I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2132 

To reauthorize Federal natural hazards reduction programs, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 23, 2013 

Ms. WILSON of Florida (for herself and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of 

Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the Committees 

on Natural Resources and 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 reauthorize Federal natural hazards reduction programs, 

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 ‘‘Natural Hazards Risk 

5 Reduction Act of 2013’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The United States faces significant risks 

2 from many types of natural hazards, including 

3 earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and 

4 floods. Increasing numbers of Americans are living 

5 in areas prone to these hazards. 

6 (2) Earthquakes occur without warning and can 

7 have devastating effects. According to the United 

8 States Geological Survey, the Northridge Earth9 quake in 1994 and the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 

10 1989 killed nearly 100 people, injured 12,757, and 

11 caused $33 billion in damages. Nearly all States face 

12 some level of seismic risk. Twenty-six urban areas in 

13 14 States have a significant seismic risk. 

14 (3) Severe weather is the most costly natural 

15 hazard, measured on a per year basis. According to 

16 data from the National Weather Service over the 

17 last 10 years, severe weather has caused an average 

18 of 278 fatalities and $24.3 billion of property dam19 age per year. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy inflicted the 

20 worst power outage caused by a natural disaster in 

21 the history of the United States and resulted in an 

22 estimated $70 billion in damages. The 2005 hurri23 cane season was one of the most destructive in 

24 United States history, killing 1,836 people, and 

25 causing $80 billion in damage. 


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1 (4) The United States Fire Administration re2 ports that 38 percent of new home construction in 

3 2002 was in areas adjacent to, or intermixed with, 

4 wildlands. Fires in the wildland-urban interface are 

5 costly. For example, the 2007 California Witch fire 

6 alone caused $1.3 billion in insured property losses, 

7 according to the Insurance Services Office (ISO). In 

8 addition, the Government Accountability Office re9 ported in 2009 that the Federal spending for wild10 fire suppression between 2001 and 2007 was, on av11 erage, $2.9 billion per year. 

12 (5) Developing better knowledge about natural 

13 hazard phenomena and their effects is crucial to as14 sessing the risks these hazards pose to communities. 

15 Instrumentation, monitoring, and data gathering to 

16 characterize earthquakes and wind events are impor17 tant activities to increase this knowledge. 

18 (6) Current building codes and standards can 

19 mitigate the damages caused by natural hazards. 

20 The Institute for Business and Home Safety esti21 mated that the $19 billion in damage caused by 

22 Hurricane Andrew in 1994 could have been reduced 

23 by half if such codes and standards were in effect. 

24 Research for the continuous improvement of building 

25 codes, standards, and design practices—and for deVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Jun 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2132.IH H2132

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1 veloping methods to retrofit existing structures—is 

2 crucial to mitigating losses from natural hazards. 

3 (7) Since its creation in 1977, the National 

4 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) 

5 has supported research to develop seismic codes, 

6 standards, and building practices that have been 

7 widely adopted. The NEHRP Recommended Provi8 sions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and 

9 Other Structures and the Guidance for Seismic Per10 formance Assessment of Buildings are two examples. 

11 (8) Research to understand the institutional, 

12 social, behavioral, and economic factors that influ13 ence how households, businesses, and communities 

14 perceive risk and prepare for natural hazards, and 

15 how well they recover after a disaster, can increase 

16 the implementation of risk mitigation measures. 

17 (9) A major goal of the Federal natural haz18 ards-related research and development effort should 

19 be to reduce the loss of life and damage to commu20 nities and infrastructure through increasing the 

21 adoption of hazard mitigation measures. 

22 (10) Research, development, and technology 

23 transfer to secure infrastructure is vitally important. 

24 Infrastructure that supports electricity, transpor25 tation, drinking water, and other services is vital imVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Jun 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2132.IH H2132

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1 mediately after a disaster, and their quick return to 

2 function speeds the economic recovery of a disaster3 impacted community. 

4 TITLE I—EARTHQUAKES 

5 SEC. 101. SHORT TITLE. 

6 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Earthquake 

7 Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 

8 2013’’. 

9 SEC. 102. FINDINGS. 

10 Section 2 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act 

11 of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7701) is repealed. 

12 SEC. 103. DEFINITIONS. 

13 Section 4 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act 

14 of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7703) is amended by striking para15 graphs (8) and (9). 

16 SEC. 104. NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION 

17 PROGRAM. 

18 Section 5 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act 

19 of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7704) is amended— 

20 (1) in subsection (a)— 

21 (A) by amending paragraph (2) to read as 

22 follows: 

23 ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—The activities of 

24 the Program shall be designed to— 


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1 ‘‘(A) research and develop effective meth2 ods, tools, and technologies to reduce the risk 

3 posed by earthquakes to the built environment, 

4 especially to lessen the risk to existing struc5 tures and lifelines; 

6 ‘‘(B) improve the understanding of earth7 quakes and their effects on households, busi8 nesses, communities, buildings, structures, and 

9 lifelines, through interdisciplinary and multi10 disciplinary research that involves engineering, 

11 natural sciences, and social sciences; and 

12 ‘‘(C) facilitate the adoption of earthquake 

13 risk reduction measures by households, busi14 nesses, communities, local, State, and Federal 

15 governments, national standards and model 

16 building code organizations, architects and engi17 neers, building owners, and others with a role 

18 in planning for disasters and planning, con19 structing, retrofitting, and insuring buildings, 

20 structures, and lifelines through— 

21 ‘‘(i) grants, contracts, cooperative 

22 agreements, and technical assistance; 

23 ‘‘(ii) development of standards, guide24 lines, voluntary consensus standards, and 

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1 ards risk reduction for buildings, struc2 tures, and lifelines; 

3 ‘‘(iii) outreach and information dis4 semination to communities on location-spe5 cific earthquake hazards and methods to 

6 reduce the risks from those hazards; and 

7 ‘‘(iv) development and maintenance of 

8 a repository of information, including tech9 nical data, on seismic risk and hazards re10 duction.’’; and 

