I 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 4852 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

to establish a grant program to improve the ability of trauma center 

hospitals and airports to withstand earthquakes, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 16, 2010 

Mr. COHEN (for himself, Mr. BERRY, Mrs. BLACKBURN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, 

Mr. CARNAHAN, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. CONYERS, Mr. COOPER, Mr. DAVIS of Tennessee, Mr. DUNCAN, Mrs. EMERSON, Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GORDON of Tennessee, Mr. HARE, Mr. HINCHEY, Ms. HIRONO, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. 

NORTON, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. ROSS, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. SKELTON, 

Mr. SNYDER, Mr. TANNER, Mr. WHITFIELD, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. WU, 

and Mr. YARMUTH) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

A BILL 

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to establish a grant program to improve 

the ability of trauma center hospitals and airports to 

withstand earthquakes, 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 ‘‘Critical Infrastructure 

5 Earthquake Preparedness Act of 2010’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM TO ASSIST TRAUMA CENTER HOS2 PITALS AND AIRPORTS TO WITHSTAND 

3 EARTHQUAKES. 

4 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

5 the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 

6 the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall estab7 lish a program under which the Administrator is author8 ized to make grants to State and local governments to as9 sist projects that improve the ability to withstand an 

10 earthquake of one or both of the following facilities: 

11 (1) A trauma center hospital in a hazardous 

12 seismic zone. 

13 (2) An airport in a hazardous seismic zone. 

14 (b) GRANT PRIORITIES.—In making a grant under 

15 subsection (a), the Administrator shall consider, with re16 spect to a proposed project, the following: 

17 (1) The vulnerability to an earthquake of the 

18 facility to be improved. 

19 (2) The size of the population served by the fa20 cility to be improved. 

21 (3) The availability of similar facilities in the 

22 area surrounding the facility to be improved. 

23 (4) The ability to withstand an earthquake of 

24 the facility to be improved, if the proposed project 

25 is not carried out. 


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1 (5) The ability of the proposed project to be 

2 carried out without Federal assistance. 

3 (c) FEDERAL SHARE.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para5 graph (2), the Federal share of the cost of a project 

6 carried out using grant funds made available under 

7 subsection (a) may not exceed 90 percent. 

8 (2) EXCEPTION.—The Administrator may treat, 

9 with respect to a project, the percentage specified in 

10 paragraph (1) as 100 percent, if— 

11 (A) the Administrator determines there is 

12 substantial need for the project; and 

13 (B) the Administrator determines that the 

14 project will not otherwise be carried out. 

15 (d) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC RESPONSE

16 PLAN.—The Administrator shall require each State and 

17 local government that receives a grant under subsection 

18 (a), as a condition of the grant, to submit to the Adminis19 trator a comprehensive strategic earthquake response plan 

20 for the facility with respect to which the grant was made. 

21 Each State and local government may use not more than 

22 5 percent of grant funds made available under subsection 

23 (a) to meet the requirement of this subsection. 

24 (e) REPORT ON USE OF GRANT FUNDS.—The Ad25 ministrator shall require each State and local government 


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1 that receives a grant under subsection (a), as a condition 

2 of the grant, to submit to the Administrator each fiscal 

3 year during which grant funds are received a report that— 

4 (1) lists and describes the activities carried out 

5 using grant funds; and 

6 (2) describes and analyzes the impact of the ac7 tivities. 

8 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi9 nitions apply: 

10 (1) AIRPORT.—The term ‘‘airport’’ has the 

11 meaning given that term under section 47102(2) of 

12 title 49, United States Code, except that the term is 

13 limited to airports located in the United States. 

14 (2) HAZARDOUS SEISMIC ZONE.—The term 

15 ‘‘hazardous seismic zone’’ means an area determined 

16 by the Administrator, in consultation with the Direc17 tor of the United States Geological Survey, to have 

18 a high probability of experiencing a severe earth19 quake. 

20 (3) TRAUMA CENTER HOSPITAL.—The term 

21 ‘‘trauma center hospital’’ means a medical facility 

22 determined by the Administrator, in consultation 

23 with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

24 to— 


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1 (A) provide surgical care to trauma pa2 tients; 

3 (B) be located in the United States; 

4 (C) be obligated to treat all patients with5 out regard to ability to pay; and 

6 (D) provide care to more than 2,000 indi7 viduals admitted for shock trauma each year. 

8 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

10 carry out this section such sums as may be necessary. 

Æ 


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