To minimize harm to populations impacted by the release of environmental contaminants, hazardous materials or infectious materials in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita by providing for a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan (CESTAP) to assess and monitor air, water, soil and human populations, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-hr-4139
Sponsor: Rep. McKinney, Cynthia A. [D-GA-4]
Introduced: 2005-10-25 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Alabama
Allergies
Animals
Asthma
Bacteria
Biological research
Building construction
Chemicals
Child health
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Communicable diseases
Communication in medicine
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Cost accounting
Crime and Law Enforcement
Day care
Disaster relief
Displaced persons
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency communication systems
Employee selection
Employee training
Energy
Environmental Protection
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental assessment
Environmental health
Environmental monitoring
Environmentally induced diseases
Equipment and supplies
Families
Federal advisory bodies
Federal aid to air pollution control
Federal budgets
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Fines (Penalties)
Fire fighters
Floods
Fungi
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government publications
Government publicity
Grants-in-aid
Hazardous wastes
Health
Health education
Health surveys
Herbicides
Higher education
Historic sites
History
Home repair and improvement
Housing and Community Development
Hurricane aftermath legislation
Hurricanes
Indoor air pollution
Industrial buildings
Infrastructure
Labor and Employment
Laboratories
Laboratory animals
Land transfers
Law
Law enforcement officers
Licenses
Local employees
Louisiana
Maintenance and repair
Medical research
Metals
Minorities
Minority health
Mississippi
Occupational health and safety
Off-budget expenditures
Office buildings
Paramedical personnel
Parasitic diseases
Performance measurement
Pesticides
Pests
Petroleum
Planning
Police training
Pollution measurement
Polychlorinated biphenyls
Potable water
Pregnant women
Preventive medicine
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Public health
Public service advertising
Refuse and refuse disposal
Residential rehabilitation
Right of property
Risk
Safety measures
School buildings
Science, Technology, Communications
Signs and signboards
Social Welfare
Soil pollution
State employees
Texas
Toxicology
Vaccination
Virus diseases
Waste water treatment
Water Resources Development
Water supply
Water treatment plants
Women
Women's health
Zoning and zoning law

Summary:
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: 
Gulf Coast Hurricane Emergency Environmental Protection Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use Hurricane Katrina disaster relief funding for: (1) cleanup activities: (2) reconstruction and rehabilitation of drinking water supplies and wastewater treatment plants; and (3) addressing threats to human health or the environment due to Hurricane Katrina. Requires the Administrator to prioritize cleanup activities based upon risks posed to human health or the environment. 
 
Directs the Administrator, in coordination with the governors of affected states and relevant governmental agencies, to develop a Comprehensive Environmental Sampling and Toxicity Assessment Plan (CESTAP) to determine health and environmental hazards posed by exposure to contaminants, hazardous materials, or infectious materials released into the environment due to hurricanes and resultant flooding. Requires CESTAP to include comprehensive environmental testing, risk assessment, notification to the public and public health officials of environmental risks, cleanup provisions, training for responders and cleanup workers, and public health assessments and long-term monitoring of health risks from environmental contaminants released by Hurricane Katrina.
 
Establishes an Independent Advisory and Review Board to assist the Administrator in carrying out this Act.
 
Habitability of Residential Homes, Schools, and Commercial Buildings Affected by Hurricane Katrina Act of 2005 - Directs the Administrator to: (1) establish a grant program for abatement and inspection activities for residences, commercial buildings, and schools affected by Hurricane Katrina; (2) issues guidelines for mold and mold spore limits in buildings; and (3) issue guidelines for contractor training and certification for mold remediation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-03-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Education Reform.
action_date: 2006-03-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on 21st Century Competitiveness.
action_date: 2006-03-24
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
action_date: 2005-11-04
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
action_date: 2005-10-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Budget, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Budget, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Budget, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Budget, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, the Budget, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-10-25
text: Introduced in House