The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a virtual briefing on Friday, June 25, 2021, on the civil rights implications of the federal response and impact of Hurricanes María in Puerto Rico and Harvey in Texas. The investigation will focus on the challenges faced by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in providing aid, lessons learned, and how the federal government is developing best practices to address compliance with civil rights commitments when it comes to natural disaster response.
At this public briefing, the Commissioners will hear from subject matter experts such as government officials, volunteer organizations, non-governmental advocates, and academics. The Commission will accept written materials from the public for consideration as we prepare our report; submit to FEMAbriefing@usccr.gov no later than July 26, 2021. From this investigation, the Commission plans to issue a report to Congress and the White House.
DATE: Friday, June 25, 2021
LOCATION: The briefing will be live-streamed on the Commission’s YouTube page.
AGENDA: Briefing (expert panels): 12:00 pm – 3:30 pm ET*
Open Comment Session (public testimony): Written comments submitted to FEMAbriefing@usccr.gov by July 26, 2021.
*Schedule subject to change