11 (B) by striking paragraphs (3) through 

12 (5); 

13 (2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol14 lows: 

15 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM AGENCIES.— 

16 ‘‘(1) LEAD AGENCY.—The National Institute of 

17 Standards and Technology (in this section referred 

18 to as the ‘Institute’) shall be responsible for plan19 ning and coordinating the Program. In carrying out 

20 this paragraph, the Director of the Institute shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) ensure that the Program includes the 

22 necessary components to promote the imple23 mentation of earthquake hazards risk reduction 

24 measures by households, businesses, commu25 nities, local, State, and Federal governments, 


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1 national standards and model building code or2 ganizations, architects and engineers, building 

3 owners, and others with a role in preparing for 

4 disasters, or the planning, constructing, retro5 fitting, and insuring of buildings, structures, 

6 and lifelines; 

7 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform8 ance-based seismic engineering tools, and work 

9 with the appropriate groups to promote the 

10 commercial application of such tools, through 

11 earthquake-related building codes, standards, 

12 and construction practices; 

13 ‘‘(C) ensure the use of social science re14 search and findings in informing research and 

15 technology development priorities, commu16 nicating earthquake risks to the public, devel17 oping earthquake risk mitigation strategies, and 

18 preparing for earthquake disasters; 

19 ‘‘(D) coordinate all Federal post-earth20 quake investigations; and 

21 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves22 tigative findings, issue recommendations for 

23 changes in model codes to the relevant code de24 velopment organizations, and report back to 


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1 Congress on whether such recommendations 

2 were adopted. 

3 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

4 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re5 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the In6 stitute shall be responsible for carrying out research 

7 and development to improve building codes and 

8 standards and practices for buildings, structures, 

9 and lifelines. In carrying out this paragraph, the Di10 rector of the Institute shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) work, in conjunction with other ap12 propriate Federal agencies, to support the de13 velopment of improved seismic standards and 

14 model codes; 

15 ‘‘(B) in coordination with other appro16 priate Federal agencies, work closely with 

17 standards and model code development organi18 zations, professional societies, and practicing 

19 engineers, architects, and others involved in the 

20 construction of buildings, structures, and life21 lines, to promote better building practices, in22 cluding by— 

23 ‘‘(i) developing technical resources for 

24 practitioners on new knowledge and stand25 ards of practice; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) developing methods and tools to 

2 facilitate the incorporation of earthquake 

3 engineering principles into design and con4 struction practices; 

5 ‘‘(C) develop tools, technologies, methods, 

6 and practitioner guidance to feasibly and cost7 effectively retrofit existing buildings and struc8 tures to increase their earthquake resiliency; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(D) work closely with national standards 

11 organizations, and other interested parties, to 

12 develop seismic safety standards and practices 

13 for new and existing lifelines. 

14 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

15 AGENCY.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Emer17 gency Management Agency (in this paragraph 

18 referred to as the ‘Agency’), consistent with the 

19 Agency’s all hazards approach, shall be respon20 sible for facilitating the development and adop21 tion of standards, model building codes, and 

22 better seismic building practices, developing 

23 tools to assess earthquake hazards, promoting 

24 the adoption of hazard mitigation measures, 

25 and carrying out a program of direct assistance 


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1 to States and localities to mitigate earthquake 

2 risks to buildings, structures, lifelines, and com3 munities. 

4 ‘‘(B) DIRECTOR’S DUTIES.—The Director 

5 of the Agency shall— 

6 ‘‘(i) work closely with other relevant 

7 Federal agencies, standards and model 

8 building code development organizations, 

9 architects, engineers, and other profes10 sionals, to facilitate the development and 

11 adoption of standards, model codes, and 

12 design and construction practices to in13 crease the earthquake resiliency of new 

14 and existing buildings, structures, and life15 lines in the— 

16 ‘‘(I) preparation, maintenance, 

17 and wide dissemination of design 

18 guidance, model building codes and 

19 standards, and practices to increase 

20 the earthquake resiliency of new and 

21 existing buildings, structures, and life22 lines; 

23 ‘‘(II) development of perform24 ance-based design guidelines and 

25 methodologies supporting model codes 


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1 for buildings, structures, and lifelines; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(III) development of methods 

4 and tools to facilitate the incorpora5 tion of earthquake engineering prin6 ciples into design and construction 

7 practices; 

8 ‘‘(ii) develop tools, technologies, and 

9 methods to assist local planners, and oth10 ers, to model and predict the potential im11 pact of earthquake damage in seismically 

12 hazardous areas; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) support the implementation of a 

14 comprehensive earthquake education and 

15 public awareness program, including the 

16 development of materials and their wide 

17 dissemination to all appropriate audiences, 

18 and support public access to locality-spe19 cific information that may assist the public 

20 in preparing for, mitigating against, re21 sponding to, and recovering from earth22 quakes and related disasters. 

23 ‘‘(C) STATE ASSISTANCE GRANT PRO24 GRAM.—The Director of the Agency shall oper25 ate a program of grants and assistance to enVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Jun 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2132.IH H2132

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1 able States to develop mitigation, preparedness, 

2 and response plans, compare inventories and 

3 conduct seismic safety inspections of critical 

4 structures and lifelines, update building and 

5 zoning codes and ordinances to enhance seismic 

6 safety, increase earthquake awareness and edu7 cation, and encourage the development of 

8 multistate groups for such purposes. The Direc9 tor shall operate such programs in coordination 

10 with the all hazards mitigation and prepared11 ness programs authorized by the Robert T. 

12 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist13 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), in order to 

14 ensure that such programs are as consistent as 

15 possible. In order to qualify for assistance 

16 under this subparagraph, a State must— 

17 ‘‘(i) demonstrate that the assistance 

18 will result in enhanced seismic safety in 

19 the State; 

20 ‘‘(ii) provide 50 percent of the costs of 

21 the activities for which assistance is being 

22 given, except that the Director may lower 

23 or waive the cost-share requirement for 

24 these activities in exceptional cases of eco25 nomic hardship; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) meet such other requirements as 

2 the Director of the Agency shall prescribe. 

