CJ's Home Protection Act Of 2009
Floor Speech
CJ's Home Protection Act Of 2009
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Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, before I begin my remarks, I would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Ellsworth) for his continued leadership on this issue, and for authoring the legislation that is before us today.
H.R. 320, the CJ's Home Protection Act of 2009, is named after CJ Martin, a 2-year old boy who was killed when an F3 tornado struck his manufactured home in 2005. Over 8 million families rely on manufactured housing to fulfill their housing needs. However, many manufactured homes, particularly those built before 1994, are incapable of withstanding the winds of a tornado, which can reach up to 200 miles. In 2008, 45 percent of tornado-related deaths occurred in manufactured homes.
H.R. 320 would provide a much-needed safety component to manufactured homes by requiring that they be equipped with weather radios that can inform families ahead of time that potentially dangerous weather is on the way. With this information, families can take appropriate action to protect themselves in the event of dangerous weather. These radios can be provided at a minimal cost--less than $50 in most cases--and are a small price to pay for saving even one life.
In addition, given the government's reliance on manufactured housing to meet the temporary housing needs of families displaced by natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, this kind of housing is becoming more and more critical to the lives of many Americans. It is crucial that this housing be safe and secure over the long term because, as we have seen in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Government can be lax in funding and finding permanent housing solutions for families temporarily living in these housing units.
The House already passed this legislation during the 110th Congress, and I hope that the Senate joins us in sending a bill to the President for his signature. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
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