II 

Calendar No. 114 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 23 

[Report No. 114–62] 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 8, 2015 

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

JUNE 11, 2015 

Reported by Mr. THUNE, with an amendment 

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

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact Reduction 

Program, 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 Windstorm 

5 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 (a) DIRECTOR.—Section 203(1) of the National 

8 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 


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1 15702(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘Director of the Office 

2 of Science and Technology Policy’’ and inserting ‘‘Director 

3 of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’’. 

4 (b) LIFELINES.—Section 203 of the National Wind5 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702) 

6 is further amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

8 (4) as paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and 

9 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol10 lowing new paragraph: 

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

12 public works and utilities, including transportation 

13 facilities and infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, 

14 electrical power and communication facilities and in15 frastructure, and water supply and sewage treat16 ment facilities.’’. 

17 SEC. 3. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO18 GRAM. 

19 Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Re20 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended— 

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

22 inserting the following: 

23 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na24 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, the purpose 

25 of which is to achieve major measurable reductions in the 


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1 losses of life and property from windstorms through a co2 ordinated Federal effort, in cooperation with other levels 

3 of government, academia, and the private sector, aimed 

4 at improving the understanding of windstorms and their 

5 impacts and developing and encouraging the implementa6 tion of cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce those 

7 impacts. 

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

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

10 Standards and Technology shall have the primary 

11 responsibility for planning and coordinating the Pro12 gram. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 

13 shall— 

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

15 necessary components to promote the imple16 mentation of windstorm risk reduction meas17 ures by Federal, State, and local governments, 

18 national standards and model building code or19 ganizations, architects and engineers, and oth20 ers with a role in planning and constructing 

21 buildings and lifelines; 

22 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform23 ance-based engineering tools, and work with ap24 propriate groups to promote the commercial ap25 plication of such tools, including through windVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jun 11, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H23.RS H23

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1 related model building codes, voluntary stand2 ards, and construction best practices; 

3 ‘‘(C) request the assistance of Federal 

4 agencies other than the Program agencies, as 

5 necessary to assist in carrying out this Act; 

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

7 investigations; and 

8 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves9 tigative findings, issue recommendations to as10 sist in informing the development of model 

11 codes, and provide information to Congress on 

12 the use of such recommendations. 

13 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

14 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re15 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the Na16 tional Institute of Standards and Technology shall 

17 be responsible for carrying out research and develop18 ment to improve model building codes, voluntary 

19 standards, and best practices for the design, con20 struction, and retrofit of buildings, structures, and 

21 lifelines. 

22 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The 

23 National Science Foundation shall support research 

24 in— 


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1 ‘‘(A) engineering and the atmospheric 

2 sciences to improve the understanding of the 

3 behavior of windstorms and their impact on 

4 buildings, structures, and lifelines; and 

5 ‘‘(B) economic and social factors influ6 encing windstorm risk reduction measures. 

7 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC

8 ADMINISTRATION.—The National Oceanic and At9 mospheric Administration shall support atmospheric 

10 sciences research to improve the understanding of 

11 the behavior of windstorms and their impact on 

12 buildings, structures, and lifelines. 

13 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

14 AGENCY.—The Federal Emergency Management 

15 Agency shall— 

16 ‘‘(A) support— 

17 ‘‘(i) the development of risk assess18 ment tools and effective mitigation tech19 niques; 

20 ‘‘(ii) windstorm-related data collection 

21 and analysis; 

22 ‘‘(iii) public outreach and information 

23 dissemination; and 

24 ‘‘(iv) promotion of the adoption of 

25 windstorm preparedness and mitigation 


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1 measures, including for households, busi2 nesses, and communities, consistent with 

3 the Agency’s all-hazards approach; and 

4 ‘‘(B) work closely with national standards 

5 and model building code organizations, in con6 junction with the National Institute of Stand7 ards and Technology, to promote the implemen8 tation of research results and promote better 

9 building practices within the building design 

10 and construction industry, including architects, 

11 engineers, contractors, builders, and inspec12 tors.’’; 

13 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub14 section (c), and by striking subsections (e) and (f); 

15 and 

16 (3) by inserting after subsection (c), as so re17 designated, the following new subsections: 

18 ‘‘(d) BUDGET ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the Na19 tional Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director 

20 of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the 

21 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

22 the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 

23 Agency shall each include in their agency’s annual budget 

24 request to Congress a description of their agency’s pro25 jected activities under the Program for the fiscal year covVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jun 11, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H23.RS H23

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1 ered by the budget request, along with an assessment of 

2 what they plan to spend on those activities for that fiscal 

3 year. 