3 ‘‘(D) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

4 AGENCY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY.—Nothing 

5 in this Act shall be construed to diminish the 

6 role and responsibility of the Federal Emer7 gency Management Agency with regard to all 

8 hazards preparedness, response, recovery, and 

9 mitigation. 

10 ‘‘(4) UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.— 

11 The United States Geological Survey (in this para12 graph referred to as the ‘Survey’) shall conduct re13 search and other activities necessary to characterize 

14 and identify earthquake hazards, assess earthquake 

15 risks, monitor seismic activity, and provide real-time 

16 earthquake information. In carrying out this para17 graph, the Director of the Survey shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) conduct a systematic assessment of 

19 the seismic risks in each region of the Nation 

20 prone to earthquakes, including, where appro21 priate, the establishment and operation of in22 tensive monitoring projects on hazardous faults, 

23 detailed seismic hazard and risk studies in 

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1 quake risk is determined to be significant, and 

2 engineering seismology studies; 

3 ‘‘(B) work with officials of State and local 

4 governments to ensure that they are knowledge5 able about the specific seismic risks in their 

6 areas; 

7 ‘‘(C) develop standard procedures, in con8 sultation with the Director of the Federal 

9 Emergency Management Agency, for issuing 

10 earthquake alerts, including aftershock 

11 advisories, and, to the extent possible, ensure 

12 that such alerts are compatible with the Inte13 grated Public Alerts and Warning System pro14 gram authorized by section 202 of the Robert 

15 T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As16 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5132); 

17 ‘‘(D) issue when justified, and notify the 

18 Director of the Federal Emergency Manage19 ment Agency of, an earthquake prediction or 

20 other earthquake advisory, which may be evalu21 ated by the National Earthquake Prediction 

22 Evaluation Council; 

23 ‘‘(E) operate, as integral parts of the Ad24 vanced National Seismic Research and Moni25 toring System, a National Earthquake InformaVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Jun 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2132.IH H2132

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1 tion Center and a national seismic network, to2 gether providing timely and accurate informa3 tion on earthquakes worldwide; 

4 ‘‘(F) support the operation of regional seis5 mic networks in areas of higher seismic risk; 

6 ‘‘(G) develop and support seismic instru7 mentation of buildings and other structures to 

8 obtain data on their response to earthquakes 

9 for use in engineering studies and assessment 

10 of damage; 

11 ‘‘(H) monitor and assess Earth surface de12 formation as it pertains to the evaluation of 

13 earthquake hazards and impacts; 

14 ‘‘(I) work with other Program agencies to 

15 maintain awareness of, and where appropriate 

16 cooperate with, earthquake risk reduction ef17 forts in other countries, to ensure that the Pro18 gram benefits from relevant information and 

19 advances in those countries; 

20 ‘‘(J) maintain suitable seismic hazard 

21 maps in support of building codes for structures 

22 and lifelines, including additional maps needed 

23 for performance-based design approaches, and, 

24 to the extent possible, ensure that such maps 

25 are developed consistent with the multihazard 


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1 advisory maps authorized by section 203(k) of 

2 the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

3 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(k)); 

4 ‘‘(K) conduct a competitive, peer-reviewed 

5 process which awards grants and cooperative 

6 agreements to complement and extend related 

7 internal Survey research and monitoring activi8 ties; and 

9 ‘‘(L) operate, in cooperation with the Na10 tional Science Foundation, a Global Seis11 mographic Network for detection of earth12 quakes around the world and research into fun13 damental earth processes. 

14 ‘‘(5) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The 

15 National Science Foundation shall be responsible for 

16 funding basic research that furthers the under17 standing of earthquakes, earthquake engineering, 

18 and community preparation and response to earth19 quakes. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 

20 of the National Science Foundation shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) support multidisciplinary and inter22 disciplinary research that will improve the resil23 iency of communities to earthquakes, includ24 ing— 


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1 ‘‘(i) research that improves the safety 

2 and performance of buildings, structures, 

3 and lifelines, including the use of the large4 scale experimental and computational fa5 cilities of the George E. Brown, Jr. Net6 work for Engineering Earthquake Simula7 tion; 

8 ‘‘(ii) research to support more effec9 tive earthquake mitigation and response 

10 measures, such as developing better knowl11 edge of the specific types of vulnerabilities 

12 faced by segments of the community vul13 nerable to earthquakes, addressing the bar14 riers they face in adopting mitigation and 

15 preparation measures, and developing 

16 methods to better communicate the risks of 

17 earthquakes and to promote mitigation; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(iii) research on the response of com20 munities, households, businesses, and 

21 emergency responders to earthquakes; 

22 ‘‘(B) support research to understand 

23 earthquake processes, earthquake patterns, and 

24 earthquake frequencies; 


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1 ‘‘(C) encourage prompt dissemination of 

2 significant findings, sharing of data, samples, 

3 physical collections, and other supporting mate4 rials, and development of intellectual property 

5 so research results can be used by appropriate 

6 organizations to mitigate earthquake damage; 

7 ‘‘(D) work with other Program agencies to 

8 maintain awareness of, and where appropriate 

9 cooperate with, earthquake risk reduction re10 search efforts in other countries, to ensure that 

11 the Program benefits from relevant information 

12 and advances in those countries; and 

13 ‘‘(E) include to the maximum extent prac14 ticable diverse institutions, including Histori15 cally Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic16 serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Univer17 sities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and 

18 Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (c)(1) by inserting ‘‘on Nat20 ural Hazards Risk Reduction established under sec21 tion 301 of the Natural Hazards Risk Reduction Act 

22 of 2013’’ after ‘‘Interagency Coordinating Com23 mittee’’. 


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1 SEC. 105. POST-EARTHQUAKE INVESTIGATIONS PROGRAM. 

