I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Windstorm 

5 Impact Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2024’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO2 GRAM. 

3 The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 

4 2004 is amended— 

5 (1) in section 204 (42 U.S.C. 15703)— 

6 (A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘the pur7 pose of which is to achieve’’ through ‘‘cost-ef8 fective mitigation measures to reduce those im9 pacts.’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘the pur10 pose of which is to— 

11 ‘‘(1) achieve major measurable reductions in the 

12 losses of life and property from windstorms through 

13 a coordinated Federal effort, in cooperation with 

14 other levels of government, academia, scientific orga15 nizations, and the private sector, aimed at improving 

16 the understanding of windstorms and their impacts, 

17 including wind-driven rain, wind-driven fires, and 

18 storm surge impacts; and 

19 ‘‘(2) develop and encourage the implementation 

20 of cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce the 

21 impacts described in paragraph (1), which can be 

22 applied to communities with different types of hous23 ing and infrastructure in urban and rural areas 

24 across the United States.’’; 

25 (B) in subsection (b)— 

26 (i) in paragraph (1)— 


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1 (I) in subparagraph (A)— 

2 (aa) by striking ‘‘Federal, 

3 State, and local’’ and inserting 

4 ‘‘Federal, State, local, and Trib5 al’’; and 

6 (bb) by inserting ‘‘, includ7 ing with respect to existing build8 ings and manufactured housing’’ 

9 before the semicolon; 

10 (II) by redesignating subpara11 graphs (B), (C), (D), and (E) as sub12 paragraphs (C), (F), (G), and (H), re13 spectively; 

14 (III) by inserting after subpara15 graph (A) the following new subpara16 graph: 

17 ‘‘(B) ensure the Program supports inter18 disciplinary research, including collaborations 

19 that include social scientists and emergency 

20 managers, and collaborations between atmos21 pheric scientists and engineers, that seek to in22 crease the relevance of atmospheric measure23 ments and models for buildings engineering ap24 plications;’’; and 


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1 (IV) by inserting after subpara2 graph (C), as so redesignated, the fol3 lowing new subparagraphs: 

4 ‘‘(D) support integration of emerging tools 

5 and technologies in research and engineering 

6 activities carried out by the Program, including 

7 relating to artificial intelligence, machine learn8 ing, advanced manufacturing technologies, and 

9 new materials; 

10 ‘‘(E) support property owner utilization of 

11 products and construction methods which 

12 strengthen residential and commercial prop13 erties from the impact of windstorms, wind14 driven rain, wind-driven fires, and storm surge 

15 impacts, including building methodologies and 

16 certification standards;’’; 

17 (ii) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘to 

18 increase resilience to windstorms and re19 sulting wind-driven rain and storm surge 

20 impacts’’ before the period; 

21 (iii) in paragraph (3)— 

22 (I) in the matter preceding sub23 paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘support 

24 research in’’; 

25 (II) in subparagraph (A)— 


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1 (aa) by inserting ‘‘support 

2 research in’’ before ‘‘engineering 

3 and the atmospheric sciences’’; 

4 and 

5 (bb) by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

6 the semicolon; 

7 (III) by amending subparagraph 

8 (B) to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(B) support research in economic, behav10 ioral, and social factors influencing develop11 ment, implementation, and adoption of wind12 storm and resulting wind-driven rain, wind-driv13 en fires, and storm surge impacts risk assess14 ment, risk communication, and risk reduction 

15 measures by individuals, property owners, com16 munities, and policymakers; and’’; and 

17 (IV) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing new subparagraph: 

19 ‘‘(C) support an analysis of the scientific 

20 need, opportunity, and challenges to supporting 

21 the design, development, and construction of a 

22 tornado research facility for the study of tor23 nado impacts on buildings at scale.;’’; 

24 (iv) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (I) by striking ‘‘The National 

2 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra3 tion’’ and all that follows through the 

4 period and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The National Oceanic 

6 and Atmospheric Administration shall support 

7 atmospheric sciences research to improve the 

8 understanding of the behavior of windstorms, 

9 and resulting wind-driven rain, wind-driven 

10 fires, and storm surge, and their impacts on 

11 buildings, structures, and lifelines.’’; and 

12 (II) by adding at the end the fol13 lowing new subparagraph: 

14 ‘‘(B) ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— 

15 ‘‘(i) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Adminis16 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmos17 pheric Administration shall establish a Sci18 entific Windstorm Studies Advisory Com19 mittee (in this subparagraph referred to as 

20 the ‘Advisory Committee’). 

