II 

Calendar No. 545 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 692 

To improve hurricane preparedness by establishing the National Hurricane 

Research Initiative, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 30, 2011 

Mr. NELSON of Florida introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

NOVEMBER 14, 2012 

Reported by Mr. ROCKEFELLER, with an amendment 

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

A BILL 

To improve hurricane preparedness by establishing the National Hurricane Research Initiative, 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 Hurricane 

5 Research Initiative Act of 2011’’. 

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1 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act: 

3 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The term ‘‘eligible 

4 entities’’ means Federal, State, regional, and local 

5 government agencies and departments, tribal govern6 ments, universities, research institutes, for-profit en7 tities, and nongovernmental organizations. 

8 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

9 has the meaning given the term in section 102 of the 

10 Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 

11 (25 U.S.C. 479a). 

12 (3) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Initiative’’ means 

13 the National Hurricane Research Initiative estab14 lished under section 3(a)(1). 

15 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any 

16 State of the United States, the District of Columbia, 

17 American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 

18 Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the 

19 Virgin Islands. 

20 (5) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘tribal 

21 government’’ means the governing body of an Indian 

22 tribe. 

23 (6) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Under 

24 Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary for Oceans 

25 and Atmosphere. 

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1 SEC. 3. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

2 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 

4 establish an initiative to be known as the ‘‘National 

5 Hurricane Research Initiative’’ for the purposes de6 scribed in paragraph (2). The Initiative shall consist 

7 of— 

8 (A) the activities carried out under this 

9 section; and 

10 (B) the research carried out under section 

11 4. 

12 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this 

13 paragraph are as follows: 

14 (A) To conduct research, incorporating to 

15 the maximum extent practicable the needs of el16 igible entities, to enable the following: 

17 (i) Improvement of the understanding 

18 and prediction of hurricanes and other 

19 tropical storms, including— 

20 (I) storm tracking and pre21 diction; 

22 (II) forecasting of storm forma23 tion, intensity, and wind and rain pat24 terns, both within the tropics and as 

25 the storms move poleward; 

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1 (III) storm surge modeling, in2 land flood modeling, and coastal ero3 sion; 

4 (IV) the interaction with and im5 pacts of storms with the natural and 

6 built environment; and 

7 (V) the impacts to and response 

8 of society to destructive storms, in9 cluding the socioeconomic impacts re10 quiring emergency management, re11 sponse, and recovery. 

12 (ii) Development of infrastructure 

13 that is resilient to the forces associated 

14 with hurricanes and other tropical storms. 

15 (iii) Mitigation of the impacts of hur16 ricanes on coastal populations, the coastal 

17 built environment, and natural resources, 

18 including— 

19 (I) coral reefs; 

20 (II) mangroves; 

21 (III) wetlands; and 

22 (IV) other natural systems that 

23 can reduce hurricane wind and flood 

24 forces. 

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1 (iv) Improvement of communication 

2 with the public about hurricane forecasts 

3 and risks associated with hurricanes to re4 duce the harmful impacts of hurricanes 

5 and improve the response of society to de6 structive storms. 

7 (B) To provide training for the next gen8 eration of hurricane researchers and fore9 casters. 

10 (b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

12 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under 

13 Secretary shall, in coordination with the Director of 

14 the National Science Foundation, develop a detailed, 

15 5-year implementation plan for the Initiative that— 

16 (A) incorporates the priorities for Federal 

17 science and technology investments set forth in 

18 the June 2005 publication, ‘‘Grand Challenges 

19 for Disaster Reduction’’, and in related 2008 

20 implementation plans for hurricane and coastal 

21 inundation hazards of the Subcommittee on 

22 Disaster Reduction of the Committee on Envi23 ronment and Natural Resources of the National 

24 Science and Technology Council; 

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1 (B) to the extent practicable and as appro2 priate, establishes strategic goals, benchmarks, 

3 milestones, and a set of systematic criteria and 

4 performance metrics by which the overall effec5 tiveness of the Initiative may be evaluated on a 

6 periodic basis, including evaluation of mecha7 nisms for the effective transition of research to 

8 operations and the application of research re9 sults for reducing hurricane losses and related 

10 public benefits; and 

11 (C) identifies opportunities to leverage the 

12 results of the research carried out under section 

13 4 with other Federal and non-Federal hurricane 

14 research, coordination, and loss-reduction initia15 tives, such as— 

16 (i) the National Windstorm Impact 

17 Reduction Program established by section 

18 204(a) of the National Windstorm Impact 

19 Reduction Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 15703); 

20 (ii) the National Flood Insurance Pro21 gram established under chapter 1 of the 

22 National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 

23 U.S.C. 4011 et seq.); 

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1 (iii) the initiatives of the Robert T. 