2 Section 11 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act 

3 of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7705e) is amended by striking ‘‘There 

4 is established’’ and all that follows through ‘‘conduct of 

5 such earthquake investigations.’’ and inserting ‘‘The Pro6 gram shall include a post-earthquake investigations pro7 gram, the purpose of which is to investigate major earth8 quakes so as to learn lessons which can be applied to re9 duce the loss of lives and property in future earthquakes. 

10 The lead Program agency, in consultation with each Pro11 gram agency, shall organize investigations to study the im12 plications of the earthquakes in the areas of responsibility 

13 of each Program agency. The investigations shall begin 

14 as rapidly as possible and may be conducted by grantees 

15 and contractors. The Program agencies shall ensure that 

16 the results of the investigations are disseminated widely.’’. 

17 SEC. 106. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 12 of the Earthquake 

19 Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7706) is 

20 amended— 

21 (1) by adding at the end of subsection (a) the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(9) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

24 Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out 

25 this Act— 

26 ‘‘(A) $10,238,000 for fiscal year 2013; 


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1 ‘‘(B) $10,545,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

2 ‘‘(C) $10,861,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

3 ‘‘(D) $11,187,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

4 ‘‘(E) $11,523,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’; 

5 (2) by adding at the end of subsection (b) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(3) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

8 United States Geological Survey for carrying out this 

9 Act— 

10 ‘‘(A) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2013, of which 

11 $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion 

12 of the Advanced National Seismic Research and 

13 Monitoring System; 

14 ‘‘(B) $92,100,000 for fiscal year 2014, of which 

15 $37,000,000 shall be made available for completion 

16 of the Advanced National Seismic Research and 

17 Monitoring System; 

18 ‘‘(C) $94,263,000 for fiscal year 2015, of which 

19 $38,000,000 shall be made available for completion 

20 of the Advanced National Seismic Research and 

21 Monitoring System; 

22 ‘‘(D) $96,491,000 for fiscal year 2016, of which 

23 $39,000,000 shall be made available for completion 

24 of the Advanced National Seismic Research and 

25 Monitoring System; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) $98,786,000 for fiscal year 2017, of which 

2 $40,000,000 shall be made available for completion 

3 of the Advanced National Seismic Research and 

4 Monitoring System.’’; 

5 (3) by adding at the end of subsection (c) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(3) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

8 National Science Foundation for carrying out this Act— 

9 ‘‘(A) $64,125,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

10 ‘‘(B) $66,049,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

11 ‘‘(C) $68,030,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

12 ‘‘(D) $70,071,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

13 ‘‘(E) $72,173,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’; and 

14 (4) by adding at the end of subsection (d) the 

15 following: 

16 ‘‘(3) There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

17 National Institute of Standards and Technology for car18 rying out this Act— 

19 ‘‘(A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

20 ‘‘(B) $7,700,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

21 ‘‘(C) $7,931,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

22 ‘‘(D) $8,169,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

23 ‘‘(E) $8,414,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 14 of the 

2 National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 

3 U.S.C. 7708) is amended— 

4 (1) by striking ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—’’; and 

5 (2) by striking subsection (b). 

6 TITLE II—WIND 

7 SEC. 201. SHORT TITLE. 

8 This title may be cited as the ‘‘National Windstorm 

9 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2013’’. 

10 SEC. 202. PURPOSE. 

11 Section 202 of the National Windstorm Impact Re12 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15701) is amended to 

13 read as follows: 

14 ‘‘SEC. 202. PURPOSE. 

15 ‘‘It is the purpose of the Congress in this title to 

16 achieve a major measurable reduction in losses of life and 

17 property from windstorms through the establishment and 

18 maintenance of an effective Windstorm Impact Reduction 

19 Program. The objectives of such Program shall include— 

20 ‘‘(1) the education of households, businesses, 

21 and communities about the risks posed by wind22 storms, and the identification of locations, struc23 tures, lifelines, and segments of the community 

24 which are especially vulnerable to windstorm damage 


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1 and disruption, and the dissemination of information 

2 on methods to reduce those risks; 

3 ‘‘(2) the development of technologically and eco4 nomically feasible design and construction methods 

5 and procedures to make new and existing structures, 

6 in areas of windstorm risk, windstorm resilient, giv7 ing high priority to the development of such methods 

8 and procedures for lifelines, structures associated 

9 with a potential high loss of life, and structures that 

10 are especially needed in times of disasters, such as 

11 hospitals and public safety and shelter facilities; 

12 ‘‘(3) the implementation, in areas of major 

13 windstorm risk, of instrumentation to record and 

14 gather data on windstorms and the characteristics of 

15 the wind during those events, and continued re16 search to increase the understanding of windstorm 

17 phenomena; 

18 ‘‘(4) the development, publication, and pro19 motion, in conjunction with State and local officials 

20 and professional organizations, of model building 

21 codes and standards and other means to encourage 

22 consideration of information about windstorm risk in 

23 making decisions about land use policy and construc24 tion activity; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) the facilitation of the adoption of wind2 storm risk mitigation measures in areas of wind3 storm risk by households, businesses, and commu4 nities through outreach, incentive programs, and 

5 other means.’’. 

6 SEC. 203. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Section 203(1) of the National Windstorm Impact 

8 Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702(1)) is amended 

9 by striking ‘‘Director of the Office of Science and Tech10 nology Policy’’ and inserting ‘‘Director of the National In11 stitute of Standards and Technology’’. 

12 SEC. 204. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO13 GRAM. 

14 Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Re15 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended to 

16 read as follows: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 204. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION 

18 PROGRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na20 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program. 

