide to the 
President a list of candidates for membership 
on the Commission. 
(B) The President shall select one of the 
candidates from each of the 5 lists for member-
ship on the Commission. 
(4)(A) No officer or employee of the Federal 
Government shall serve as a member of the Commis-
sion. 
(B) No member of the Commission shall have, 
or have pending, a contractual relationship with the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
(C) The President may waive the prohibitions 
in subparagraphs (A) and (B) with respect to the se-
lection of not more than 2 members of the Commis-
sion. 
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(5) The President shall not appoint any indi-
vidual as a member of the Commission who has a 
current or former relationship with the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency that the President 
determines would constitute a conflict of interest. 
(6) To the extent practicable, the President 
shall ensure that the members of the Commission in-
clude some individuals with experience relative to 
local government administration, as well as some in-
dividuals with investigative experience and some in-
dividuals with legal experience. 
(7) To the extent practicable, the President 
shall seek diversity in the membership of the Com-
mission. 
(c) DEADLINE FOR APPOINTMENT.—All members of 
the Commission shall be appointed no later than 60 days 
after issuance of the executive order establishing the Com-
mission. 
(d) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission shall meet 
and begin operations as soon as practicable. 
(e) QUORUM; VACANCIES.—After its initial meeting, 
the Commission shall meet upon the call of the Chairman 
or a majority of its members. Eight members of the Com-
mission shall constitute a quorum. Any vacancy in the 
Commission shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled 
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in the same manner in which the original appointment was 
made. 
SEC. 5. TASKS OF THE COMMISSION. 
The Commission shall, to the extent possible, under-
take the following tasks: 
(1) Chronicle the trajectory of Hurricane 
Katrina, including the timetable and locations of its 
path, and the responses made by the Federal, State, 
and local governments. 
(2) Issue a statement of an estimate as to the 
loss of life, physical and structural damage, and dis-
placement of residents as a result of the disaster. 
(3) Make recommendations for corrective ac-
tions. 
(4) Provide any additional findings or rec-
ommendations considered by the Commission to be 
important, whether or not they are related to emer-
gency disaster management. 
(5) Prepare a report to Congress, the Presi-
dent, and the public. 
SEC. 6. POWERS OF COMMISSION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) HEARINGS AND EVIDENCE.—The Commis-
sion or, on the authority of the Commission, any 
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subcommittee or member thereof, may, for the pur-
pose of carrying out this Act— 
(A) hold such hearings and sit and act at 
such times and places, take such testimony, re-
ceive such evidence, administer such oaths; and 
(B) subject to paragraph (2)(A), require, 
by subpoena or otherwise, the attendance and 
testimony of such witnesses and the production 
of such books, records, correspondence, memo-
randa, papers, and documents, 
as the Commission or such designated subcommittee 
or designated member may determine advisable. 
(2) SUBPOENAS.— 
(A) ISSUANCE.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—A subpoena may be 
issued under this subsection only— 
(I) by the agreement of the 
Chairman and the Vice Chairman; or 
(II) by the affirmative vote of 8 
members of the Commission. 
(ii) SIGNATURE.—Subject to clause 
(i), subpoenas issued under this subsection 
may be issued under the signature of the 
Chairman or any member designated by a 
majority of the Commission, and may be 
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