2 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

3 Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); 

4 (iv) wind hazard mitigation initiatives 

5 carried out by a State; 

6 (v) the Science Advisory Board, Social 

7 Science Working Group, and Hurricane 

8 Forecast Improvement Project of the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis10 tration; and 

11 (vi) the Working Group for Tropical 

12 Cyclone Research of the Office of the Fed13 eral Coordinator for Meteorological Serv14 ices and Supporting Research. 

15 (2) REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after the 

16 date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Sec17 retary shall make the implementation plan required 

18 by paragraph (1) available for review by the fol19 lowing: 

20 (A) The Director of the National Science 

21 Foundation. 

22 (B) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 

23 (C) The Director of the National Institute 

24 for Standards and Technology. 

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1 (D) The Commanding General of the U.S. 

2 Army Corps of Engineers. 

3 (E) The Commander of the Naval Meteor4 ology and Oceanography Command. 

5 (F) The Associate Administrator for 

6 Science Mission Directorate of the National 

7 Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

8 (G) The Director of the U.S. Geological 

9 Survey. 

10 (H) The Director of the Office of Science 

11 and Technology Policy. 

12 (I) The Director of the National Economic 

13 Council. 

14 (3) REVISIONS.—The Under Secretary shall re15 vise the implementation plan required by paragraph 

16 (1) not less frequently than once every 5 years. 

17 (c) RESEARCH.— 

18 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF RESEARCH OBJEC19 TIVES.—The Under Secretary shall, in consultation 

20 with the Director of the National Science Founda21 tion, establish objectives for research carried out 

22 pursuant to section 4 that are— 

23 (A) consistent with the purposes described 

24 in subsection (a)(2); and 

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1 (B) based on the findings of the expert as2 sessments and strategies published in the fol3 lowing: 

4 (i) The June 2005 publication enti5 tled, ‘‘Grand Challenges for Disaster Re6 duction’’, and the related 2008 implemen7 tation plans for hurricane and coastal in8 undation hazards of the Subcommittee on 

9 Disaster Reduction of the Committee on 

10 Environment and Natural Resources of the 

11 National Science and Technology Council. 

12 (ii) The January 2007 report by the 

13 National Science Board entitled, ‘‘Hurri14 cane Warning: The Critical Need for a Na15 tional Hurricane Initiative’’. 

16 (iii) The February 2007 report by the 

17 Office of the Federal Coordinator for Me18 teorological Services and Supporting Re19 search entitled, ‘‘Interagency Strategic Re20 search Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The 

21 Way Ahead’’. 

22 (iv) Reports from the Hurricane In23 tensity Working Group of the National 

24 Science Advisory Board of the National 

25 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

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1 (2) AREAS OF CONCENTRATION.—The objec2 tives required by paragraph (1) shall provide for 3 

3 areas of concentration as follows: 

4 (A) Fundamental hurricane research, 

5 which may include research to support contin6 ued development and maintenance of commu7 nity weather research and forecast models, in8 cluding advanced methods of observing storm 

9 structure and assimilating observations into the 

10 models, in which the agency or institution 

11 hosting the models ensures broad access and 

12 use of the model by the civilian research com13 munity. 

14 (B) Technology assessment and develop15 ment. 

16 (C) Research on integration, transition, 

17 and application of research results. 

18 (d) NATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES.— 

19 The Under Secretary may, in coordination with the Direc20 tor of the National Science Foundation, carry out a series 

21 of national workshops and conferences that assemble a 

22 broad collection of scientific disciplines— 

23 (1) to address hurricane-related research ques24 tions; and 

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1 (2) to encourage researchers to work collabo2 ratively to carry out the purposes described in sub3 section (a)(2). 

