No. 3 House Republican to tour Cedar Rapids flood damage

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett hopes to continue a 'full court press” for federal help building flood protection when the third ranking Republican in the U.S. House visits Cedar Rapids on Thursday.

U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, will join U.S. Rep. Rod Blum, R-Dubuque, and Corbett on a tour of flood-damaged areas in Cedar Rapids. The visit was announced by the Blum for Congress committee, which is supporting Blum's re-election campaign.

'We are trying to use this opportunity we have during this election cycle to get our issue front and center in front of the candidates,” Corbett said. 'Scalise will have an influential role on what bills get passed during the lame duck session.”

Scalise could play an important role in getting the federal Water Resources Development Act passed before a new president takes office, Corbett said. Senate and House versions of the so called WRDA bill prioritize four disaster relief projects, including Cedar Rapids flood protection, above others, but both Chambers have yet to agree on a final version.

Passage of the bill will reaffirm the importance of the Cedar Rapids project, Corbett said. If the bill doesn't get passed and a new Congress with new members gavels in, it could restart the whole process, delaying a decision on assistance another year, he said.

Corbett acknowledged Cedar Rapids also will have to heavily lobby the next president to put the project in the federal budget. He said a third prong of the attack is to lobby the State Legislature to condense a 20-year allocation of sales tax revenue for Cedar Rapids flood protection down to 10 years. 'We need elected officials to overrule the bureaucrats,” Corbett said. 'If they do, we can aggressively build flood protection in Cedar Rapids.”

Corbett may find a receptive ear from Scalise, whose home state has battled flooding. In August, Louisiana flooding claimed 13 lives, damaged 60,000 homes, and cost an estimated $30 million, according to a National Public Radio report.

Scalise and colleagues in the Louisiana congressional delegation faced criticism for seeking federal relief after voting against additional federal help following 2012's Superstorm Sandy, which wreaked havoc on the East Coast, according to a New York Daily News report.

During the visit, Scalise, Blum and Corbett will 'tour flood damage, the relief effort, and discuss related federal legislation,” according to the news release from Blum's campaign, Blum faces Democratic challenger Monica Vernon in the race for the first district congressional seat.

The tour will begin at 10:45 a.m. at Cedar Rapids City Hall.