21 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.—The activities of the 

22 Program shall be designed to— 

23 ‘‘(1) research and develop cost-effective, feasible 

24 methods, tools, and technologies to reduce the risks 

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1 cially to lessen the risk to existing structures and 

2 lifelines; 

3 ‘‘(2) improve the understanding of windstorms 

4 and their impacts on households, businesses, com5 munities, buildings, structures, and lifelines, through 

6 interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research that 

7 involves engineering, natural sciences, and social 

8 sciences; and 

9 ‘‘(3) facilitate the adoption of windstorm risk 

10 reduction measures by households, businesses, com11 munities, local, State and Federal governments, na12 tional standards and model building code organiza13 tions, architects and engineers, building owners, and 

14 others with a role in planning for disasters and plan15 ning, constructing, retrofitting, and insuring build16 ings, structures, and lifelines through— 

17 ‘‘(A) grants, contracts, cooperative agree18 ments, and technical assistance; 

19 ‘‘(B) development of hazard maps, stand20 ards, guidelines, voluntary consensus standards, 

21 and other design guidance for windstorm risk 

22 reduction for buildings, structures, and lifelines; 

23 ‘‘(C) outreach and information dissemina24 tion to communities on site specific windstorm 


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1 hazards and ways to reduce the risks from 

2 those hazards; and 

3 ‘‘(D) development and maintenance of a 

4 repository of information, including technical 

5 data, on windstorm hazards and risk reduction; 

6 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM AGENCIES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) LEAD AGENCY.—The National Institute of 

8 Standards and Technology (in this section referred 

9 to as the ‘Institute’) shall be responsible for plan10 ning and coordinating the Program. In carrying out 

11 this paragraph, the Director of the Institute shall— 

12 ‘‘(A) ensure that the Program includes the 

13 necessary components to promote the imple14 mentation of windstorm risk reduction meas15 ures by households, businesses, communities, 

16 local, State, and Federal governments, national 

17 standards and model building code organiza18 tions, architects and engineers, building owners, 

19 and others with a role in planning and pre20 paring for disasters, and planning constructing, 

21 and retrofitting, and insuring buildings, struc22 tures, and lifelines; 

23 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform24 ance-based engineering tools, and work with the 

25 appropriate groups to promote the commercial 


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1 application of such tools, through wind-related 

2 building codes, standards, and construction 

3 practices; 

4 ‘‘(C) ensure the use of social science re5 search and findings in informing the develop6 ment of technology and research priorities, in 

7 communicating windstorm risks to the public, 

8 in developing windstorm risk mitigation strate9 gies, and in preparing for windstorm disasters; 

10 ‘‘(D) coordinate all Federal post-windstorm 

11 investigations; and 

12 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves13 tigative findings, issue recommendations for 

14 changes in model codes to the relevant code de15 velopment organizations, and report back to 

16 Congress on whether such recommendations 

17 were adopted. 

18 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

19 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re20 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the In21 stitute shall be responsible for carrying out research 

22 and development to improve model codes, standards, 

23 design guidance and practices for the construction 

24 and retrofit of buildings, structures, and lifelines. In 


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1 carrying out this paragraph, the Director of the In2 stitute shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) support the development of instru4 mentation, data processing, and archival capa5 bilities, and standards for the instrumentation 

6 and its deployment, to measure wind, wind 

7 loading, and other properties of severe wind and 

8 structure response; 

9 ‘‘(B) coordinate with other appropriate 

10 Federal agencies to make the data described in 

11 subparagraph (A) available to researchers, 

12 standards and code developers, and local plan13 ners; 

14 ‘‘(C) support the development of tools and 

15 methods for the collection of data on the loss of 

16 and damage to structures, and data on sur17 viving structures after severe windstorm events; 

18 ‘‘(D) improve the knowledge of the impact 

19 of severe wind on buildings, structures, lifelines, 

20 and communities; 

21 ‘‘(E) develop cost-effective windstorm im22 pact reduction tools, methods, and technologies; 

23 ‘‘(F) work, in conjunction with other ap24 propriate Federal agencies, to support the deVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Jun 01, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00029 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2132.IH H2132

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1 velopment of wind standards and model codes; 

2 and 

3 ‘‘(G) in conjunction with other appropriate 

4 Federal agencies, work closely with standards 

5 and model code development organizations, pro6 fessional societies, and practicing engineers, ar7 chitects, and others involved in the construction 

8 of buildings, structures, and lifelines, to pro9 mote better building practices, including by— 

10 ‘‘(i) supporting the development of 

11 technical resources for practitioners to im12 plement new knowledge; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) supporting the development of 

14 methods and tools to incorporate wind en15 gineering principles into design and con16 struction practices. 

17 ‘‘(3) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

18 AGENCY.—The Federal Emergency Management 

19 Agency, consistent with the Agency’s all hazards ap20 proach, shall support the development of risk assess21 ment tools and effective mitigation techniques, assist 

22 with windstorm-related data collection and analysis, 

23 and support outreach, information dissemination, 

24 and implementation of windstorm preparedness and 


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1 mitigation measures by households, businesses, and 

2 communities, including by— 

3 ‘‘(A) working to develop or improve risk4 assessment tools, methods, and models; 

5 ‘‘(B) work closely with other appropriate 

6 Federal agencies to develop and facilitate the 

7 adoption of windstorm impact reduction meas8 ures, including by— 

9 ‘‘(i) developing cost-effective retrofit 

10 measures for existing buildings, structures, 

11 and lifelines to improve windstorm per12 formance; 

13 ‘‘(ii) developing methods, tools, and 

14 technologies to improve the planning, de15 sign, and construction of new buildings, 

16 structures, and lifelines; 

17 ‘‘(iii) supporting the development of 

18 model wind codes and standards for build19 ings, structures, and lifelines; and 

20 ‘‘(iv) developing technical resources 

21 for practitioners that reflect new knowl22 edge and standards of practice; and 

23 ‘‘(C) develop and disseminate guidelines 

24 for the construction of windstorm shelters. 


