IB 

Union Calendar No. 282 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1786 

[Report No. 113–380, Part I] 

To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2013 

Mr. NEUGEBAUER 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 

MARCH 13, 2014 

Additional sponsor: Ms. GRANGER

MARCH 13, 2014 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology with an 

amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 


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MARCH 13, 2014 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure discharged; committed 

to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 26, 2013] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction 

Program, and for other purposes. 


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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 Im5 pact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2014’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 (a) DIRECTOR.—Section 203(1) of the National Wind8 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702(1)) 

9 is amended by striking ‘‘Director of the Office of Science 

10 and Technology Policy’’ and inserting ‘‘Director of the Na11 tional Institute of Standards and Technology’’. 

12 (b) LIFELINES.—Section 203 of the National Wind13 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702) is 

14 further amended— 

15 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) 

16 as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and 

17 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol18 lowing new paragraph: 

19 ‘‘(2) LIFELINES.—The term ‘lifelines’ means 

20 public works and utilities, including transportation 

21 facilities and infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, 

22 electrical power and communication facilities and in23 frastructure, and water supply and sewage treatment 

24 facilities.’’. 


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1 SEC. 3. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO2 GRAM. 

3 Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc4 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended— 

5 (1) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and 

6 inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na8 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, the purpose 

9 of which is to achieve major measurable reductions in the 

10 losses of life and property from windstorms through a co11 ordinated Federal effort, in cooperation with other levels of 

12 government, academia, and the private sector, aimed at im13 proving the understanding of windstorms and their impacts 

14 and developing and encouraging the implementation of 

15 cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce those impacts. 

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

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

18 Standards and Technology shall have the primary re19 sponsibility for planning and coordinating the Pro20 gram. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 

21 shall— 

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

23 necessary components to promote the implemen24 tation of windstorm risk reduction measures by 

25 Federal, State, and local governments, national 

26 standards and model building code organizaVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:04 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1786.RH H1786

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1 tions, architects and engineers, and others with 

2 a role in planning and constructing buildings 

3 and lifelines; 

4 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform5 ance-based engineering tools, and work with ap6 propriate groups to promote the commercial ap7 plication of such tools, including through wind8 related model building codes, voluntary stand9 ards, and construction best practices; 

10 ‘‘(C) request the assistance of Federal agen11 cies other than the Program agencies, as nec12 essary to assist in carrying out this Act; 

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

14 investigations; and 

15 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves16 tigative findings, issue recommendations to as17 sist in informing the development of model codes, 

18 and provide information to Congress on the use 

19 of such recommendations. 

20 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

21 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re22 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the Na23 tional Institute of Standards and Technology shall be 

24 responsible for carrying out research and development 

25 to improve model building codes, voluntary standards, 


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1 and best practices for the design, construction, and 

2 retrofit of buildings, structures, and lifelines. 

3 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The Na4 tional Science Foundation shall support research 

5 in— 

6 ‘‘(A) engineering and the atmospheric 

7 sciences to improve the understanding of the be8 havior of windstorms and their impact on build9 ings, structures, and lifelines; and 

10 ‘‘(B) economic and social factors influ11 encing windstorm risk reduction measures. 

12 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC AD13 MINISTRATION.—The National Oceanic and Atmos14 pheric Administration shall support atmospheric 

15 sciences research to improve the understanding of the 

16 behavior of windstorms and their impact on build17 ings, structures, and lifelines. 

18 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN19 CY.—The Federal Emergency Management Agency 

20 shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) support— 

22 ‘‘(i) the development of risk assessment 

23 tools and effective mitigation techniques; 

24 ‘‘(ii) windstorm-related data collection 

25 and analysis; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) public outreach and information 

2 dissemination; and 

3 ‘‘(iv) promotion of the adoption of 

4 windstorm preparedness and mitigation 

5 measures, including for households, busi6 nesses, and communities, consistent with the 

7 Agency’s all-hazards approach; and 

8 ‘‘(B) work closely with national standards 

9 and model building code organizations, in con10 junction with the National Institute of Stand11 ards and Technology, to promote the implemen12 tation of research results and promote better 

13 building practices within the building design 

14 and construction industry, including architects, 

15 engineers, contractors, builders, and inspectors.’’; 

16 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection 

17 (c), and by striking subsections (e) and (f); and 

18 (3) by inserting after subsection (c), as so redes19 ignated, the following new subsections: 

20 ‘‘(d) BUDGET ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the Na21 tional Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director 

22 of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the Na23 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the 

24 Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

25 shall each include in their agency’s annual budget request 


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1 to Congress a description of their agency’s projected activi2 ties under the Program for the fiscal year covered by the 

3 budget request, along with an assessment of what they plan 

4 to spend on those activities for that fiscal year. 

5 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON

6 WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION.— 

7 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established an 

8 Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm 

9 Impact Reduction, chaired by the Director. 

10 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the chair, 

11 the Committee shall be composed of— 

12 ‘‘(A) the heads of— 

13 ‘‘(i) the Federal Emergency Manage14 ment Agency; 

15 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos16 pheric Administration; 

17 ‘‘(iii) the National Science Founda18 tion; 

19 ‘‘(iv) the Office of Science and Tech20 nology Policy; and 

21 ‘‘(v) the Office of Management and 

22 Budget; and 

23 ‘‘(B) the head of any other Federal agency 

24 the chair considers appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(3) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet not 

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

3 of the National Institute of Standards and Tech4 nology. 

