BATON ROUGE (AP) — Plans are moving ahead to create a $5 million program to help homeowners rehabilitate and repair property with Chinese drywall problems.

State lawmakers required the Louisiana Recovery Authority to devise the program, and the recovery authority’s board gave preliminary approval Tuesday to using federal hurricane recovery block grant money for the program.

Next is a public comment period, followed by another round of LRA and legislative approvals. Federal authorities also have to sign off on the spending plans before homeowners can receive aid.

People rebuilding their south Louisiana homes after Hurricane Katrina claim imported Chinese drywall emits sulfur, methane and other chemical compounds that have ruined homes and harmed residents’ health.