Wind Engineering Research Program Act of 1993

Summary: Wind Engineering Research Program Act of 1993 - Establishes within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Institute) a Wind Engineering Program which shall:  (1) provide for wind engineering research; (2) serve as an information clearinghouse; and (3) improve interagency coordination on wind engineering research. 
Requires the Director of the Institute to establish:  (1) a Wind Engineering Research Advisory Committee; and (2) a national wind engineering research and development plan.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Wind Engineering Research Program 
Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) Hurricanes and tornadoes kill more Americans and 
        destroy more property than any other natural disaster.
            (2) Each year, in the United States, extreme winds cause 
        billions of dollars of damage to homes, schools, and other 
        buildings, roads and bridges, electrical power distribution 
        networks, and communications networks.
            (3) Research on wind and wind engineering has resulted in 
        improved methods for making buildings and other structures less 
        vulnerable to extreme winds, but additional research funding is 
        needed to develop new, improved, and more cost-effective 
        methods of wind-resistant construction.
            (4) Federal funding for wind engineering research has 
        decreased drastically over the last 20 years.
            (5) Wind research has been hampered by a lack of data on 
        near-surface wind speed and distribution during hurricanes, 
        tornadoes, and other severe storms.
            (6) Many existing methods for wind-resistant construction 
        are inexpensive and easy to implement but often they are not 
        applied because the construction industry and the general 
        public are unaware of such methods.
            (7) Various Federal agencies have important roles to play 
        in wind engineering research, but at present there is little 
        interagency cooperation or coordination in this area.
            (8) Establishment of a Federal Wind Engineering Research 
        Program would result in new technologies for wind-resistant 
        construction, broader application of such technologies in 
        construction, and ultimately reduced loss of life and property 
        due to extreme winds.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to create a Wind Engineering Research 
Program within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
which would--
            (1) provide for wind engineering research;
            (2) serve as a clearinghouse for information on wind 
        engineering; and
            (3) improve interagency coordination on wind engineering 
        research between the National Institute of Standards and 
        Technology, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Federal 
        Aviation Administration, and other appropriate Federal 
        agencies.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.

    Within the National Institute of Standards and Technology, there 
shall be established a Wind Engineering Research Program which shall--
            (1) conduct research and development, in cooperation with 
        the private sector and academia, on new methods for mitigating 
        wind damage due to hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe 
        storms;
            (2) coordinate research requiring the use of wind tunnels 
        with other Federal agencies having appropriate facilities, such 
        as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, for wind 
        engineering research;
            (3) disseminate information on the application of existing 
        research results and methods for reducing wind damage to 
        buildings that are usually incompletely engineered or 
        nonengineered, such as single family dwellings, mobile homes, 
        light industrial buildings, and small commercial structures;
            (4) transfer technology developed in wind engineering 
        research to the private sector so that it may be applied in 
        building codes, design practice, and construction;
            (5) conduct, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, post-disaster research following 
        hurricanes, tornadoes, and other severe storms to evaluate the 
        vulnerability of different types of buildings to extreme winds;
            (6) serve as a point of contact for dissemination of 
        research information on wind engineering and work with the 
        private sector to develop education and training programs on 
        construction techniques developed from research results for 
        reducing wind damage;
            (7) work with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and other 
        Federal agencies on meteorology programs to collect and 
        disseminate more data on extreme wind events; and
            (8) work with the National Science Foundation to support 
        and expand basic research on wind engineering.

SEC. 5. WIND ENGINEERING RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

    (a) Establishment.--Not later than 120 days after   the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall establish an independent Wind 
Engineering Research Advisory Committee (in this Act referred to as the 
``advisory committee'').
    (b) Duties.--The advisory committee shall provide advice and 
recommendations to the Director of the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology regarding the needs, objectives, and plans with respect 
to the development of the wind engineering research and development 
plan referred to in section 6, including the role of other Federal 
agencies in implementing the plan.
    (c) Membership.--The advisory committee shall be composed of 
members appointed by the Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology from among individuals who are not employees 
of the Department of Commerce and who are specially qualified to serve 
on the advisory committee by virtue of their education, training, or 
experience. A majority of the members of the advisory committee shall 
be individuals with experience in wind engineering research and 
development.
    (d) Termination.--The advisory committee shall terminate within 60 
days after the development of the plan referred to in section 6.

SEC. 6. WIND ENGINEERING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLAN.

    (a) Development.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
establishment of the advisory committee, the Director of the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology shall develop an integrated plan 
(in this Act referred to as the ``plan'') for a national wind 
engineering research and development program. The Director shall 
consult with the Director of the National Science Foundation and draw 
upon the recommendations of the advisory committee in developing the 
plan.
    (b) Contents.--The plan referred to in subsection (a) shall 
include--
            (1) details of the wind engineering research and 
        development programs currently conducted by the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology and the National Science 
        Foundation and how those programs can be integrated into the 
        plan;
            (2) details for each area of research and development 
        included in the plan, including appropriate funding levels, a 
        schedule with milestones, preliminary cost estimates, 
        appropriate work scopes, personnel requirements, estimated 
        costs and goals for the next 5 years, and the role of other 
        appropriate Federal agencies, if any, in implementing the plan;
            (3) a means to provide for the transfer to the private 
        sector of technology developed as a result of wind engineering 
        research, for use in building codes, design practice, and 
        construction; and
            (4) details regarding how the program can be conducted in 
        cooperation with industry and the private sector.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATIONS.

    (a) Authorization for National Institute of Standards and 
Technology.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology for the purposes of this Act, 
$1,000,000 for fiscal year 1994, $3,000,000 for fiscal year 1995, and 
$5,000,000 for fiscal year 1996.
    (b) Cooperative Agreements.--Of the amounts appropriated under 
subsection (a), no less than 50 percent shall be used for cooperative 
agreements with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
the National Science Foundation, and Federal Aviation Administration, 
or other agencies, for wind engineering research, development of 
improved practices for structures, and the collection and dissemination 
of meteorological data needed for wind engineering.