Tom Bolt, Delegate at Large to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, secured an amendment to Resolution 116B which was before the body on Monday at it Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California. The Resolution sponsored by the ABA’s Section on Individual Rights and Responsibilities urged the United States Congress to establish a panel to review the government response to Hurricane Katrina and develop programs and policies to address the needs of property owners in disaster prone areas.
"The resolution as originally presented," Bolt said, "would have only included programs and policies for persons in the Gulf States affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We needed to include those in the Virgin Islands where we are consistently threatened by hurricanes, as well as those in Florida and other disaster prone areas. My amendment would extend the scope of the resolution to include all persons in disaster prone areas."
Bolt noted, "Our Virgin Islands Delegate to Congress, the National Association of REALTORS, and many other support groups and been working for many years to secure a national hurricane insurance program through the United States Congress similar to the present flood insurance program. Hopefully now with the support of the American Bar Association and their Washington staff we can move a bit closer to achieving propoerty and casualty insurance, as well as other programs for those in disaster prone areas."
The House of Delegates of the American Bar Association is the policy making body of the American Bar Association. With more than 413,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.