4 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON

5 WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION.— 

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

7 Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm 

8 Impact Reduction, chaired by the Director. 

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

10 the Committee shall be composed of— 

11 ‘‘(A) the heads of— 

12 ‘‘(i) the Federal Emergency Manage13 ment Agency; 

14 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos15 pheric Administration; 

16 ‘‘(iii) the National Science Founda17 tion; 

18 ‘‘(iv) the Office of Science and Tech19 nology Policy; and 

20 ‘‘(v) the Office of Management and 

21 Budget; and 

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

23 the chair considers appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(3) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet 

25 not less than 2 times a year at the call of the DirecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:34 Jun 11, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\H23.RS H23

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1 tor of the National Institute of Standards and Tech2 nology. 

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

4 Committee shall oversee the planning and coordina5 tion of the Program. 

6 ‘‘(5) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Committee shall 

7 develop and submit to Congress, not later than one 

8 year after the date of enactment of the National 

9 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

10 2015, a Strategic Plan for the Program that in11 cludes— 

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

13 will mitigate against the loss of life and prop14 erty from future windstorms; 

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

16 research objectives to achieve those goals; 

17 ‘‘(C) a description of the role of each Pro18 gram agency in achieving the prioritized goals; 

19 ‘‘(D) the methods by which progress to20 wards the goals will be assessed; and 

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

22 will foster the transfer of research results into 

23 outcomes, such as improved model building 

24 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 2015, the Committee shall submit to the Congress a 

5 report on the progress of the Program that in6 cludes— 

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

8 under the Program, a description of how these 

9 activities align with the prioritized goals and re10 search objectives established in the Strategic 

11 Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these ac12 tivities; 

13 ‘‘(B) the outcomes achieved by the Pro14 gram for each of the goals identified in the 

15 Strategic Plan; 

16 ‘‘(C) a description of any recommendations 

17 made to change existing building codes that 

18 were the result of Program activities; and 

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

20 the Program has incorporated recommendations 

21 from the Advisory Committee on Windstorm 

22 Impact Reduction. 

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

24 shall develop a coordinated budget for the Program, 

25 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 Re6 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15704) is amended to 

7 read as 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 

14 may be employees of the Federal Government, including 

15 representatives of research and academic institutions, in16 dustry standards development organizations, emergency 

17 management agencies, State and local government, and 

18 business communities who are qualified to provide advice 

19 on windstorm impact reduction and represent all related 

20 scientific, architectural, and engineering disciplines. The 

21 recommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be con22 sidered 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, 

2 engineering, and social sciences and practices of 

3 windstorm 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 

8 be necessary. 

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

10 Committee established under this section shall serve with11 out 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) 

20 of such Act, before the termination date specified in sub21 section (f) of this section. 

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

23 terminate on September 30, 2017. 

24 ‘‘(g) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com25 mittee member shall recuse himself from any Advisory 


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1 Committee activity in which he has an actual pecuniary 

2 interest.’’. 

3 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Re5 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended to 

6 read as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN9 CY.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fed10 eral Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 

11 title— 

12 ‘‘(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

13 ‘‘(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

14 ‘‘(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

15 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—There are 

16 authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

17 Foundation for carrying out this title— 

18 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

19 ‘‘(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

20 ‘‘(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

21 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

22 TECHNOLOGY.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

23 to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for 

24 carrying out this title— 

25 ‘‘(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2015; 


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1 ‘‘(2) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

2 ‘‘(3) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

3 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN4 ISTRATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 

5 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 

6 carrying out this title— 

7 ‘‘(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

8 ‘‘(2) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

9 ‘‘(3) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’. 

10 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

11 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Windstorm Im12 pact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015’’. 

13 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

14 (a) DIRECTOR.—Section 203(1) of the National Wind15 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702(1)) 

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

17 and Technology Policy’’ and inserting ‘‘Director of the Na18 tional Institute of Standards and Technology’’. 

19 (b) LIFELINES.—Section 203 of the National Wind20 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702) is 

21 further amended— 

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

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

24 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol25 lowing new paragraph: 


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

2 public works and utilities, including transportation 

3 facilities and infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, 

4 electrical power and communication facilities and in5 frastructure, and water supply and sewage treatment 

6 facilities.’’. 