5 ‘‘(4) GENERAL PURPOSE AND DUTIES.—The 

6 Committee shall oversee the planning and coordina7 tion of the Program. 

8 ‘‘(5) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Committee shall de9 velop and submit to Congress, not later than one year 

10 after the date of enactment of the National Windstorm 

11 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2014, a 

12 Strategic Plan for the Program that includes— 

13 ‘‘(A) prioritized goals for the Program that 

14 will mitigate against the loss of life and property 

15 from future windstorms; 

16 ‘‘(B) short-term, mid-term, and long-term 

17 research objectives to achieve those goals; 

18 ‘‘(C) a description of the role of each Pro19 gram agency in achieving the prioritized goals; 

20 ‘‘(D) the methods by which progress towards 

21 the goals will be assessed; and 

22 ‘‘(E) an explanation of how the Program 

23 will foster the transfer of research results into 

24 outcomes, such as improved model building 

25 codes. 


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1 ‘‘(6) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 18 

2 months after the date of enactment of the National 

3 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

4 2014, the Committee shall submit to the Congress a 

5 report on the progress of the Program that includes— 

6 ‘‘(A) a description of the activities funded 

7 under the Program, a description of how these 

8 activities align with the prioritized goals and re9 search objectives established in the Strategic 

10 Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these ac11 tivities; 

12 ‘‘(B) the outcomes achieved by the Program 

13 for each of the goals identified in the Strategic 

14 Plan; 

15 ‘‘(C) a description of any recommendations 

16 made to change existing building codes that were 

17 the result of Program activities; and 

18 ‘‘(D) a description of the extent to which the 

19 Program has incorporated recommendations 

20 from the Advisory Committee on Windstorm Im21 pact Reduction. 

22 ‘‘(7) COORDINATED BUDGET.—The Committee 

23 shall develop a coordinated budget for the Program, 

24 which shall be submitted to the Congress at the time 


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1 of the President’s budget submission for each fiscal 

2 year.’’. 

3 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM 

4 IMPACT REDUCTION. 

5 Section 205 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc6 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15704) is amended to read as 

7 follows: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 205. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WIND9 STORM IMPACT REDUCTION. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In11 stitute of Standards and Technology shall establish an Ad12 visory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, which 

13 shall be composed of at least 7 members, none of whom may 

14 be employees of the Federal Government, including rep15 resentatives of research and academic institutions, industry 

16 standards development organizations, emergency manage17 ment agencies, State and local government, and business 

18 communities who are qualified to provide advice on wind19 storm impact reduction and represent all related scientific, 

20 architectural, and engineering disciplines. The rec21 ommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be consid22 ered by Federal agencies in implementing the Program. 

23 ‘‘(b) ASSESSMENTS.—The Advisory Committee on 

24 Windstorm Impact Reduction shall offer assessments on— 


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1 ‘‘(1) trends and developments in the natural, en2 gineering, and social sciences and practices of wind3 storm impact mitigation; 

4 ‘‘(2) the priorities of the Program’s Strategic 

5 Plan; 

6 ‘‘(3) the coordination of the Program; and 

7 ‘‘(4) any revisions to the Program which may be 

8 necessary. 

9 ‘‘(c) COMPENSATION.—The members of the Advisory 

10 Committee established under this section shall serve without 

11 compensation. 

12 ‘‘(d) REPORTS.—At least every 2 years, the Advisory 

13 Committee shall report to the Director on the assessments 

14 carried out under subsection (b) and its recommendations 

15 for ways to improve the Program. 

16 ‘‘(e) CHARTER.—Notwithstanding section 14(b)(2) of 

17 the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App), the 

18 Advisory Committee shall not be required to file a charter 

19 subsequent to its initial charter, filed under section 9(c) of 

20 such Act, before the termination date specified in subsection 

21 (f) of this section. 

22 ‘‘(f) TERMINATION.—The Advisory Committee shall 

23 terminate on September 30, 2016. 

24 ‘‘(g) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com25 mittee member shall recuse himself from any Advisory ComVerDate Mar 15 2010 21:04 Mar 13, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H1786.RH H1786

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1 mittee activity in which he has an actual pecuniary inter2 est.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc5 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended to read as 

6 follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY.— 

9 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal 

10 Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 

11 title— 

12 ‘‘(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2014; and 

13 ‘‘(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2015. 

14 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—There are au15 thorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foun16 dation for carrying out this title— 

17 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2014; and 

18 ‘‘(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2015. 

19 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECH20 NOLOGY.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

21 National Institute of Standards and Technology for car22 rying out this title— 

23 ‘‘(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2014; and 

24 ‘‘(2) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2015. 


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1 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS2 TRATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

3 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for car4 rying out this title— 

5 ‘‘(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2014; and 

6 ‘‘(2) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2015.’’. 


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sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
Union Calendar No. 282 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 1786 

[Report No. 113–380, Part I] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact 

Reduction Program, and for other purposes. 

MARCH 13, 2014 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology with an amendment 

MARCH 13, 2014 

The Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

printed House on the State of the Union and ordered to be discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole 


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