II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST 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 

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’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

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

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

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1 ments, universities, research institutes, for-profit en2 tities, and nongovernmental organizations. 

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

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

5 Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 

6 (25 U.S.C. 479a). 

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

8 the National Hurricane Research Initiative estab9 lished under section 3(a)(1). 

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

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

12 American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the 

13 Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the 

14 Virgin Islands. 

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

16 government’’ means the governing body of an Indian 

17 tribe. 

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

19 Secretary’’ means the Under Secretary for Oceans 

20 and Atmosphere. 

21 SEC. 3. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

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

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

25 Hurricane Research Initiative’’ for the purposes deVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:25 Mar 31, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S692.IS S692

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1 scribed in paragraph (2). The Initiative shall consist 

2 of— 

3 (A) the activities carried out under this 

4 section; and 

5 (B) the research carried out under section 

6 4. 

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

8 paragraph are as follows: 

9 (A) To conduct research, incorporating to 

10 the maximum extent practicable the needs of el11 igible entities, to enable the following: 

12 (i) Improvement of the understanding 

13 and prediction of hurricanes and other 

14 tropical storms, including— 

15 (I) storm tracking and pre16 diction; 

17 (II) forecasting of storm forma18 tion, intensity, and wind and rain pat19 terns, both within the tropics and as 

20 the storms move poleward; 

21 (III) storm surge modeling, in22 land flood modeling, and coastal ero23 sion; 


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1 (IV) the interaction with and im2 pacts of storms with the natural and 

3 built environment; and 

4 (V) the impacts to and response 

5 of society to destructive storms, in6 cluding the socioeconomic impacts re7 quiring emergency management, re8 sponse, and recovery. 

9 (ii) Development of infrastructure 

10 that is resilient to the forces associated 

11 with hurricanes and other tropical storms. 

12 (iii) Mitigation of the impacts of hur13 ricanes on coastal populations, the coastal 

14 built environment, and natural resources, 

15 including— 

16 (I) coral reefs; 

17 (II) mangroves; 

18 (III) wetlands; and 

19 (IV) other natural systems that 

20 can reduce hurricane wind and flood 

21 forces. 

22 (iv) Improvement of communication 

23 with the public about hurricane forecasts 

24 and risks associated with hurricanes to re25 duce the harmful impacts of hurricanes 


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1 and improve the response of society to de2 structive storms. 

3 (B) To provide training for the next gen4 eration of hurricane researchers and fore5 casters. 

6 (b) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

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

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

9 Secretary shall, in coordination with the Director of 

10 the National Science Foundation, develop a detailed, 

11 5-year implementation plan for the Initiative that— 

12 (A) incorporates the priorities for Federal 

13 science and technology investments set forth in 

14 the June 2005 publication, ‘‘Grand Challenges 

15 for Disaster Reduction’’, and in related 2008 

16 implementation plans for hurricane and coastal 

17 inundation hazards of the Subcommittee on 

18 Disaster Reduction of the Committee on Envi19 ronment and Natural Resources of the National 

20 Science and Technology Council; 

21 (B) to the extent practicable and as appro22 priate, establishes strategic goals, benchmarks, 

23 milestones, and a set of systematic criteria and 

24 performance metrics by which the overall effec25 tiveness of the Initiative may be evaluated on a 


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1 periodic basis, including evaluation of mecha2 nisms for the effective transition of research to 

3 operations and the application of research re4 sults for reducing hurricane losses and related 

5 public benefits; and 

6 (C) identifies opportunities to leverage the 

7 results of the research carried out under section 

8 4 with other Federal and non-Federal hurricane 

9 research, coordination, and loss-reduction initia10 tives, such as— 

11 (i) the National Windstorm Impact 

12 Reduction Program established by section 

13 204(a) of the National Windstorm Impact 

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

15 (ii) the National Flood Insurance Pro16 gram established under chapter 1 of the 

17 National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 

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

19 (iii) the initiatives of the Robert T. 

20 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 

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

22 (iv) wind hazard mitigation initiatives 

23 carried out by a State; 

24 (v) the Science Advisory Board, Social 

25 Science Working Group, and Hurricane 


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1 Forecast Improvement Project of the Na2 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis3 tration; and 

4 (vi) the Working Group for Tropical 

5 Cyclone Research of the Office of the Fed6 eral Coordinator for Meteorological Serv7 ices and Supporting Research. 

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

9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Sec10 retary shall make the implementation plan required 

11 by paragraph (1) available for review by the fol12 lowing: 

13 (A) The Director of the National Science 

14 Foundation. 

15 (B) The Secretary of Homeland Security. 

16 (C) The Director of the National Institute 

17 for Standards and Technology. 

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

19 Army Corps of Engineers. 

20 (E) The Commander of the Naval Meteor21 ology and Oceanography Command. 

22 (F) The Associate Administrator for 

23 Science Mission Directorate of the National 

24 Aeronautics and Space Administration. 


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

2 Survey. 

3 (H) The Director of the Office of Science 

4 and Technology Policy. 

