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Arkansas delegation addresses Katrina, rising gas prices in Congress Friday, Sep 9, 2005 By Alison Vekshin Stephens Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- Members of the Arkansas delegation returned from a month-long recess this week with proposals to ease the plight of Hurricane Katrina victims and investigate escalating gasoline prices made worse by the disaster. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., on Thursday introduced an amendment that aimed to ensure Katrina survivors eligible for Medicaid are quickly enrolled in the federal-state health-care system in the states where they find refuge. "It is not only the right thing to do, but it is what we must do to make sure our nation's safety net does not unravel in the face of this growing national emergency," Lincoln said in a Senate speech. "Current law restrictions on Medicaid eligibility impede our efforts to let Medicaid provide a safety net for Katrina's victims," Lincoln said. Under current law, low-income individuals must be residents to qualify for Medicaid coverage in a particular state. But thousands of hurricane victims in the Southeast have been moved to Texas, Arkansas and more than a dozen other states. Lincoln's legislation seeks to ensure that Medicaid health-care providers who treat survivors are reimbursed for their services. The amendment's provisions would be temporary, extending from Aug. 29 through Feb. 28, 2006 with the option of extending it an additional six months if necessary. Lincoln said she would try to attach her amendment to an annual federal spending bill that funds science-related programs and the State, Justice and Commerce departments in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1. Lincoln said she planned to visit evacuees in Arkansas on Friday. Meanwhile, Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said he planned to introduce an amendment to the spending bill that would set aside at least $1 million to direct the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether soaring gasoline prices are being caused by price gouging by suppliers or distributors. "It's very difficult for Arkansans to fill up their tanks and pay record prices at the pumps and then open the business page and see that oil companies are making record profits," Pryor said. The study can "offer an explanation for why prices have gone up so dramatically," Pryor said. Pryor will introduce the amendment either Friday or Monday, said spokesman Rodell Mollineau. If approved, the commission would be required to report its initial findings to Congress within 30 days and provide updates every 30 days. Rep. Mike Ross, D-Prescott, introduced a similar measure that would establish a timeline for the commission to investigate gas prices. The recently passed federal energy law directs the Federal Trade Commission to conduct an investigation, but does not set deadlines. "Price gouging and market manipulation in the days following Hurricane Katrina are intolerable and American citizens deserve an explanation," Ross said in a statement. Meanwhile, Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, in a letter urged Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and Federal Trade Commission chairwoman Deborah Majoris to investigate rising gas prices. The investigation would "ensure that unfair practices are not occurring all along the production and supply chain, leading to unaffordable fuel costs for many families on fixed incomes and potential shortages at the pump," Berry said in the letter that was also signed by other House members. The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is expected to hold a hearing next week to probe the government's handling of the hurricane disaster. "We need to ask hard questions and get answers, not just of (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) but the other government agencies involved," said Pryor, a member of the committee. "We just need to make sure that if there were problems here, that they don't happen again," he said. -- 30 -- |