4 (e) PUBLIC INTERNET WEB SITE.—The Under Sec5 retary shall facilitate the establishment of a public Inter6 net Web site for the Initiative— 

7 (1) to foster collaboration and interactive dia8 logues among the Under Secretary, the Director of 

9 the National Science Foundation, and the public; 

10 (2) to enhance public access to Initiative docu11 ments and products, including— 

12 (A) reports and publications of the Initia13 tive; 

14 (B) the most recent 5-year implementation 

15 plan developed under subsection (b); and 

16 (C) each annual cross-cut budget and re17 port submitted to Congress under subsection 

18 (f); and 

19 (3) that includes a publicly accessible clearing20 house of Federal research and development centers 

21 engaged in research and development efforts that 

22 are complementary to the Initiative. 

23 (f) ANNUAL CROSS-CUT BUDGET AND REPORT.— 

24 (1) REQUIREMENT FOR ANNUAL CROSS-CUT

25 BUDGET AND REPORT.—Beginning with the first fismstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 cal year beginning after the date the Under Sec2 retary completes the implementation plan required 

3 by subsection (b), the Director of the Office of 

4 Science and Technology Policy shall, in conjunction 

5 with the Under Secretary, the Director of the Na6 tional Science Foundation, and the Director of the 

7 Office of Management and Budget, submit to Con8 gress each year, together with documents submitted 

9 to Congress in support of the budget of the Presi10 dent for the fiscal year beginning in such year (as 

11 submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, 

12 United States Code)— 

13 (A) a coordinated annual report for the 

14 Initiative for the last fiscal year ending before 

15 the date on which the report is submitted; and 

16 (B) a cross-cut budget for the Initiative for 

17 the first fiscal year beginning after the date on 

18 which the report is submitted. 

19 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para20 graph (1)(A) shall— 

21 (A) document the grants and contracts 

22 awarded to eligible entities under section 4; 

23 (B) for each eligible entity that receives a 

24 grant or contract under section 4, identify what 

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1 major activities were undertaken with such 

2 funds, grants, and contracts; and 

3 (C) for each research activity or group of 

4 activities in an area of concentration described 

5 in subsection (c)(2), as appropriate, identify 

6 any accomplishments, which may include full or 

7 partial achievement of any strategic goals, 

8 benchmarks, milestones, or systematic criteria 

9 and performance metrics established for the im10 plementation plan under subsection (b)(1)(B). 

11 SEC. 4. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH. 

12 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION COMPETITIVE

13 GRANT RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

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

15 Science Foundation shall, in coordination with the 

16 Under Secretary, establish a program to award 

17 grants to eligible entities to carry out research that 

18 is consistent with the research objectives established 

19 under section 3(c)(1). 

20 (2) SELECTION.—The National Science Foun21 dation shall select grant recipients under this section 

22 through its merit review process. 

23 (b) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN24 ISTRATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall, 

2 in coordination with the Director of the National 

3 Science Foundation, carry out a program of research 

4 that is consistent with the research objectives estab5 lished under section 3(c)(1). 

6 (2) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—Research carried 

7 out under paragraph (1) may be carried out 

8 through— 

9 (A) intramural research; 

10 (B) awarding grants to eligible entities to 

11 carry out research; 

12 (C) contracting with eligible entities to 

13 carry out research; or 

14 (D) entering into cooperative agreements 

15 to carry out research. 

16 (3) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AUTHOR17 IZED.—Research carried out under this subsection 

18 may include demonstration projects. 

19 (c) COLLABORATION.—To the maximum extent prac20 ticable, each entity carrying out research under this sec21 tion shall collaborate with existing Federal and federally 

22 funded research centers operating in related fields, for23 profit organizations, and international, regional, State, 

24 local, and tribal governments— 

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1 (1) to gather and share experiential informa2 tion; and 

3 (2) to advance scientific and engineering knowl4 edge, technology transfer, and technology commer5 cialization in the course of conduct of hurricane-re6 lated research and its application to mitigating the 

7 impacts of hurricanes and other tropical storms on 

8 society. 

9 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

10 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Hurricane Re11 search Initiative Act of 2011’’. 

