By a voice vote, the House of Representatives yesterday approved H.R. 3736, legislation “providing legal protections for volunteers assisting in the Hurricane Katrina recovery effort”. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), a sponsor, said in a press release (PDF):
“At the federal level, the Volunteer Protection Act [passed some years back] does not provide any protection to volunteers who aren’t working under the auspices of an official nonprofit organization, namely a 501(c)(3) organization, and it provides no protection at all to nonprofit organizations themselves….
According to recent press accounts, the Red Cross feels constrained in giving out the names of refugees to those who want to offer their homes to them for shelter because they have concerns about liability. The Red Cross has cited “liability issues” as a reason for people not to volunteer to take refugees into their homes, and complained generally that “There is so much liability involved.”…
The bill, Sensenbrenner said, would apply only to those who act without pay and without a prior duty to aid, and would not apply to those who “act in a willful, wanton, reckless, or criminal manner or violate a State or Federal civil rights law.” More: our Sept. 6 post, in which Ted calls attention to some of the same Red Cross complaints (coincidence?). And Glenn Reynolds’ list of Katrina relief outlets is here — please remember to give.
Comments are closed.