IIB 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 23 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 8, 2015 

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

and Transportation 

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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Windstorm 

3 Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015’’. 

4 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

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

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

7 15702(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘Director of the Office 

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

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

10 (b) LIFELINES.—Section 203 of the National Wind11 storm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702) 

12 is further amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through 

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

15 (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol16 lowing new paragraph: 

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

18 public works and utilities, including transportation 

19 facilities and infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, 

20 electrical power and communication facilities and in21 frastructure, and water supply and sewage treat22 ment facilities.’’. 

23 SEC. 3. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PRO24 GRAM. 

25 Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Re26 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended— 


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

2 inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na4 tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, the purpose 

5 of which is to achieve major measurable reductions in the 

6 losses of life and property from windstorms through a co7 ordinated Federal effort, in cooperation with other levels 

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

9 at improving the understanding of windstorms and their 

10 impacts and developing and encouraging the implementa11 tion of cost-effective mitigation measures to reduce those 

12 impacts. 

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

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

15 Standards and Technology shall have the primary 

16 responsibility for planning and coordinating the Pro17 gram. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 

18 shall— 

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

20 necessary components to promote the imple21 mentation of windstorm risk reduction meas22 ures by Federal, State, and local governments, 

23 national standards and model building code or24 ganizations, architects and engineers, and othVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Jan 08, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H23.RFS H23

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1 ers with a role in planning and constructing 

2 buildings and lifelines; 

3 ‘‘(B) support the development of perform4 ance-based engineering tools, and work with ap5 propriate groups to promote the commercial ap6 plication of such tools, including through wind7 related model building codes, voluntary stand8 ards, and construction best practices; 

9 ‘‘(C) request the assistance of Federal 

10 agencies other than the Program agencies, as 

11 necessary to assist in carrying out this Act; 

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

13 investigations; and 

14 ‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves15 tigative findings, issue recommendations to as16 sist in informing the development of model 

17 codes, and provide information to Congress on 

18 the use of such recommendations. 

19 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

20 TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re21 sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the Na22 tional Institute of Standards and Technology shall 

23 be responsible for carrying out research and develop24 ment to improve model building codes, voluntary 

25 standards, and best practices for the design, conVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:17 Jan 08, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H23.RFS H23

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1 struction, and retrofit of buildings, structures, and 

2 lifelines. 

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

4 National Science Foundation shall support research 

5 in— 

6 ‘‘(A) engineering and the atmospheric 

7 sciences to improve the understanding of the 

8 behavior of windstorms and their impact on 

9 buildings, structures, and lifelines; and 

10 ‘‘(B) economic and social factors influ11 encing windstorm risk reduction measures. 

12 ‘‘(4) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC

13 ADMINISTRATION.—The National Oceanic and At14 mospheric Administration shall support atmospheric 

15 sciences research to improve the understanding of 

16 the behavior of windstorms and their impact on 

17 buildings, structures, and lifelines. 

18 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT

19 AGENCY.—The Federal Emergency Management 

20 Agency shall— 

21 ‘‘(A) support— 

22 ‘‘(i) the development of risk assess23 ment tools and effective mitigation tech24 niques; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) windstorm-related data collection 

2 and analysis; 

3 ‘‘(iii) public outreach and information 

4 dissemination; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) promotion of the adoption of 

6 windstorm preparedness and mitigation 

7 measures, including for households, busi8 nesses, and communities, consistent with 

9 the Agency’s all-hazards approach; and 

10 ‘‘(B) work closely with national standards 

11 and model building code organizations, in con12 junction with the National Institute of Stand13 ards and Technology, to promote the implemen14 tation of research results and promote better 

15 building practices within the building design 

16 and construction industry, including architects, 

17 engineers, contractors, builders, and inspec18 tors.’’; 

19 (2) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub20 section (c), and by striking subsections (e) and (f); 

21 and 

22 (3) by inserting after subsection (c), as so re23 designated, the following new subsections: 

24 ‘‘(d) BUDGET ACTIVITIES.—The Director of the Na25 tional Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director 


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1 of the National Science Foundation, the Director of the 

2 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 

3 the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 

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

5 request to Congress a description of their agency’s pro6 jected activities under the Program for the fiscal year cov7 ered by the budget request, along with an assessment of 

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

9 year. 

10 ‘‘(e) INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON

11 WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION.— 

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

13 Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm 

14 Impact Reduction, chaired by the Director. 

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

16 the Committee shall be composed of— 

17 ‘‘(A) the heads of— 

18 ‘‘(i) the Federal Emergency Manage19 ment Agency; 

20 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos21 pheric Administration; 

22 ‘‘(iii) the National Science Founda23 tion; 

24 ‘‘(iv) the Office of Science and Tech25 nology Policy; and 


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1 ‘‘(v) the Office of Management and 

2 Budget; and 

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

4 the chair considers appropriate. 