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1 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to diminish 

2 the role and responsibility of the Federal Emergency 

3 Management Agency with regard to all hazards pre4 paredness, response, recovery, and mitigation. 

5 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC

6 ADMINISTRATION.—The National Oceanic and At7 mospheric Administration shall support atmospheric 

8 sciences research and data collection to improve the 

9 understanding of the behavior of windstorms and 

10 their impact on buildings, structures, and lifelines, 

11 including by— 

12 ‘‘(A) working with other appropriate Fed13 eral agencies to develop and deploy instrumen14 tation to measure speed and other characteris15 tics of wind, and to collect, analyze, and make 

16 available such data; 

17 ‘‘(B) working with officials of State and 

18 local governments to ensure that they are 

19 knowledgeable about, and prepared for, the spe20 cific windstorm risks in their area; 

21 ‘‘(C) supporting the development of suit22 able wind speed maps and other derivative 

23 products that support building codes and other 

24 hazard mitigation approaches for buildings, 

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1 sible, ensure that such maps and other deriva2 tive products are developed consistent with the 

3 multihazard advisory maps authorized by sec4 tion 203(k) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

5 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

6 U.S.C. 5133(k)); 

7 ‘‘(D) conducting a competitive, peer-re8 viewed process which awards grants and cooper9 ative agreements to complement the National 

10 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s 

11 wind-related and storm surge-related research 

12 and data collection activities; 

13 ‘‘(E) working with other appropriate Fed14 eral agencies and State and local governments 

15 to develop or improve risk-assessment tools, 

16 methods, and models; and 

17 ‘‘(F) working with other appropriate Fed18 eral agencies to develop storm surge models to 

19 better understand the interaction between wind20 storms and bodies of water. 

21 ‘‘(5) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The 

22 National Science Foundation shall be responsible for 

23 funding basic research that furthers the under24 standing of windstorms, wind engineering, and com25 munity preparation and response to windstorms. In 


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1 carrying out this paragraph, the Director of the Na2 tional Science Foundation shall— 

3 ‘‘(A) support multidisciplinary and inter4 disciplinary research that will improve the resil5 iency of communities to windstorms, includ6 ing— 

7 ‘‘(i) research that improves the safety 

8 and performance of buildings, structures, 

9 and lifelines; 

10 ‘‘(ii) research to support more effec11 tive windstorm mitigation and response 

12 measures, such as developing better knowl13 edge of the specific types of vulnerabilities 

14 faced by segments of the community vul15 nerable to windstorms, addressing the bar16 riers they face in adopting mitigation and 

17 preparation measures, and developing 

18 methods to better communicate the risks of 

19 windstorms and to promote mitigation; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) research on the response of com21 munities to windstorms, including on the 

22 effectiveness of the emergency response, 

23 and the recovery process of communities, 

24 households, and businesses; 


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1 ‘‘(B) support research to understand wind2 storm processes, windstorm patterns, and wind3 storm frequencies; 

4 ‘‘(C) encourage prompt dissemination of 

5 significant findings, sharing of data, samples, 

6 physical collections, and other supporting mate7 rials, and development of intellectual property 

8 so research results can be used by appropriate 

9 organizations to mitigate windstorm damage; 

10 ‘‘(D) work with other Program agencies to 

11 maintain awareness of, and where appropriate 

12 cooperate with, windstorm risk reduction re13 search efforts in other countries, to ensure that 

14 the Program benefits from relevant information 

15 and advances in those countries; and 

16 ‘‘(E) include to the maximum extent prac17 ticable diverse institutions, including Histori18 cally Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic19 serving institutions, Tribal Colleges and Univer20 sities, Alaska Native-serving institutions, and 

21 Native Hawaiian-serving institutions.’’. 

22 SEC. 205. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Re24 duction Program of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended 

25 to read as follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 ‘‘(a) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN3 CY.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fed4 eral Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 

5 title— 

6 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

7 ‘‘(2) $9,972,500 for fiscal year 2014; 

8 ‘‘(3) $10,271,600 for fiscal year 2015; 

9 ‘‘(4) $10,579,800 for fiscal year 2016; and 

10 ‘‘(5) $10,897,200 for fiscal year 2017. 

11 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—There are 

12 authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

13 Foundation for carrying out this title— 

14 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

15 ‘‘(2) $9,972,500 for fiscal year 2014; 

16 ‘‘(3) $10,271,600 for fiscal year 2015; 

17 ‘‘(4) $10,579,800 for fiscal year 2016; and 

18 ‘‘(5) $10,897,200 for fiscal year 2017. 

19 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

20 TECHNOLOGY.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

21 to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for 

22 carrying out this title— 

23 ‘‘(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

24 ‘‘(2) $4,243,600 for fiscal year 2014; 

25 ‘‘(3) $4,370,900 for fiscal year 2015; 

26 ‘‘(4) $4,502,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) $4,637,100 for fiscal year 2017. 

2 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN3 ISTRATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 

4 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 

5 carrying out this title— 

6 ‘‘(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

7 ‘‘(2) $2,334,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

8 ‘‘(3) $2,404,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

9 ‘‘(4) $2,476,100 for fiscal year 2016; and 

10 ‘‘(5) $2,550,400 for fiscal year 2017.’’. 

11 TITLE III—INTERAGENCY CO12 ORDINATING COMMITTEE ON 

13 NATURAL HAZARDS RISK RE14 DUCTION 

15 SEC. 301. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON 

16 NATURAL HAZARDS RISK REDUCTION. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is established an Inter18 agency Coordinating Committee on Natural Hazards Risk 

19 Reduction, chaired by the Director of the National Insti20 tute of Standards and Technology. 

21 (1) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the chair, 

22 the Committee shall be composed of— 

23 (A) the directors of— 

24 (i) the Federal Emergency Manage25 ment Agency; 


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1 (ii) the United States Geological Sur2 vey; 

3 (iii) the National Oceanic and Atmos4 pheric Administration; 

5 (iv) the National Science Foundation; 

6 (v) the Office of Science and Tech7 nology Policy; and 

8 (vi) the Office of Management and 

9 Budget; and 

10 (B) the head of any other Federal agency 

11 the Committee considers appropriate. 

12 (2) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall not meet 

13 less than 2 times a year at the call of the Director 

14 of the National Institute of Standards and Tech15 nology. 