12 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

13 In this Act: 

14 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The term ‘‘eligible en15 tities’’ means Federal, State, regional, and local gov16 ernment agencies and departments, tribal govern17 ments, universities, research institutes, for-profit enti18 ties, and nongovernmental organizations. 

19 (2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ has 

20 the meaning given the term in section 102 of the Fed21 erally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 

22 U.S.C. 479a). 

23 (3) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘‘Initiative’’ means 

24 the National Hurricane Research Initiative estab25 lished under section 3(a)(1). 

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1 (4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any State 

2 of the United States, the District of Columbia, Amer3 ican Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the North4 ern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Is5 lands. 

6 (5) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘tribal 

7 government’’ means the governing body of an Indian 

8 tribe. 

9 (6) UNDER SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Under Sec10 retary’’ means the Under Secretary for Oceans and 

11 Atmosphere. 

12 SEC. 3. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

13 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall es15 tablish an initiative to be known as the ‘‘National 

16 Hurricane Research Initiative’’ for the purposes de17 scribed in paragraph (2). The Initiative shall consist 

18 of— 

19 (A) the activities carried out under this sec20 tion; and 

21 (B) the research carried out under section 4. 

22 (2) PURPOSES.—The purposes described in this 

23 paragraph are as follows: 

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1 (A) To conduct research, incorporating to 

2 the maximum extent practicable the needs of eli3 gible entities, to enable the following: 

4 (i) Improvement of the understanding 

5 and prediction of hurricanes and other 

6 tropical storms, including— 

7 (I) storm tracking and intensity 

8 predictive studies, including hurricane 

9 modeling programs at the mesoscale 

10 and convective scale conducted by eligi11 ble entities, to improve hurricane track 

12 accuracy and intensity prediction; 

13 (II) forecasting of storm forma14 tion, intensity, and wind and rain 

15 patterns, both within the tropics and 

16 as the storms move poleward; 

17 (III) storm surge modeling, in18 land flood modeling, and coastal ero19 sion; 

20 (IV) the interaction with and im21 pacts of storms with the natural and 

22 built environment; and 

23 (V) the impacts to and response of 

24 society to destructive storms, including 

25 the socioeconomic impacts requiring 

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1 emergency management, response, and 

2 recovery. 

3 (ii) Development of infrastructure that 

4 is resilient to the forces associated with hur5 ricanes and other tropical storms. 

6 (iii) Mitigation of the impacts of hur7 ricanes on coastal populations, the coastal 

8 built environment, and natural resources, 

9 including— 

10 (I) coral reefs; 

11 (II) mangroves; 

12 (III) wetlands; and 

13 (IV) other natural systems that 

14 can reduce hurricane wind and flood 

15 forces. 

16 (iv) Improvement of communication 

17 with the public about hurricane forecasts 

18 and risks associated with hurricanes to re19 duce the harmful impacts of hurricanes and 

20 improve the response of society to destruc21 tive storms. 

22 (B) To provide training for the next genera23 tion of hurricane researchers and forecasters. 

24 (b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 540 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Sec3 retary shall, in consultation with the Director of the 

4 National Science Foundation, develop a detailed, 5- 

5 year implementation plan for the Initiative that— 

6 (A) incorporates the priorities for Federal 

7 science and technology investments set forth in 

8 the June 2005 publication, ‘‘Grand Challenges 

9 for Disaster Reduction’’, and in related 2008 im10 plementation plans for hurricane and coastal in11 undation hazards of the Subcommittee on Dis12 aster Reduction of the Committee on Environ13 ment and Natural Resources of the National 

14 Science and Technology Council; 

15 (B) to the extent practicable and as appro16 priate, establishes strategic goals, benchmarks, 

17 milestones, and a set of systematic criteria and 

18 performance metrics by which the overall effec19 tiveness of the Initiative may be evaluated on a 

20 periodic basis, including evaluation of mecha21 nisms for the effective transition of research to 

22 operations and the application of research results 

23 for reducing hurricane losses and related public 

24 benefits; and 

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1 (C) identifies opportunities to leverage the 

2 results of the research carried out under section 

3 4 with other Federal and non-Federal hurricane 

4 research, coordination, and loss-reduction initia5 tives, such as— 

6 (i) the National Windstorm Impact 

7 Reduction Program established by section 

8 204(a) of the National Windstorm Impact 

9 Reduction Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 15703); 

10 (ii) the National Flood Insurance Pro11 gram established under chapter 1 of the Na12 tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 

13 U.S.C. 4011 et seq.); 

14 (iii) the initiatives of the Robert T. 

