I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3764 
To establish a congressional commission to examine the Federal, State, and 
local response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in the 
Gulf Region of the United States especially in the States of Louisiana, 
Mississippi, Alabama, and other areas impacted in the aftermath and 
make immediate corrective measures to improve such responses in the 
future. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 14, 2005 
Mr. HASTINGS of Florida (for himself, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. 
HOYER, Mr. CLYBURN, Ms. SLAUGHTER, Mr. DINGELL, Mr. MCGOVERN, 
Ms. MATSUI, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. EVANS, 
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, Mr. 
GORDON, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. 
SKELTON, Mr. SPRATT, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. AL 
GREEN of Texas, Mr. ALLEN, Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. BAIRD, Ms. BALDWIN, 
Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. BERRY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. BISHOP of New 
York, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, 
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. 
CARDIN, Mr. CARNAHAN, Ms. CARSON, Mr. CASE, Mrs. CHRISTENSEN, 
Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COSTA, Mr. COSTELLO, Mr. CROWLEY, Mr. 
CUMMINGS, Mrs. DAVIS of California, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. 
DEGETTE, Mr. DELAHUNT, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DICKS, Mr. DOGGETT, 
Mr. EMANUEL, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. ETHERIDGE, Mr. FARR, 
Mr. FILNER, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. GRIJALVA, 
Mr. GUTIERREZ, Mr. HIGGINS, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. HOLDEN, Mr. HOLT, 
Mr. HONDA, Mr. INSLEE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. EDDIE BER-
NICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island, Mr. KILDEE, 
Ms. KILPATRICK of Michigan, Mr. KIND, Mr. KUCINICH, Mr. LANGEVIN, 
Ms. LEE, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. ZOE 
LOFGREN of California, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. LYNCH, Mrs. MALONEY, Mr. 
MARKEY, Mr. MARSHALL, Mrs. MCCARTHY, Ms. MCCOLLUM of Min-
nesota, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. MEEHAN, Mr. MEEK of 
Florida, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. 
MILLER of North Carolina, Mr. MORAN of Virginia, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, 
Mr. NEAL of Massachusetts, Mr. OLVER, Mr. OWENS, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. 
PASCRELL, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. PRICE of North Carolina, Mr. REYES, Mr. 
ROSS, Mr. ROTHMAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. RUPPERSBERGER, Mr.
RUSH, Mr. RYAN of Ohio, Mr. SANDERS, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. SCHIFF, 
Ms. SCHWARTZ of Pennsylvania, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. SCOTT of 
Virginia, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Mr. SNYDER, Ms. SOLIS, Mr. 
STRICKLAND, Mr. STUPAK, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. TOWNS, Mrs. JONES of 
Ohio, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Ms. WASSERMAN 
SCHULTZ, Ms. WATSON, Mr. WEINER, Mr. WEXLER, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. 
WU, Mr. WYNN, Mr. CLAY, Mr. BOUCHER, Mr. FORD, Mr. DAVIS of Ten-
nessee, Mr. DOYLE, Mr. UDALL of Colorado, Mr. BACA, Mr. CHANDLER, 
Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. NADLER, Mr. BECERRA, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. 
CUELLAR, Mr. STARK, Mr. TANNER, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. SMITH of Wash-
ington, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. TIERNEY, and Ms. HARMAN) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish a congressional commission to examine the Fed-
eral, State, and local response to the devastation wrought 
by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Region of the United 
States especially in the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama, and other areas impacted in the aftermath 
and make immediate corrective measures to improve such 
responses in the future. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION. 
There is established in the legislative branch the 
Katrina Commission (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Com-
mission’’). 
SEC. 2. COMPOSITION OF COMMISSION. 
(a) MEMBERS.—The Commission shall be composed 
of 10 members, of whom—
(1) 1 member shall be appointed by the Presi-
dent, who shall serve as chairman of the Commis-
sion; 
(2) 1 member shall be appointed by the leader 
of the Senate (majority or minority leader, as the 
case may be) of the Democratic Party, in consulta-
tion with the leader of the House of Representatives 
(majority or minority leader, as the case may be) of 
the Democratic Party, who shall serve as vice chair-
man of the Commission; 
(3) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior 
member of the Senate leadership of the Democratic 
Party; 
(4) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior 
member of the leadership of the House of Represent-
atives of the Republican Party; 
(5) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior 
member of the Senate leadership of the Republican 
Party; and 
(6) 2 members shall be appointed by the senior 
member of the leadership of the House of Represent-
atives of the Democratic Party. 
(b) QUALIFICATIONS; INITIAL MEETING.—
(1) POLITICAL PARTY AFFILIATION.—Not more 
than 5 members of the Commission shall be from 
the same political party. 
(2) NONGOVERNMENTAL APPOINTEES.—An in-
dividual appointed to the Commission may not be an 
officer or employee of the Federal Government or 
any State or local government. 
(3) OTHER QUALIFICATIONS.—It is the sense of 
Congress that individuals appointed to the Commis-
sion should be prominent United States citizens who 
represent a diverse range of citizens and enjoy na-
tional recognition and significant depth of experience 
in such professions as governmental service, emer-
gency preparedness, mitigation planning, cataclysmic 
planning and response, intergovernmental manage-
ment, resource planning, recovery operations and 
planning, Federal coordination, military coordina-
tion, and other extensive natural disaster and emer-
gency response experience. 
(4) DEADLINE FOR APPOINTMENT.—All mem-
bers of the Commission shall be appointed on or be-
fore October 1, 2005. 
(5) INITIAL MEETING.—The Commission shall 
meet and begin the operations of the Commission as 
soon as practicable.