16 (3) GENERAL PURPOSE AND DUTIES.—The 

17 Committee shall oversee the planning and coordina18 tion of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction 

19 Program and the National Windstorm Impact Re20 duction Program, and shall make proposals for plan21 ning and coordination of any other Federal research 

22 for natural hazard mitigation that the Committee 

23 considers appropriate. 


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1 (4) STRATEGIC PLANS.—The Committee shall 

2 develop and submit to Congress, not later than one 

3 year after the date of enactment of this Act— 

4 (A) a Strategic Plan for the National 

5 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program that 

6 includes— 

7 (i) prioritized goals for such Program 

8 that will mitigate against the loss of life 

9 and property from future earthquakes; 

10 (ii) short-term, mid-term, and long11 term research objectives to achieve those 

12 goals; 

13 (iii) a description of the role of each 

14 Program agency in achieving the 

15 prioritized goals; 

16 (iv) the methods by which progress to17 wards the goals will be assessed; 

18 (v) an explanation of how the Pro19 gram will foster the transfer of research 

20 results onto outcomes, such as improved 

21 building codes; 

22 (vi) a description of the role of social 

23 science in informing the development of 

24 the prioritized goals and research objec25 tives; and 


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1 (vii) a description of how the George 

2 E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake 

3 Engineering Simulation and the Advanced 

4 National Seismic Research and Monitoring 

5 System will be used in achieving the 

6 prioritized goals and research objectives; 

7 and 

8 (B) a Strategic Plan for the National 

9 Windstorm Impact Reduction Program that in10 cludes— 

11 (i) prioritized goals for such Program 

12 that will mitigate against the loss of life 

13 and property from future windstorms; 

14 (ii) short-term, mid-term, and long15 term research objectives to achieve those 

16 goals; 

17 (iii) a description of the role of each 

18 Program agency in achieving the 

19 prioritized goals; 

20 (iv) the methods by which progress to21 wards the goals will be assessed; 

22 (v) an explanation of how the Pro23 gram will foster the transfer of research 

24 results onto outcomes, such as improved 

25 building codes; and 


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1 (vi) a description of the role of social 

2 science in informing the development of 

3 the prioritized goals and research objec4 tives. 

5 (5) PROGRESS REPORTS.—Not later than one 

6 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and at 

7 least once every two years thereafter, the Committee 

8 shall submit to the Congress— 

9 (A) a report on the progress of the Na10 tional Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program 

11 that includes— 

12 (i) a description of the activities fund13 ed for the previous two years of the Pro14 gram, a description of how these activities 

15 align with the prioritized goals and re16 search objectives established in the Stra17 tegic Plan, and the budgets, per agency, 

18 for these activities; 

19 (ii) the outcomes achieved by the Pro20 gram for each of the goals identified in the 

21 Strategic Plan; 

22 (iii) a description of any recommenda23 tions made to change existing building 

24 codes that were the result of Program ac25 tivities; and 


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1 (iv) a description of the extent to 

2 which the Program has incorporated rec3 ommendations from the Advisory Com4 mittee on Earthquake Hazards Reduction; 

5 and 

6 (B) a report on the progress of the Na7 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program 

8 that includes— 

9 (i) a description of the activities fund10 ed for the previous two years of the Pro11 gram, a description of how these activities 

12 align with the prioritized goals and re13 search objectives established in the Stra14 tegic Plan, and the budgets, per agency, 

15 for these activities; 

16 (ii) the outcomes achieved by the Pro17 gram for each of the goals identified in the 

18 Strategic Plan; 

19 (iii) a description of any recommenda20 tions made to change existing building 

21 codes that were the result of Program ac22 tivities; and 

23 (iv) a description of the extent to 

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1 ommendations from the Advisory Com2 mittee on Windstorm Impact Reduction. 

3 (6) COORDINATED BUDGET.—The Committee 

4 shall develop a coordinated budget for the National 

5 Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program and a co6 ordinated budget for the National Windstorm Im7 pact Reduction Program. These budgets shall be 

8 submitted to the Congress at the time of the Presi9 dent’s budget submission for each fiscal year. 

10 (b) ADVISORY COMMITTEES ON NATURAL HAZARDS

11 REDUCTION.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National 

13 Institute of Standards and Technology shall estab14 lish an Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards 

15 Reduction, an Advisory Committee on Windstorm 

16 Impact Reduction, and other such advisory commit17 tees as the Director considers necessary to advise 

18 the Institute on research, development, and tech19 nology transfer activities to mitigate the impact of 

20 natural disasters. 

21 (2) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON EARTHQUAKE

22 HAZARDS REDUCTION.—The Advisory Committee on 

23 Earthquake Hazards Reduction shall be composed of 

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1 atives of research and academic institutions, indus2 try standards development organizations, emergency 

3 management agencies, State and local government, 

4 and business communities who are qualified to pro5 vide advice on earthquake hazards reduction and 

6 represent all related scientific, architectural, and en7 gineering disciplines. The recommendations of the 

8 Advisory Committee shall be considered by Federal 

9 agencies in implementing the National Earthquake 

10 Hazards Reduction Program. 

11 (3) ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM IM12 PACT REDUCTION.—The Advisory Committee on 

13 Windstorm Impact Reduction shall be composed of 

14 at least 7 members, none of whom may be employees 

15 of the Federal Government, including representa16 tives of research and academic institutions, industry 

17 standards development organizations, emergency 

18 management agencies, State and local government, 

19 and business communities who are qualified to pro20 vide advice on windstorm impact reduction and rep21 resent all related scientific, architectural, and engi22 neering disciplines. The recommendations of the Ad23 visory Committee shall be considered by Federal 

24 agencies in implementing the National Windstorm 

25 Impact Reduction Program. 


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1 (4) ASSESSMENTS.—The Advisory Committee 

2 on Earthquake Hazards Reduction and the Advisory 

3 Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction shall 

4 offer assessments on— 

5 (A) trends and developments in the nat6 ural, social, and engineering sciences and prac7 tices of earthquake hazards or windstorm im8 pact mitigation; 

9 (B) the priorities of the Programs’ Stra10 tegic Plans; 

11 (C) the coordination of the Programs; and 

12 (D) and any revisions to the Programs 

13 which may be necessary. 

