The head of the House International Relations Committee, Rep. Henry Hyde, said Thursday he plans to introduce the legislation early next year, which will seek to streamline U.S. aid efforts and allocate funds for relief works.

"The infrastructure of daily life is simply gone," Hyde said of the disaster zone including the coastal areas of Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and the eastern coast of Africa. "The challenges of coping with suffering on this magnitude are almost unfathomable, and we will act.

"The enormity of this challenge is still unfolding, and we must pay particular attention to the urgent plight of children orphaned by the disaster," Hyde said.

Hyde praised relief efforts already undertaken by Japan, Australia, India, Britain, Germany, Norway and the work of numerous non-governmental and faith-based organizations.