15 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As16 sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.); 

17 (iv) wind hazard mitigation initiatives 

18 carried out by a State; 

19 (v) the Science Advisory Board, Social 

20 Science Working Group, and Hurricane 

21 Forecast Improvement Project of the Na22 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis23 tration; and 

24 (vi) the Working Group for Tropical 

25 Cyclone Research of the Office of the Federal 

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1 Coordinator for Meteorological Services and 

2 Supporting Research. 

3 (2) REVIEW.—Not later than 540 days after the 

4 date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary 

5 shall make the implementation plan required by 

6 paragraph (1) available for review by the following: 

7 (A) The Director of the National Science 

8 Foundation. 

9 (B) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 

10 (C) The Director of the National Institute of 

11 Standards and Technology. 

12 (D) The Commanding General of the U.S. 

13 Army Corps of Engineers. 

14 (E) The Commander of the Naval Meteor15 ology and Oceanography Command. 

16 (F) The Associate Administrator for Science 

17 Mission Directorate of the National Aeronautics 

18 and Space Administration. 

19 (G) The Director of the U.S. Geological 

20 Survey. 

21 (H) The Director of the Office of Science 

22 and Technology Policy. 

23 (I) The Director of the National Economic 

24 Council. 

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1 (3) REVISIONS.—The Under Secretary shall re2 vise the implementation plan required by paragraph 

3 (1) not less frequently than once every 5 years. 

4 (c) RESEARCH.— 

5 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF RESEARCH OBJEC6 TIVES.—The Under Secretary shall, in consultation 

7 with the Director of the National Science Foundation, 

8 establish objectives for research carried out pursuant 

9 to section 4 that are— 

10 (A) consistent with the purposes described 

11 in subsection (a)(2); and 

12 (B) based on the findings of the expert as13 sessments and strategies published in the fol14 lowing: 

15 (i) The June 2005 publication entitled, 

16 ‘‘Grand Challenges for Disaster Reduction’’, 

17 and the related 2008 implementation plans 

18 for hurricane and coastal inundation haz19 ards of the Subcommittee on Disaster Re20 duction of the Committee on Environment 

21 and Natural Resources of the National 

22 Science and Technology Council. 

23 (ii) The January 2007 report by the 

24 National Science Board entitled, ‘‘Hurrimstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with BILLS

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1 cane Warning: The Critical Need for a Na2 tional Hurricane Initiative’’. 

3 (iii) The February 2007 report by the 

4 Office of the Federal Coordinator for Mete5 orological Services and Supporting Re6 search entitled, ‘‘Interagency Strategic Re7 search Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The Way 

8 Ahead’’. 

9 (iv) Reports from the Hurricane Inten10 sity Working Group of the National Science 

11 Advisory Board of the National Oceanic 

12 and Atmospheric Administration. 

13 (2) AREAS OF CONCENTRATION.—The objectives 

14 required by paragraph (1) shall provide for 3 areas 

15 of concentration as follows: 

16 (A) Fundamental hurricane research, which 

17 may include research to support continued devel18 opment and maintenance of community weather 

19 research and forecast models, including advanced 

20 methods of observing storm structure and assimi21 lating observations into the models, in which the 

22 agency or institution hosting the models ensures 

23 broad access and use of the model by the civilian 

24 research community. 

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1 (B) Technology assessment and develop2 ment. 

3 (C) Research on integration, transition, and 

4 application of research results. 

5 (d) NATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES.—The 

6 Under Secretary may, in coordination with the Director 

7 of the National Science Foundation, carry out a series of 

8 national workshops and conferences that assemble a broad 

9 collection of scientific disciplines— 

10 (1) to address hurricane-related research ques11 tions; and 

12 (2) to encourage researchers to work collabo13 ratively to carry out the purposes described in sub14 section (a)(2). 

