Highlights:
- Democrats and watchdog groups complain that some waivers are attempts to roll back federal protections and advance the Republican political agenda.
- The Environmental Protection Agency extended a waiver until Oct. 25 allowing the use of polluting, higher-sulfur fuel to alleviate gas shortages nationwide. Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., and others have proposed legislation that would lift limits on the amount of air and water pollution emitted by refineries, motor vehicles and other sources.
- "The hurricane is being used as a pretext to attack health and environmental standards," says Frank O'Donnell, president of the watchdog group Clean Air Watch.
By Andrea Stone, USA TODAY Thu Oct 13, 6:35 AM ET
President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress have used emergency powers to waive some federal regulations and have proposed other changes in what they say is an effort to cut red tape and speed relief to victims of Hurricane Katrina. Democrats and watchdog groups complain that some waivers are attempts to roll back federal protections and advance the Republican political agenda. A look at some of the actions:
• Affirmative action. The Labor Department waived for three months rules requiring some companies to file hiring plans for minorities, women and disabled workers. The waiver, which can be extended, applies to first-time federal contractors hired on reconstruction projects. Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean is among those who have attacked the move at a time when the storm bared deep racial and economic disparities.
• College grants. President Bush signed a law Sept. 21 waiving requirements for college students to pay back their federal Pell Grants if they have withdrawn from school because of major disasters. It covers as many as 100,000 college students displaced by Katrina as well as those affected by Hurricane Rita. The law removes financial penalties for late payments.
• Environmental protections. The Environmental Protection Agency extended a waiver until Oct. 25 allowing the use of polluting, higher-sulfur fuel to alleviate gas shortages nationwide. Sen. James Inhofe (news, bio, voting record), R-Okla., and others have proposed legislation that would lift limits on the amount of air and water pollution emitted by refineries, motor vehicles and other sources. "The hurricane is being used as a pretext to attack health and environmental standards," says Frank O'Donnell, president of the watchdog group Clean Air Watch.
• Federal contracts. The Transportation Department issued a rule to allow no-bid contracts until Dec. 1 on restoration projects. Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., and others have called for an independent probe into how the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other agencies have awarded contracts. FEMA has said it will reopen four large no-bid contracts signed just after the storm.
• Government credit cards. The General Services Administration raised the limit on government-issued credit cards to $250,000 for hurricane-related spending. The change enraged Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and other critics, forcing the administration to return the limit to $2,500, or $15,000 in an emergency.
• Minimum wage. Bush suspended the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act in parts of the four states most affected by Katrina. The law requires workers on federal construction projects to receive the prevailing or average minimum wage in the area. Bush and other Republicans have opposed the law, saying it raises contract costs. The AFL-CIO and other labor groups say it will lower wages and make it tougher for union workers to be hired.
• School vouchers. The Department of Education has proposed offering displaced students emergency school vouchers of $7,500 that could be used at public or private schools, even if students didn't attend a private school before Katrina. Teachers unions and Democrats such as Sen. Edward Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) of Massachusetts oppose the plan, saying Congress has repeatedly rejected vouchers because they drain scarce tax dollars from public schools.
• Taxes. The Internal Revenue Service granted relief to residents in the affected areas, giving them until Oct. 31 to pay taxes without incurring penalties or interest.
• Transportation rules. The Transportation Department temporarily waived safety rules limiting work hours for truck drivers and airline pilots who carry goods related to relief efforts. Safety regulations also were waived for the hurricane-related transport of hazardous materials in Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.