14 (5) REPORTS.—At least every two years, the 

15 Advisory Committees shall report to the Director of 

16 the National Institute of Standards and Technology 

17 on the assessments carried out under paragraph (4) 

18 and their recommendations for ways to improve the 

19 Programs. In developing recommendations for the 

20 National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, 

21 the Advisory Committee on Earthquake Hazards Re22 duction shall consider the recommendations of the 

23 United States Geological Survey Scientific Earth24 quake Studies Advisory Committee. 


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1 (c) COORDINATION OF FEDERAL DISASTER RE2 SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANS3 FER.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, the Subcommittee on Disaster Reduction of 

5 the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of 

6 the National Science and Technology Council shall submit 

7 a report to the Congress identifying— 

8 (1) current Federal research, development, and 

9 technology transfer activities that address hazard 

10 mitigation for natural disasters, including earth11 quakes, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, floods, and 

12 the current budgets for these activities; 

13 (2) areas of research that are common to two 

14 or more of the hazards identified in paragraph (1); 

15 and 

16 (3) opportunities to create synergies between 

17 the research activities for the hazards identified in 

18 paragraph (1). 

19 TITLE IV—NATIONAL CON20 STRUCTION SAFETY TEAM 

21 ACT AMENDMENTS 

22 SEC. 401. NATIONAL CONSTRUCTION SAFETY TEAM ACT 

23 AMENDMENTS. 

24 The National Construction Safety Team Act (15 

25 U.S.C. 7301 et seq.) is amended— 


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1 (1) in section 2(a)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘a building or buildings’’ 

3 and inserting ‘‘a building, buildings, or infra4 structure’’; and 

5 (B) by striking ‘‘To the maximum extent 

6 practicable, the Director shall establish and de7 ploy a Team within 48 hours after such an 

8 event.’’ and inserting ‘‘The Director shall make 

9 a decision whether to deploy a Team within 72 

10 hours after such an event.’’; 

11 (2) in section 2(b)(1), by striking ‘‘buildings’’ 

12 and inserting ‘‘buildings or infrastructure’’; 

13 (3) in section 2(b)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘building’’ 

14 and inserting ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

15 (4) in section 2(b)(2)(D), by striking ‘‘build16 ings’’ and inserting ‘‘buildings or infrastructure’’; 

17 (5) in section 2(c)(1), by striking ‘‘the United 

18 States Fire Administration and’’; 

19 (6) in section 2(c)(1)(G), by striking ‘‘building’’ 

20 and inserting ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

21 (7) in section 2(c)(1)(J)— 

22 (A) by striking ‘‘building’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; and 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘and the National Wind2 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004’’ after 

3 ‘‘Act of 1977’’; 

4 (8) in section 4(a), by striking ‘‘investigating a 

5 building’’ and inserting ‘‘investigating building and 

6 infrastructure’’; 

7 (9) in section 4(a)(1)— 

8 (A) by striking ‘‘a building’’ and inserting 

9 ‘‘a building or infrastructure’’; and 

10 (B) by striking ‘‘building’’ both of the 

11 other places it appears and inserting ‘‘building 

12 or infrastructure’’; 

13 (10) in section 4(a)(3), by striking ‘‘building’’ 

14 both places it appears and inserting ‘‘building or in15 frastructure’’; 

16 (11) in section 4(b), by striking ‘‘building’’ both 

17 places it appears and inserting ‘‘building or infra18 structure’’; 

19 (12) in section 4(c)(1) and (2), by striking 

20 ‘‘building’’ both places it appears and inserting 

21 ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

22 (13) by amending section 4(d)(1) to read as fol23 lows: 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro25 vided in this subsection, a Team investigation shall 


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1 have priority over any other investigation which is 

2 related to the purpose and duties set forth in section 

3 2(b) and undertaken by any other Federal agency.’’; 

4 (14) in section 4(d)(3) and (4), by striking 

5 ‘‘building’’ both places it appears and inserting 

6 ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

7 (15) in section 4, by adding at the end the fol8 lowing new paragraph: 

9 ‘‘(5) INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTIGATIONS.—With 

10 respect to an investigation relating to an infrastruc11 ture failure, a Federal agency with primary jurisdic12 tion over the failed infrastructure which is con13 ducting an investigation and asserts priority over the 

14 Team investigation shall have such priority. Such 

15 priority shall not otherwise affect the authority of 

16 the Team to continue its investigation under this 

17 Act.’’; 

18 (16) in section 7(a), by striking ‘‘on request 

19 and at reasonable cost’’; 

20 (17) in section 7(c), by striking ‘‘building’’ and 

21 inserting ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

22 (18) in section 8(1) and (4), by striking ‘‘build23 ing’’ both places it appears and inserting ‘‘building 

24 or infrastructure’’; 


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1 (19) in section 9, by striking ‘‘the United 

2 States Fire Administration and’’; 

3 (20) in section 9(2)(C), by striking ‘‘building’’ 

4 and inserting ‘‘building or infrastructure’’; 

5 (21) in section 10(3), by striking ‘‘building’’ 

6 and inserting ‘‘building and infrastructure’’; 

7 (22) in section 11(a), by striking ‘‘the United 

8 States Fire Administration and’’; and 

9 (23) by striking section 12. 

10 TITLE V—FIRE RESEARCH 

11 PROGRAM 

12 SEC. 501. FIRE RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

13 Section 16(a)(1) of the National Institute of Stand14 ards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278f(a)(1)) is 

15 amended— 

16 (1) in subparagraph (D), by inserting ‘‘fires at 

17 the wildland-urban interface,’’ after ‘‘but not limited 

18 to,’’; and 

19 (2) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘fires at 

20 the wildland-urban interface,’’ after ‘‘types of fires, 

21 including’’. 

Æ 


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