Senator Endorses Creation of Ombuds for Red Cross

"We need a Red Cross ombudsman," says Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo). The Senator commended the Judiciary Committee’s approval of a bill making key changes to the governing structure contained in the American Red Cross charter, including many recommendations recently made by the organization’s Board of Governors. The American National Red Cross Governance Modernization Act of 2007, will:

• Create a Red Cross ombudsman to provide dispute resolution assistance on a confidential and informal basis, for both internal and external stakeholders; and
• Require the ombudsman to report to Congress annually, and to the American Red Cross chief executive officer, and the audit committee of the Board of Governors.

Enzi co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). (The Hill Blog; see also the history of S.655 by the Library of Congress; related post Senate to Propose Ombuds for Red Cross