I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6931 

To amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to improve that Act, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 10, 2024 

Mr. EDWARDS (for himself and Ms. KUSTER) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to improve 

that Act, 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 Dam Safety 

5 Program Amendment Act of 2024’’ or the ‘‘NDSP 

6 Amendment Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. IMPROVEMENTS TO NATIONAL DAM SAFETY PRO8 GRAM. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2 of the National Dam 

10 Safety Program Act (33 U.S.C. 467) is amended— 

2 

•HR 6931 IH

1 (1) by redesignating paragraph (16) as para2 graph (17); and 

3 (2) by inserting after paragraph (15) the fol4 lowing: 

5 ‘‘(16) UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.—The term 

6 ‘underserved community’ means a community with a 

7 population of less than 50,000 that has a median 

8 household income of less than 80 percent of the 

9 statewide median household income.’’. 

10 (b) REHABILITATION OF HIGH HAZARD POTENTIAL

11 DAMS.—Section 8A of the National Dam Safety Program 

12 Act (33 U.S.C. 467f–2) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (c)(2), by striking subpara14 graph (C) and inserting the following: 

15 ‘‘(C) GRANT ASSURANCE.—As part of a 

16 grant agreement under subparagraph (B), the 

17 Administrator shall require that each eligible 

18 subrecipient to which the State awards a grant 

19 under this section provides an assurance from 

20 the dam owner, with respect to the dam to be 

21 rehabilitated, that the dam owner will carry out 

22 a plan for maintenance of the dam during the 

23 expected life of the dam.’’; 

3 

•HR 6931 IH

1 (2) in subsection (d)(2)(C), by striking ‘‘com2 mit’’ and inserting ‘‘for a project not including re3 moval, obtain a commitment from the dam owner’’; 

4 (3) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the 

5 following: 

6 ‘‘(e) FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLANS.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of receipt of 

8 assistance under this section, an eligible subrecipient 

9 shall demonstrate that a floodplain management 

10 plan to reduce the impacts of future flood events 

11 from a controlled or uncontrolled release from the 

12 dam or management of water levels in the area im13 pacted by the dam— 

14 ‘‘(A) for a removal— 

15 ‘‘(i) is in place; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) identifies areas that would be im17 pacted by the removal of the dam and in18 cludes a communication and outreach plan 

19 for the project and the impact of the 

20 project on the affected communities; or 

21 ‘‘(B) for a project not including removal— 

22 ‘‘(i) is in place; or 

23 ‘‘(ii) will be— 

24 ‘‘(I) developed not later than 2 

25 years after the date of execution of a 

4 

•HR 6931 IH

1 project agreement for assistance 

2 under this section; and 

3 ‘‘(II) implemented not later than 

4 2 years after the date of completion of 

5 construction of the project. 

6 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—In the case of a plan for 

7 a removal, the Administrator may not impose any 

8 additional requirements or conditions other than the 

9 requirements in paragraph (1)(A). 

10 ‘‘(3) INCLUSIONS.—A plan under paragraph 

11 (1)(B) shall address— 

12 ‘‘(A) potential measures, practices, and 

13 policies to reduce loss of life, injuries, damage 

14 to property and facilities, public expenditures, 

15 and other adverse impacts of flooding in the 

16 area protected or impacted by the dam; 

17 ‘‘(B) plans for flood fighting and evacu18 ation; and 

19 ‘‘(C) public education and awareness of 

20 flood risks.’’; 

21 (4) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY SYSTEM.—The Administrator, in con24 sultation with the Board, shall develop a risk-based pri25 ority system for States to use in prioritizing multiple apVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:15 Jan 12, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6931.IH H6931
5 

•HR 6931 IH

1 plications each year for eligible high hazard potential dams 

2 for which grants may be made under this section.’’; and 

3 (5) in subsection (g)(1)— 

4 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 

5 ‘‘Any’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in 

6 subparagraph (C), any’’; and 

7 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘(C) UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES.—Sub9 paragraph (A) shall not apply to a project car10 ried out by or for the benefit of an underserved 

11 community.’’. 

12 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

13 14 of the National Dam Safety Program Act (33 U.S.C. 

14 467j) is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2023’’ 

17 and inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 

18 (B) in paragraph (2), by amending sub19 paragraph (B) to read as follows: 

20 ‘‘(B) MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF ALLOCA21 TION.—The amount of funds allocated to a 

22 State under this paragraph for a fiscal year 

23 may not exceed the amount that is equal to 4 

24 times the amount of funds committed by the 

6 

•HR 6931 IH

1 State to implement dam safety activities for 

2 that fiscal year.’’; 

3 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

4 inserting ‘‘2028’’; 

5 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

6 inserting ‘‘2028’’; 

7 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘2028’’; 

9 (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

10 inserting ‘‘2028’’; and 

11 (6) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘2028’’. 

Æ