21 ‘‘(ii) ORGANIZATION.—The Adminis22 trator of the National Oceanic and Atmos23 pheric Administration— 

24 ‘‘(I) shall establish procedures for 

25 selection to the Advisory Committee of 


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1 individuals not employed by the Fed2 eral Government who are qualified in 

3 the atmospheric and oceanic sciences 

4 and other appropriate fields; and 

5 ‘‘(II) may, pursuant to such pro6 cedures, select up to ten individuals, 

7 one of whom shall be designated Chair 

8 of the Advisory Committee. 

9 ‘‘(iii) SELECTION.—Selection of indi10 viduals to the Advisory Committee shall be 

11 based solely on established records of dis12 tinguished service, and the Administrator 

13 of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

14 Administration shall ensure a reasonable 

15 cross-section of views and expertise is rep16 resented. In selecting individuals to serve 

17 on the Advisory Committee, the Adminis18 trator shall seek and give due consider19 ation to recommendations from the Na20 tional Academy of Sciences, professional 

21 societies, and other appropriate organiza22 tions. 

23 ‘‘(iv) MEETINGS.—The Advisory Com24 mittee shall meet at such times and places 

25 as may be designated by the Chair, in conVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:45 Oct 03, 2024 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9723.IH H9723

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1 sultation with the Administrator of the Na2 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis3 tration. 

4 ‘‘(v) DUTIES.—The Advisory Com5 mittee shall advise the Administrator of 

6 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad7 ministration on matters relating to the Ad8 ministration’s participation in the Pro9 gram, including the Administration’s roles, 

10 goals, and objectives within the Program, 

11 its capabilities and research needs, guid12 ance on achieving major objectives, and es13 tablishing and measuring performance 

14 goals. 

15 ‘‘(vi) REPORT.—The Advisory Com16 mittee shall submit to the Administrator of 

17 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad18 ministration a biennial report for submis19 sion to Congress. Each such biennial re20 port shall describe the Advisory Commit21 tee’s activities and address policy issues or 

22 matters that affect the Administration’s 

23 participation in the Program. 

24 ‘‘(vii) TERMINATION.—The Advisory 

25 Committee shall terminate four years after 


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1 the date of the enactment of this subpara2 graph.’’; and 

3 (v) in paragraph (5)— 

4 (I) in subparagraph (A)— 

5 (aa) in clause (i), by insert6 ing ‘‘, maintenance, and updat7 ing’’ after ‘‘development’’; and 

8 (bb) in clause (ii), inserting 

9 ‘‘, including making such data 

10 available and interoperable to the 

11 extent practicable’’ before the 

12 semicolon; and 

13 (II) in subparagraph (B), by in14 serting ‘‘and scientific organizations’’ 

15 after ‘‘National Institutes of Stand16 ards and Technology’’; 

17 (C) in subsection (c)— 

18 (i) in paragraph (2)— 

19 (ii) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘to 

20 improve knowledge of and data collection 

21 on the impact of severe wind on buildings, 

22 structures, and infrastructure.’’ and insert23 ing the following: ‘‘to— 

24 ‘‘(A) improve knowledge of and data collec25 tion on the impact of severe wind on buildings, 


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1 structures, infrastructure, and community re2 sponse; and 

3 ‘‘(B) understand the impacts of climate 

4 variability and climate change on the behavior 

5 of windstorms and the changing nature of wind6 storm risks, including future projections of 

7 storm frequency, intensity, and other factors.’’; 

8 (iii) in paragraph (3)— 

9 (I) in subparagraph (A), by in10 serting ‘‘and technologies’’ after 

11 ‘‘mechanisms’’; 

12 (II) in subparagraph (B), by 

13 striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

14 (III) in subparagraph (C)— 

15 (aa) by inserting ‘‘near-sur16 face winds and’’ after ‘‘modeling 

17 of’’; and 

18 (bb) by striking the period 

19 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (IV) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing new subparagraph: 

