WASHINGTON -- With the support of United States Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in a unanimous vote today passed a bill sponosred by Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., that would require the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to determine the number of temporary housing units it should keep in its inventory and develop a plan for the disposal of excess units. The committee also unanimously adopted a Landrieu-authored amendment requiring FEMA to also develop a proposal to get rid of used trailers and mobile homes — like those in Louisiana.

"FEMA's continued storage of more than 100,000 not-Ready-for-Dispatch temporary housing units — at a cost of $100 million a year — is a blatant misuse and abuse of taxpayer funds, as well as an obvious reminder that manufactured housing is still a significant component of our federal disaster housing strategy.

"FEMA should determine the number of unused and used temporary housing units that should be kept and develop a plan to get rid of the rest. Trailers were the principal housing solution following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and were costly, cumbersome, ridden with formaldehyde and wholly inadequate for families. They were parked miles away from jobs, schools and neighborhoods — and 5,600 are still occupied nearly four years after the storms.

"In February, the Disaster Recovery Subcommittee released an investigative report, which determined that trailers will continue to play a significant role in future disaster housing because FEMA has not fully developed any alternative solutions. This is unacceptable. The report's recommendations urge FEMA to implement rental repair programs and encourage HUD to take the lead on housing recovery. I look forward to working with Secretaries Napolitano and Donovan and FEMA Administrator nominee Craig Fugate to develop a disaster housing strategy that works."

The Committee also approved the nominations of Jane Hall Lute for Deputy Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, and John Berry, for the Director of the Office of Personnel Management. The full Senate will now consider the nominations.

Last week at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Sen. Landrieu questioned Ms. Lute about the status of the Administration's efforts to develop an arbitration system for hurricane recovery projects that are currently under dispute. Sen. Landrieu inserted a provision into the Recovery Act that requires the establishment of an arbitration panel to expedite billions of dollars of hurricane recovery projects held up by FEMA.

She also asked Ms. Lute to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security works closely with the offshore maritime industry to develop and enforce new and existing regulations.