While there is no comprehensive federal plan in place to rebuild the Gulf Coast, there are several bills being written and/or introduced in Congress that, if passed, would greatly speed up recovery efforts.
To make sure the recovery gets the attention it deserves, these people- and the leadership- need to hear from you.
Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT)and Trent Lott (R-MS) are co-sponsoring a bill to end the anti-trust exemption for the insurance industry, while
Representative Gene Taylor (D-MS)is pushing for hearings and similar legislation in the House.
As he sees it the wind/water shell game played by insurers in Mississippi to avoid paying claims could not have happened without serious collusion on the part of the industry. His office is looking for specific cases and stories to highlight.
Taylor and Rep.Charlie Melancon(D-LA) are the chairs of the Democrats' Hurricane Katrina Task Force. It has recommended a wide range of legislation addressing everything from housing to infrastructure and readiness in a report titled Katrina and Beyond
Take a read through the report- there are some good ideas in there. Talk it up to your own representatives.
If you know of other legislative efforts, drop them in the comments for a future update.