15 (e) PUBLIC INTERNET WEB SITE.—The Under Sec16 retary shall facilitate the establishment of a public Internet 

17 Web site for the Initiative— 

18 (1) to foster collaboration and interactive dia19 logues among the Under Secretary, the Director of the 

20 National Science Foundation, and the public; 

21 (2) to enhance public access to Initiative docu22 ments and products, including— 

23 (A) reports and publications of the Initia24 tive; 

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1 (B) the most recent 5-year implementation 

2 plan developed under subsection (b); and 

3 (C) each annual cross-cut budget and report 

4 submitted to Congress under subsection (f); and 

5 (3) that includes a publicly accessible clearing6 house of Federal research and development centers en7 gaged in research and development efforts that are 

8 complementary to the Initiative. 

9 (f) BIENNIAL CROSS-CUT BUDGET AND REPORT.— 

10 (1) REQUIREMENT FOR BIENNIAL CROSS-CUT

11 BUDGET AND REPORT.—Beginning with the first fis12 cal year beginning after the date the Under Secretary 

13 completes the implementation plan required by sub14 section (b), the Director of the Office of Science and 

15 Technology Policy shall, in conjunction with the 

16 Under Secretary, the Director of the National Science 

17 Foundation, and the Director of the Office of Manage18 ment and Budget, submit to Congress once every 2 

19 years, together with documents submitted to Congress 

20 in support of the budget of the President for the fiscal 

21 year beginning in such year (as submitted pursuant 

22 to section 1105 of title 31, United States Code)— 

23 (A) a coordinated biennial report for the 

24 Initiative for the last 2 fiscal years ending before 

25 the date on which the report is submitted; and 

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1 (B) a cross-cut budget for the Initiative for 

2 the first fiscal year beginning after the date on 

3 which the report is submitted. 

4 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para5 graph (1)(A) shall— 

6 (A) document the grants and contracts 

7 awarded to eligible entities under section 4; 

8 (B) for each eligible entity that receives a 

9 grant or contract under section 4, identify what 

10 major activities were undertaken with such 

11 funds, grants, and contracts; and 

12 (C) for each research activity or group of 

13 activities in an area of concentration described 

14 in subsection (c)(2), as appropriate, identify any 

15 accomplishments, which may include full or par16 tial achievement of any strategic goals, bench17 marks, milestones, or systematic criteria and 

18 performance metrics established for the imple19 mentation plan under subsection (b)(1)(B). 

20 SEC. 4. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH. 

21 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION COMPETITIVE

22 GRANT RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

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

24 Science Foundation shall, in coordination with the 

25 Under Secretary, establish a program to award 

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1 grants to eligible entities to carry out research that is 

2 consistent with the research objectives established 

3 under section 3(c)(1). 

4 (2) SELECTION.—The National Science Founda5 tion shall select grant recipients under this section 

6 through its merit review process. 

7 (b) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS8 TRATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall, in 

10 coordination with the Director of the National 

11 Science Foundation, carry out a program of research 

12 that is consistent with the research objectives estab13 lished under section 3(c)(1). 

14 (2) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—Research carried 

15 out under paragraph (1) may be carried out 

16 through— 

17 (A) intramural research; 

18 (B) awarding grants to eligible entities to 

19 carry out research; 

20 (C) contracting with eligible entities to 

21 carry out research; or 

22 (D) entering into cooperative agreements to 

23 carry out research. 

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1 (3) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AUTHORIZED.— 

2 Research carried out under this subsection may in3 clude demonstration projects. 

4 (c) COLLABORATION.—To the maximum extent prac5 ticable, each entity carrying out research under this section 

6 shall collaborate with existing Federal and federally funded 

7 research centers operating in related fields, for-profit orga8 nizations, and international, regional, State, local, and 

9 tribal governments— 

10 (1) to gather and share experiential information; 

11 and 

12 (2) to advance scientific and engineering knowl13 edge, technology transfer, and technology commer14 cialization in the course of conduct of hurricane-re15 lated research and its application to mitigating the 

16 impacts of hurricanes and other tropical storms on 

17 society. 

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Calendar No. 545 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 692 

A BILL 

To improve hurricane preparedness by establishing 

for other purposes. the National Hurricane Research Initiative, and 

NOVEMBER 14, 2012 

Reported with an amendment 

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