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

6 not less than 2 times a year at the call of the Direc7 tor of the National Institute of Standards and Tech8 nology. 

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

10 Committee shall oversee the planning and coordina11 tion of the Program. 

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

13 develop and submit to Congress, not later than one 

14 year after the date of enactment of the National 

15 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

16 2015, a Strategic Plan for the Program that in17 cludes— 

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

19 will mitigate against the loss of life and prop20 erty from future windstorms; 

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

22 research objectives to achieve those goals; 

23 ‘‘(C) a description of the role of each Pro24 gram agency in achieving the prioritized goals; 


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1 ‘‘(D) the methods by which progress to2 wards the goals will be assessed; and 

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

4 will foster the transfer of research results into 

5 outcomes, such as improved model building 

6 codes. 

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

8 months after the date of enactment of the National 

9 Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 

10 2015, the Committee shall submit to the Congress a 

11 report on the progress of the Program that in12 cludes— 

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

14 under the Program, a description of how these 

15 activities align with the prioritized goals and re16 search objectives established in the Strategic 

17 Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these ac18 tivities; 

19 ‘‘(B) the outcomes achieved by the Pro20 gram for each of the goals identified in the 

21 Strategic Plan; 

22 ‘‘(C) a description of any recommendations 

23 made to change existing building codes that 

24 were the result of Program activities; and 


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

2 the Program has incorporated recommendations 

3 from the Advisory Committee on Windstorm 

4 Impact Reduction. 

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

6 shall develop a coordinated budget for the Program, 

7 which shall be submitted to the Congress at the time 

8 of the President’s budget submission for each fiscal 

9 year.’’. 

10 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM 

11 IMPACT REDUCTION. 

12 Section 205 of the National Windstorm Impact Re13 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15704) is amended to 

14 read as follows: 

15 ‘‘SEC. 205. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WIND16 STORM IMPACT REDUCTION. 

17 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the National In18 stitute of Standards and Technology shall establish an Ad19 visory Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, which 

20 shall be composed of at least 7 members, none of whom 

21 may be employees of the Federal Government, including 

22 representatives of research and academic institutions, in23 dustry standards development organizations, emergency 

24 management agencies, State and local government, and 

25 business communities who are qualified to provide advice 


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1 on windstorm impact reduction and represent all related 

2 scientific, architectural, and engineering disciplines. The 

3 recommendations of the Advisory Committee shall be con4 sidered by Federal agencies in implementing the Program. 

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

6 Windstorm Impact Reduction shall offer assessments on— 

7 ‘‘(1) trends and developments in the natural, 

8 engineering, and social sciences and practices of 

9 windstorm impact mitigation; 

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

11 Plan; 

12 ‘‘(3) the coordination of the Program; and 

13 ‘‘(4) any revisions to the Program which may 

14 be necessary. 

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

16 Committee established under this section shall serve with17 out compensation. 

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

19 Committee shall report to the Director on the assessments 

20 carried out under subsection (b) and its recommendations 

21 for ways to improve the Program. 

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

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

24 Advisory Committee shall not be required to file a charter 

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


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1 of such Act, before the termination date specified in sub2 section (f) of this section. 

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

4 terminate on September 30, 2017. 

5 ‘‘(g) CONFLICT OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com6 mittee member shall recuse himself from any Advisory 

7 Committee activity in which he has an actual pecuniary 

8 interest.’’. 

9 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

10 Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Re11 duction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended to 

12 read as follows: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

14 ‘‘(a) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN15 CY.—There are authorized to be appropriated to the Fed16 eral Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 

17 title— 

18 ‘‘(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

19 ‘‘(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

20 ‘‘(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

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

22 authorized to be appropriated to the National Science 

23 Foundation for carrying out this title— 

24 ‘‘(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

25 ‘‘(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

2 ‘‘(c) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND

3 TECHNOLOGY.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

4 to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for 

5 carrying out this title— 

6 ‘‘(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

7 ‘‘(2) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

8 ‘‘(3) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2017. 

9 ‘‘(d) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN10 ISTRATION.—There are authorized to be appropriated to 

11 the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for 

12 carrying out this title— 

13 ‘‘(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2015; 

14 ‘‘(2) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2016; and 

15 ‘‘(3) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2017.’’. 

Passed the House of Representatives January 7, 

2015. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


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