7 (c) WINDSTORM.—Paragraph (5) of such section, as re8 designated by subsection (b), is amended by inserting 

9 ‘‘northeaster,’’ after ‘‘tropical storm,’’. 

10 SEC. 3. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO11 GRAM. 

12 Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc13 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended— 

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

15 inserting the following: 

16 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na17 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, the purpose 

18 of which is to achieve major measurable reductions in the 

19 losses of life and property from windstorms through a co20 ordinated Federal effort, in cooperation with other levels of 

21 government, academia, and the private sector, aimed at im22 proving the understanding of windstorms and their impacts 

23 and developing and encouraging the implementation of 

24 cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce those impacts. 

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


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

2 Standards and Technology shall have the primary re3 sponsibility for planning and coordinating the Pro4 gram. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 

5 shall— 

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

7 necessary components to promote the implemen8 tation of windstorm risk reduction measures by 

9 Federal, State, and local governments, national 

10 standards and model building code organiza11 tions, architects and engineers, and others with 

12 a role in planning and constructing buildings 

13 and lifelines; 

14 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform15 ance-based engineering tools, and work with ap16 propriate groups to promote the commercial ap17 plication of such tools, including through wind18 related model building codes, voluntary stand19 ards, and construction best practices; 

20 ‘‘(C) request the assistance of Federal agen21 cies other than the Program agencies, as nec22 essary to assist in carrying out this Act; 

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

24 investigations to the extent practicable; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves2 tigative findings, issue recommendations to as3 sist in informing the development of model codes, 

4 and provide information to Congress on the use 

5 of such recommendations. 

6 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

7 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re8 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the Na9 tional Institute of Standards and Technology shall be 

10 responsible for carrying out research and development 

11 to improve model building codes, voluntary standards, 

12 and best practices for the design, construction, and 

13 retrofit of buildings, structures, and lifelines. 

14 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The Na15 tional Science Foundation shall support research 

16 in— 

17 ‘‘(A) engineering and the atmospheric 

18 sciences to improve the understanding of the be19 havior of windstorms and their impact on build20 ings, structures, and lifelines; and 

21 ‘‘(B) economic and social factors influ22 encing windstorm risk reduction measures. 

23 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC AD24 MINISTRATION.—The National Oceanic and Atmos25 pheric Administration shall support atmospheric 


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1 sciences research to improve the understanding of the 

2 behavior of windstorms and their impact on build3 ings, structures, and lifelines. 

4 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN5 CY.—The Federal Emergency Management Agency 

6 shall— 

7 ‘‘(A) support— 

8 ‘‘(i) the development of risk assessment 

9 tools and effective mitigation techniques; 

10 ‘‘(ii) windstorm-related data collection 

11 and analysis; 

12 ‘‘(iii) public outreach and information 

13 dissemination; and 

14 ‘‘(iv) promotion of the adoption of 

15 windstorm preparedness and mitigation 

16 measures, including for households, busi17 nesses, and communities, consistent with the 

18 Agency’s all-hazards approach; and 

19 ‘‘(B) work closely with national standards 

20 and model building code organizations, in con21 junction with the National Institute of Stand22 ards and Technology, to promote the implemen23 tation of research results and promote better 

24 building practices within the building design 


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1 and construction industry, including architects, 

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

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

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

5 (3) by inserting after subsection (c), as so redes6 ignated, the following new subsections: 

7 ‘‘(d) BUDGET ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the Na8 tional Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director 

9 of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the Na10 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the 

11 Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

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

13 to Congress a description of their agency’s projected activi14 ties under the Program for the fiscal year covered by the 

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

16 to spend on those activities for that fiscal year. 

17 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON

18 WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION.— 

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

20 Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm 

21 Impact Reduction, chaired by the Director or the Di22 rector’s designee. 

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

24 the Committee shall be composed of— 

25 ‘‘(A) the heads or such designees of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the Federal Emergency Manage2 ment Agency; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos4 pheric Administration; 

5 ‘‘(iii) the National Science Founda6 tion; 

7 ‘‘(iv) the Office of Science and Tech8 nology Policy; and 

9 ‘‘(v) the Office of Management and 

10 Budget; and 

11 ‘‘(B) the head of any other Federal agency, 

12 or such designee, the chair considers appropriate. 

