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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9723 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9723

    To amend the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 to 
 reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 20, 2024

    Mr. Miller of Ohio (for himself and Mr. Foster) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and 
   Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
    To amend the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 to 
 reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Windstorm Impact Reduction 
Program Reauthorization Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM.

    The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 is amended--
            (1) in section 204 (42 U.S.C. 15703)--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking ``the purpose of 
                which is to achieve'' through ``cost-effective 
                mitigation measures to reduce those impacts.'' and 
                inserting the following: ``the purpose of which is to--
            ``(1) achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of 
        life and property from windstorms through a coordinated Federal 
        effort, in cooperation with other levels of government, 
        academia, scientific organizations, and the private sector, 
        aimed at improving the understanding of windstorms and their 
        impacts, including wind-driven rain, wind-driven fires, and 
        storm surge impacts; and
            ``(2) develop and encourage the implementation of cost-
        effective mitigation measures to reduce the impacts described 
        in paragraph (1), which can be applied to communities with 
        different types of housing and infrastructure in urban and 
        rural areas across the United States.'';
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``Federal, 
                                        State, and local'' and 
                                        inserting ``Federal, State, 
                                        local, and Tribal''; and
                                            (bb) by inserting ``, 
                                        including with respect to 
                                        existing buildings and 
                                        manufactured housing'' before 
                                        the semicolon;
                                    (II) by redesignating subparagraphs 
                                (B), (C), (D), and (E) as subparagraphs 
                                (C), (F), (G), and (H), respectively;
                                    (III) by inserting after 
                                subparagraph (A) the following new 
                                subparagraph:
                    ``(B) ensure the Program supports interdisciplinary 
                research, including collaborations that include social 
                scientists and emergency managers, and collaborations 
                between atmospheric scientists and engineers, that seek 
                to increase the relevance of atmospheric measurements 
                and models for buildings engineering applications;''; 
                and
                                    (IV) by inserting after 
                                subparagraph (C), as so redesignated, 
                                the following new subparagraphs:
                    ``(D) support integration of emerging tools and 
                technologies in research and engineering activities 
                carried out by the Program, including relating to 
                artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced 
                manufacturing technologies, and new materials;
                    ``(E) support property owner utilization of 
                products and construction methods which strengthen 
                residential and commercial properties from the impact 
                of windstorms, wind-driven rain, wind-driven fires, and 
                storm surge impacts, including building methodologies 
                and certification standards;'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``to 
                        increase resilience to windstorms and resulting 
                        wind-driven rain and storm surge impacts'' 
                        before the period;
                            (iii) in paragraph (3)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                subparagraph (A), by striking ``support 
                                research in'';
                                    (II) in subparagraph (A)--
                                            (aa) by inserting ``support 
                                        research in'' before 
                                        ``engineering and the 
                                        atmospheric sciences''; and
                                            (bb) by striking ``and'' 
                                        after the semicolon;
                                    (III) by amending subparagraph (B) 
                                to read as follows:
                    ``(B) support research in economic, behavioral, and 
                social factors influencing development, implementation, 
                and adoption of windstorm and resulting wind-driven 
                rain, wind-driven fires, and storm surge impacts risk 
                assessment, risk communication, and risk reduction 
                measures by individuals, property owners, communities, 
                and policymakers; and''; and
                                    (IV) by adding at the end the 
                                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) support an analysis of the scientific need, 
                opportunity, and challenges to supporting the design, 
                development, and construction of a tornado research 
                facility for the study of tornado impacts on buildings 
                at scale.;'';
                            (iv) in paragraph (4)--
                                    (I) by striking ``The National 
                                Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                                Administration'' and all that follows 
                                through the period and inserting the 
                                following:
                    ``(A) In general.--The National Oceanic and 
                Atmospheric Administration shall support atmospheric 
                sciences research to improve the understanding of the 
                behavior of windstorms, and resulting wind-driven rain, 
                wind-driven fires, and storm surge, and their impacts 
                on buildings, structures, and lifelines.''; and
                                    (II) by adding at the end the 
                                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) Advisory committee.--
                            ``(i) Establishment.--The Administrator of 
                        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration shall establish a Scientific 
                        Windstorm Studies Advisory Committee (in this 
                        subparagraph referred to as the `Advisory 
                        Committee').
                            ``(ii) Organization.--The Administrator of 
                        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration--
                                    ``(I) shall establish procedures 
                                for selection to the Advisory Committee 
                                of individuals not employed by the 
                                Federal Government who are qualified in 
                                the atmospheric and oceanic sciences 
                                and other appropriate fields; and
                                    ``(II) may, pursuant to such 
                                procedures, select up to ten 
                                individuals, one of whom shall be 
                                designated Chair of the Advisory 
                                Committee.
                            ``(iii) Selection.--Selection of 
                        individuals to the Advisory Committee shall be 
                        based solely on established records of 
                        distinguished service, and the Administrator of 
                        the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                        Administration shall ensure a reasonable cross-
                        section of views and expertise is represented. 
                        In selecting individuals to serve on the 
                        Advisory Committee, the Administrator shall 
                        seek and give due consideration to 
                        recommendations from the National Academy of 
                        Sciences, professional societies, and other 
                        appropriate organizations.
                            ``(iv) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee 
                        shall meet at such times and places as may be 
                        designated by the Chair, in consultation with 
                        the Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
                        Atmospheric Administration.
                            ``(v) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall 
                        advise the Administrator of the National 
                        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on 
                        matters relating to the Administration's 
                        participation in the Program, including the 
                        Administration's roles, goals, and objectives 
                        within the Program, its capabilities and 
                        research needs, guidance on achieving major 
                        objectives, and establishing and measuring 
                        performance goals.
                            ``(vi) Report.--The Advisory Committee 
                        shall submit to the Administrator of the 
