mr. speaker , i never rise on this floor addressing the question of hurricane katrina without thanking all of the enormous outpouring from americans of charity and concern , particularly commenting on my city and my state that have welcomed now almost 245 , 000 survivors into the state of texas and now close to 100 , 000-plus in houston , in my congressional district and other congressional districts in the area .  one of the first things i did in visiting those survivors in the astrodome was to apologize on behalf of the federal government .  each meeting i subsequently went to and each time i was able to touch a survivor or hear their story of pain , i again apologized for the complete collapse and ineffectiveness of our ability to deploy in advance of hurricane katrina , to be able to be on the ground with resources whether they be the national guard or the military or fema or anyone else that might have contributed to the saving of lives or , in fact , providing the survivors with a pathway out of mississippi or alabama or new orleans .  so i accept and respect the apology and the acceptance of responsibility by the president , by the governor and anyone else who chooses to do so , because the federal government is a safety net ; and i think americans understand that .  but , mr. speaker , moving checkers on a checker board is not , in fact , a solution to our problem .  so we can not make , if you will , anew something that is broken .  the idea of a commission similar to the 9/11 commission speaks volumes for the accuracy and the responsibility that so many elected officials have spoken about .  be reminded that the 9/11 commission working in a bipartisan fashion , equal numbered in population , if you will , reflecting different views , was able to bring out the dirty laundry but also the good points .  they reminded us that one of the key elements of failure in 9/11 was the lack of interoperability .  as a member of the homeland security committee of the congress , i believe a 9/11-type commission for hurricane katrina would pay tribute to the survivors and deceased alike and provide america with the necessary truth !  