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

14 less than once a year at the call of the Director of the 

15 National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

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

17 Committee shall oversee the planning and coordina18 tion of the Program. 

19 ‘‘(5) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Committee shall de20 velop and submit to Congress, not later than one year 

21 after the date of enactment of the National Windstorm 

22 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015, a 

23 Strategic Plan for the Program that includes— 


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

2 will mitigate against the loss of life and property 

3 from future windstorms; 

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

5 research objectives to achieve those goals; 

6 ‘‘(C) a description of the role of each Pro7 gram agency in achieving the prioritized goals; 

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

9 the goals will be assessed; and 

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

11 will foster the transfer of research results into 

12 outcomes, such as improved model building 

13 codes. 

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

15 months after the date of enactment of the National 

16 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

17 2015, the Committee shall submit to the Congress a 

18 report on the progress of the Program that includes— 

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

20 under the Program, a description of how these 

21 activities align with the prioritized goals and re22 search objectives established in the Strategic 

23 Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these ac24 tivities; 


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

2 for each of the goals identified in the Strategic 

3 Plan; 

4 ‘‘(C) a description of any recommendations 

5 made to change existing building codes that were 

6 the result of Program activities; and 

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

8 Program has incorporated recommendations 

9 from the Advisory Committee on Windstorm Im10 pact Reduction. 

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

12 shall develop a coordinated budget for the Program, 

13 which shall be submitted to the Congress not later 

14 than 60 days after the date of the President’s budget 

15 submission for each fiscal year.’’. 

16 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM 

17 IMPACT REDUCTION. 

18 Section 205 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc19 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15704) is amended to read as 

20 follows: 

21 ‘‘SEC. 205. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WIND22 STORM IMPACT REDUCTION. 

23 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In24 stitute of Standards and Technology shall establish an Ad25 visory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, which 


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1 shall be composed of at least 7 and not more than 15 mem2 bers who are qualified to provide advice on windstorm im3 pact reduction and represent related scientific, architec4 tural, and engineering disciplines, none of whom may be 

5 employees of the Federal Government, including— 

6 ‘‘(1) representatives of research and academic in7 stitutions; 

8 ‘‘(2) industry standards development organiza9 tions; 

10 ‘‘(3) emergency management agencies; 

11 ‘‘(4) State and local government; and 

12 ‘‘(5) business communities, including the insur13 ance industry. 

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

15 Windstorm Impact Reduction shall offer assessments and 

16 recommendations on— 

17 ‘‘(1) trends and developments in the natural, en18 gineering, and social sciences and practices of wind19 storm impact mitigation; 

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

21 Plan; 

22 ‘‘(3) the coordination of the Program; 

23 ‘‘(4) the effectiveness of the Program in meeting 

24 its purposes; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) any revisions to the Program which may be 

2 necessary. 

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

4 Committee established under this section shall serve without 

5 compensation. 

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

7 Committee shall report to the Director on the assessments 

8 carried out under subsection (b) and its recommendations 

9 for ways to improve the Program. 

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

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

12 Advisory Committee shall not be required to file a charter 

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

14 such Act, before the termination date specified in subsection 

15 (f) of this section. 

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

17 terminate on September 30, 2017. 

18 ‘‘(g) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com19 mittee member shall recuse himself from any Advisory Com20 mittee activity in which he has an actual pecuniary inter21 est.’’. 

22 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduc24 tion Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended to read as 

25 follows: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

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

3 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal 

4 Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 

5 title— 

6 ‘‘(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

7 ‘‘(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

8 ‘‘(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

9 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—There are au10 thorized to be appropriated to the National Science Foun11 dation for carrying out this title— 

12 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

13 ‘‘(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

14 ‘‘(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

15 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECH16 NOLOGY.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

17 National Institute of Standards and Technology for car18 rying out this title— 

19 ‘‘(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

20 ‘‘(2) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

21 ‘‘(3) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

22 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS23 TRATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the 

24 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for car25 rying out this title— 

26 ‘‘(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2015; 


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•HR 23 RS

1 ‘‘(2) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

2 ‘‘(3) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’. 


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Calendar No. 114 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 23 

[Report No. 114–62] 

AN ACT 

To reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact 

Reduction Program, and for other purposes. 

JUNE 11, 2015 

Reported with an amendment 


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