Congresswoman Barbara Lee Introduces Bill to Assess Progress in Haiti
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 26, 2013
Contact: Carrie Adams (202) 225-2661
Washington, D.C. —Yesterday, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced H.R. 1749, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act, which would require a comprehensive report updating Congress on the progress of the post-earthquake humanitarian, reconstruction, and development efforts in Haiti.
“The Haitian people have continued to demonstrate resiliency, strength, and bravery despite the tragic events that have occurred. It is beyond time that in turn, Congress supports Haiti to ensure that relief and reconstruction funds in Haiti are effectively spent to maximize their long term impact,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
The January 12, 2010 earthquake killed over 300,000 people, left over one million homeless and crippled the ability of the Haitian government to provide security and deliver services. Despite the billions of dollars pledged to Haiti, more than 350,000 Haitians remain internally displaced and it is unclear what sustainable impact American relief funds have had.
Congresswoman Lee continued, “We need to make certain that the people of Haiti are on the road to recovery and not forgotten. Three years after one of the most catastrophic earthquakes in history, we have very little accountability and oversight in the recovery efforts, and we need to change that.”
In order to address these significant challenges, the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act would make certain that Congress continues to maintain their humanitarian responsibility to ensure that relief and reconstruction funds in Haiti are effectively spent to maximize long term impact.
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Follow Barbara Lee on Facebook and Twitter at @RepBarbaraLee. To learn more, visit lee.house.gov.
Congresswoman Lee is a member of the Appropriations and Budget Committees, the Steering and Policy Committee, is a Senior Democratic Whip, as well as the Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), where she serves as the Co-Chair of the CPC Peace and Security Task Force.