22 ‘‘(D) research and development to enhance 

23 understanding of factors that influence public 

24 responses to windstorm risks.’’; and 

25 (iv) in paragraph (4)— 


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1 (I) in subparagraph (A), by strik2 ing ‘‘and local officials’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘local, and Tribal officials’’; and 

4 (II) in subparagraph (C)— 

5 (aa) by striking ‘‘and local 

6 officials’’ and inserting ‘‘local, 

7 and Tribal officials’’; and 

8 (bb) by inserting ‘‘academia, 

9 scientific organizations,’’ after 

10 ‘‘construction industry,’’; and 

11 (D) in subsection (e)— 

12 (i) in paragraph (2)(A)— 

13 (I) in clause (iv), by striking 

14 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; and 

15 (II) by adding at the end the fol16 lowing new clause: 

17 ‘‘(vi) the Department of Housing and 

18 Urban Development; and’’; 

19 (ii) in paragraph (5)— 

20 (I) in the matter preceding sub21 paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘not later 

22 than 1 year after the date of enact23 ment of the National Windstorm Im24 pact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

25 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘not later than 


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1 18 months after the date of the enact2 ment of the National Windstorm Im3 pact Reduction Program Reauthoriza4 tion Act of 2024’’; 

5 (II) in subparagraph (A), by in6 serting ‘‘and resulting wind-driven 

7 rain, wind-driven fires, and storm 

8 surge impacts’’ before the semicolon; 

9 (III) in subparagraph (C), by in10 serting ‘‘, including efforts to cooper11 ate with other levels of government, 

12 academia, scientific organizations, and 

13 the private sector’’ before the semi14 colon; 

15 (IV) in subparagraph (D), by 

16 striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

17 (V) by redesignating subpara18 graph (E) as subparagraph (F); and 

19 (VI) by inserting after subpara20 graph (D) the following new subpara21 graph: 

22 ‘‘(E) an analysis of future research infra23 structure needs, including facilities and 

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1 gram, and a plan for meeting such needs; and’’; 

2 and 

3 (iii) in paragraph (6)— 

4 (I) in the matter preceding sub5 paragraph (A), by striking ‘‘Not later 

6 than 18 months after the date of en7 actment of the National Windstorm 

8 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization 

9 of 2015’’ and inserting ‘‘Not later 

10 than 18 months after the date of the 

11 enactment of the National Windstorm 

12 Impact Reduction Program Reauthor13 ization Act of 2024’’; 

14 (II) in subparagraph (B), by in15 serting ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

16 (III) in subparagraph (C), by 

17 striking ‘‘; and’’ and inserting a pe18 riod; and 

19 (IV) by striking subparagraph 

20 (D); and 

21 (2) in section 207 (42 U.S.C. 15706)— 

22 (A) in subsection (a), by striking para23 graphs (1) through (3) and inserting the fol24 lowing new paragraphs: 

25 ‘‘(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2025. 


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1 ‘‘(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2026. 

2 ‘‘(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

3 ‘‘(4) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2028. 

4 ‘‘(5) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’; 

5 (B) in subsection (b), by striking para6 graphs (1) through (3) and inserting the fol7 lowing new paragraphs: 

8 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

9 ‘‘(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2026. 

10 ‘‘(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

11 ‘‘(4) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2028. 

12 ‘‘(5) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’; 

13 (C) in subsection (c), by striking para14 graphs (1) through (3) and inserting the fol15 lowing new paragraphs: 

16 ‘‘(1) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

17 ‘‘(2) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2026. 

18 ‘‘(3) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

19 ‘‘(4) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2028. 

20 ‘‘(5) $5,564,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’; and 

21 (D) in subsection (d), by striking para22 graphs (1) through (3) and inserting the fol23 lowing new paragraphs: 

24 ‘‘(1) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2025. 

25 ‘‘(2) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2026. 


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1 ‘‘(3) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2027. 

2 ‘‘(4) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2028. 

3 ‘‘(5) $17,219,000 for fiscal year 2029.’’. 

Æ 


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