The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights will hold a virtual briefing on Thursday, October 21, 2021, on the civil rights implications of the federal response and impact of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The investigation will focus on the challenges faced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies 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. From this investigation, the Commission plans to issue a report to Congress and the White House.
At this public briefing, the Commissioners will hear from subject matter experts such as government officials, volunteer organizations, non-governmental advocates, and academics from the state of Texas. The Commission will accept written materials from the public for consideration as we prepare our report; submit to harveybriefing@usccr.gov no later than November 22, 2021.
DATE:
Thursday, October 21, 2021
LOCATION:
The briefing will be live streamed on the Commission’s YouTube page.
AGENDA:
Briefing (expert panels): 12:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET*
Open Comment Session (public testimony): Submit written comments to harveybriefing@usccr.gov by November 22, 2021.
*Schedule subject to change