                        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
                        a biennial report for submission to Congress. 
                        Each such biennial report shall describe the 
                        Advisory Committee's activities and address 
                        policy issues or matters that affect the 
                        Administration's participation in the Program.
                            ``(vii) Termination.--The Advisory 
                        Committee shall terminate four years after the 
                        date of the enactment of this subparagraph.''; 
                        and
                            (v) in paragraph (5)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A)--
                                            (aa) in clause (i), by 
                                        inserting ``, maintenance, and 
                                        updating'' after 
                                        ``development''; and
                                            (bb) in clause (ii), 
                                        inserting ``, including making 
                                        such data available and 
                                        interoperable to the extent 
                                        practicable'' before the 
                                        semicolon; and
                                    (II) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                inserting ``and scientific 
                                organizations'' after ``National 
                                Institutes of Standards and 
                                Technology'';
                    (C) in subsection (c)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2)--
                            (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ``to 
                        improve knowledge of and data collection on the 
                        impact of severe wind on buildings, structures, 
                        and infrastructure.'' and inserting the 
                        following: ``to--
                    ``(A) improve knowledge of and data collection on 
                the impact of severe wind on buildings, structures, 
                infrastructure, and community response; and
                    ``(B) understand the impacts of climate variability 
                and climate change on the behavior of windstorms and 
                the changing nature of windstorm risks, including 
                future projections of storm frequency, intensity, and 
                other factors.'';
                            (iii) in paragraph (3)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A), by 
                                inserting ``and technologies'' after 
                                ``mechanisms'';
                                    (II) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
                                    (III) in subparagraph (C)--
                                            (aa) by inserting ``near-
                                        surface winds and'' after 
                                        ``modeling of''; and
                                            (bb) by striking the period 
                                        and inserting ``; and''; and
                                    (IV) by adding at the end the 
                                following new subparagraph:
                    ``(D) research and development to enhance 
                understanding of factors that influence public 
                responses to windstorm risks.''; and
                            (iv) in paragraph (4)--
                                    (I) in subparagraph (A), by 
                                striking ``and local officials'' and 
                                inserting ``local, and Tribal 
                                officials''; and
                                    (II) in subparagraph (C)--
                                            (aa) by striking ``and 
                                        local officials'' and inserting 
                                        ``local, and Tribal 
                                        officials''; and
                                            (bb) by inserting 
                                        ``academia, scientific 
                                        organizations,'' after 
                                        ``construction industry,''; and
                    (D) in subsection (e)--
                            (i) in paragraph (2)(A)--
                                    (I) in clause (iv), by striking 
                                ``and'' after the semicolon; and
                                    (II) by adding at the end the 
                                following new clause:
                            ``(vi) the Department of Housing and Urban 
                        Development; and'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (5)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                subparagraph (A), by striking ``not 
                                later than 1 year after the date of 
                                enactment of the National Windstorm 
                                Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 
                                2015'' and inserting ``not later than 
                                18 months after the date of the 
                                enactment of the National Windstorm 
                                Impact Reduction Program 
                                Reauthorization Act of 2024'';
                                    (II) in subparagraph (A), by 
                                inserting ``and resulting wind-driven 
                                rain, wind-driven fires, and storm 
                                surge impacts'' before the semicolon;
                                    (III) in subparagraph (C), by 
                                inserting ``, including efforts to 
                                cooperate with other levels of 
                                government, academia, scientific 
                                organizations, and the private sector'' 
                                before the semicolon;
                                    (IV) in subparagraph (D), by 
                                striking ``and'' after the semicolon;
                                    (V) by redesignating subparagraph 
                                (E) as subparagraph (F); and
                                    (VI) by inserting after 
                                subparagraph (D) the following new 
                                subparagraph:
                    ``(E) an analysis of future research infrastructure 
                needs, including facilities and deployable equipment in 
                support of the Program, and a plan for meeting such 
                needs; and''; and
                            (iii) in paragraph (6)--
                                    (I) in the matter preceding 
                                subparagraph (A), by striking ``Not 
                                later than 18 months after the date of 
                                enactment of the National Windstorm 
                                Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 
                                2015'' and inserting ``Not later than 
                                18 months after the date of the 
                                enactment of the National Windstorm 
                                Impact Reduction Program 
                                Reauthorization Act of 2024'';
                                    (II) in subparagraph (B), by 
                                inserting ``and'' after the semicolon;
                                    (III) in subparagraph (C), by 
                                striking ``; and'' and inserting a 
                                period; and
                                    (IV) by striking subparagraph (D); 
                                and
            (2) in section 207 (42 U.S.C. 15706)--
                    (A) in subsection (a), by striking paragraphs (1) 
                through (3) and inserting the following new paragraphs:
            ``(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            ``(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2026.
            ``(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2027.
            ``(4) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2028.
            ``(5) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2029.'';
                    (B) in subsection (b), by striking paragraphs (1) 
                through (3) and inserting the following new paragraphs:
            ``(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            ``(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2026.
            ``(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2027.
            ``(4) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2028.
            ``(5) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2029.'';
                    (C) in subsection (c), by striking paragraphs (1) 
                through (3) and inserting the following new paragraphs:
            ``(1) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            ``(2) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2026.
            ``(3) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2027.
            ``(4) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2028.
            ``(5) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2029.''; and
                    (D) in subsection (d), by striking paragraphs (1) 
                through (3) and inserting the following new paragraphs:
            ``(1) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2025.
            ``(2) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2026.
            ``(3) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2027.
            ``(4) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2028.
            ``(5) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2029.''.
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