I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1936 

To require the Comptroller General to evaluate and issue a report on the 

structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the Federal 

Emergency Management Agency, including recommendations on how to 

improve the building codes and standards that the Agency uses to prepare for climate change and address resiliency in housing, public buildings, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 16, 2021 

Mr. NEGUSE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To require the Comptroller General to evaluate and issue 

a report on the structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency, including recommendations on how to improve 

the building codes and standards that the Agency uses 

to prepare for climate change and address resiliency in 

housing, public buildings, and infrastructure such as 

roads and bridges. 

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


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•HR 1936 IH

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Climate Resilient Com3 munities Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. CLIMATE RESILIENCY REPORT BY GAO. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

6 date of enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, 

7 the Comptroller General shall evaluate and issue a report 

8 to Congress on the economic benefits, including avoided 

9 impacts on property and life, of the use of model, con10 sensus-based building codes, standards, and provisions 

11 that support resilience to climate risks and impacts, in12 cluding— 

13 (1) flooding; 

14 (2) wildfires; 

15 (3) hurricanes; 

16 (4) heat waves; 

17 (5) droughts; 

18 (6) rises in sea level; and 

19 (7) extreme weather. 

20 (b) REPORT ISSUES.—The report required under 

21 subsection (a) shall include the following: 

22 (1) Assesses the status of adoption of building 

23 codes, standards, and provisions within the States, 

24 territories, and tribes at the State or jurisdictional 

25 level; including whether the adopted codes meet or 


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•HR 1936 IH

1 exceed the most recent published edition of a na2 tional, consensus-based model code. 

3 (2) Analysis of the extent to which pre-disaster 

4 mitigation measures provide benefits to the nation 

5 and individual States, territories and tribes, includ6 ing— 

7 (A) an economic analysis of the benefits to 

8 the design and construction of new resilient in9 frastructure; 

10 (B) losses avoided, including economic 

11 losses, number of structures (buildings, roads, 

12 bridges), and injuries and deaths by utilizing 

13 building codes and standards that prioritize re14 siliency; and 

15 (C) an economic analysis of the benefits to 

16 using hazard resistant building codes in rebuild17 ing and repairing infrastructure following a dis18 aster. 

19 (3) An assessment of the building codes and 

20 standards referenced or otherwise currently incor21 porated into Federal policies and programs, includ22 ing but not limited to grants, incentive programs, 

23 technical assistance and design and construction cri24 teria, administered by the Federal Emergency Man25 agement Agency (FEMA), and— 


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•HR 1936 IH

1 (A) the extent to which such codes and 

2 standards contribute to increasing climate resil3 iency; 

4 (B) recommendations for how FEMA could 

5 improve their use of codes and standards to 

6 prepare for climate change and address resil7 iency in housing, public buildings, and infra8 structure such as roads and bridges; and 

9 (C) how FEMA could increase efforts to 

10 support the adoption of hazard resistant codes 

11 by the States, territories, and tribes. 

12 (4) Recommendations for FEMA on how to bet13 ter incorporate climate resiliency into efforts to re14 build after natural disasters. 

Æ 


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