Washington — Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-5th District, scored a legislative win Friday as the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee approved her amendment to the “Windstorm Impact Reduction Act.”

The bill would reauthorize a federal program that seeks to reduce loss of life and property from hurricanes and tornadoes though studies of the effects of these disasters and implementation of mitigation measures.

Esty persuaded her colleagues on the committee, including its Republican chairman, Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, to include an amendment that would clarify that, after hurricanes and tornadoes, a certain amount of disaster funds would be spent on infrastructure such as roadways, cell towers and electrical towers.

The bipartisan bill is expected to be approved by the House soon.

Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

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