5 (I) The Director of the National Economic 

6 Council. 

7 (3) REVISIONS.—The Under Secretary shall re8 vise the implementation plan required by paragraph 

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

10 (c) RESEARCH.— 

11 (1) ESTABLISHMENT OF RESEARCH OBJEC12 TIVES.—The Under Secretary shall, in consultation 

13 with the Director of the National Science Founda14 tion, establish objectives for research carried out 

15 pursuant to section 4 that are— 

16 (A) consistent with the purposes described 

17 in subsection (a)(2); and 

18 (B) based on the findings of the expert as19 sessments and strategies published in the fol20 lowing: 

21 (i) The June 2005 publication enti22 tled, ‘‘Grand Challenges for Disaster Re23 duction’’, and the related 2008 implemen24 tation plans for hurricane and coastal in25 undation hazards of the Subcommittee on 


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1 Disaster Reduction of the Committee on 

2 Environment and Natural Resources of the 

3 National Science and Technology Council. 

4 (ii) The January 2007 report by the 

5 National Science Board entitled, ‘‘Hurri6 cane Warning: The Critical Need for a Na7 tional Hurricane Initiative’’. 

8 (iii) The February 2007 report by the 

9 Office of the Federal Coordinator for Me10 teorological Services and Supporting Re11 search entitled, ‘‘Interagency Strategic Re12 search Plan for Tropical Cyclones: The 

13 Way Ahead’’. 

14 (iv) Reports from the Hurricane In15 tensity Working Group of the National 

16 Science Advisory Board of the National 

17 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

18 (2) AREAS OF CONCENTRATION.—The objec19 tives required by paragraph (1) shall provide for 3 

20 areas of concentration as follows: 

21 (A) Fundamental hurricane research, 

22 which may include research to support contin23 ued development and maintenance of commu24 nity weather research and forecast models, in25 cluding advanced methods of observing storm 


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1 structure and assimilating observations into the 

2 models, in which the agency or institution 

3 hosting the models ensures broad access and 

4 use of the model by the civilian research com5 munity. 

6 (B) Technology assessment and develop7 ment. 

8 (C) Research on integration, transition, 

9 and application of research results. 

10 (d) NATIONAL WORKSHOPS AND CONFERENCES.— 

11 The Under Secretary may, in coordination with the Direc12 tor of the National Science Foundation, carry out a series 

13 of national workshops and conferences that assemble a 

14 broad collection of scientific disciplines— 

15 (1) to address hurricane-related research ques16 tions; and 

17 (2) to encourage researchers to work collabo18 ratively to carry out the purposes described in sub19 section (a)(2). 

20 (e) PUBLIC INTERNET WEB SITE.—The Under Sec21 retary shall facilitate the establishment of a public Inter22 net Web site for the Initiative— 

23 (1) to foster collaboration and interactive dia24 logues among the Under Secretary, the Director of 

25 the National Science Foundation, and the public; 


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1 (2) to enhance public access to Initiative docu2 ments and products, including— 

3 (A) reports and publications of the Initia4 tive; 

5 (B) the most recent 5-year implementation 

6 plan developed under subsection (b); and 

7 (C) each annual cross-cut budget and re8 port submitted to Congress under subsection 

9 (f); and 

10 (3) that includes a publicly accessible clearing11 house of Federal research and development centers 

12 engaged in research and development efforts that 

13 are complementary to the Initiative. 

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

15 (1) REQUIREMENT FOR ANNUAL CROSS-CUT

16 BUDGET AND REPORT.—Beginning with the first fis17 cal year beginning after the date the Under Sec18 retary completes the implementation plan required 

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

20 Science and Technology Policy shall, in conjunction 

21 with the Under Secretary, the Director of the Na22 tional Science Foundation, and the Director of the 

23 Office of Management and Budget, submit to Con24 gress each year, together with documents submitted 

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1 dent for the fiscal year beginning in such year (as 

2 submitted pursuant to section 1105 of title 31, 

3 United States Code)— 

4 (A) a coordinated annual report for the 

5 Initiative for the last fiscal year ending before 

6 the date on which the report is submitted; and 

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

8 the first fiscal year beginning after the date on 

9 which the report is submitted. 

10 (2) CONTENTS.—The report required by para11 graph (1)(A) shall— 

12 (A) document the grants and contracts 

13 awarded to eligible entities under section 4; 

14 (B) for each eligible entity that receives a 

15 grant or contract under section 4, identify what 

16 major activities were undertaken with such 

17 funds, grants, and contracts; and 

18 (C) for each research activity or group of 

19 activities in an area of concentration described 

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

21 any accomplishments, which may include full or 

22 partial achievement of any strategic goals, 

23 benchmarks, milestones, or systematic criteria 

24 and performance metrics established for the im25 plementation plan under subsection (b)(1)(B). 


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1 SEC. 4. NATIONAL HURRICANE RESEARCH. 

2 (a) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION COMPETITIVE

3 GRANT RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

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

5 Science Foundation shall, in coordination with the 

6 Under Secretary, establish a program to award 

7 grants to eligible entities to carry out research that 

8 is consistent with the research objectives established 

9 under section 3(c)(1). 

10 (2) SELECTION.—The National Science Foun11 dation shall select grant recipients under this section 

12 through its merit review process. 

13 (b) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN14 ISTRATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.— 

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

16 in coordination with the Director of the National 

17 Science Foundation, carry out a program of research 

18 that is consistent with the research objectives estab19 lished under section 3(c)(1). 

20 (2) RESEARCH ACTIVITIES.—Research carried 

21 out under paragraph (1) may be carried out 

22 through— 

23 (A) intramural research; 

24 (B) awarding grants to eligible entities to 

25 carry out research; 


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1 (C) contracting with eligible entities to 

2 carry out research; or 

3 (D) entering into cooperative agreements 

4 to carry out research. 

5 (3) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS AUTHOR6 IZED.—Research carried out under this subsection 

7 may include demonstration projects. 

8 (c) COLLABORATION.—To the maximum extent prac9 ticable, each entity carrying out research under this sec10 tion shall collaborate with existing Federal and federally 

11 funded research centers operating in related fields, for12 profit organizations, and international, regional, State, 

13 local, and tribal governments— 

14 (1) to gather and share experiential informa15 tion; and 

16 (2) to advance scientific and engineering knowl17 edge, technology transfer, and technology commer18 cialization in the course of conduct of hurricane-re19 lated research and its application to mitigating the 

20 impacts of hurricanes and other tropical storms on 

21 society. 

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