IIB 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5309 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014 

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

and Transportation 

AN ACT 

To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, 

warning, research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 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, 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

HR 5309 RFS

1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tsunami Warning, 

3 Education, and Research Act of 2014’’. 

4 SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDU5 CATION ACT. 

6 Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 

7 this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 

8 of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi9 sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 

10 section or other provision of the Tsunami Warning and 

11 Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.). 

12 SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING 

13 AND EDUCATION ACT. 

14 Section 3 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended— 

15 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘research,’’ 

16 after ‘‘warnings,’’; 

17 (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol18 lows: 

19 ‘‘(2) to enhance and modernize the existing 

20 United States Tsunami Warning System to increase 

21 the accuracy of forecasts and warnings, to maintain 

22 full coverage of tsunami detection assets, and to re23 duce false alarms;’’; 

24 (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol25 lows: 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(3) to improve and develop standards and 

2 guidelines for mapping, modeling, and assessment 

3 efforts to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, 

4 warnings, notification, mitigation, resiliency, re5 sponse, outreach, and recovery;’’; 

6 (4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and 

7 (6) as paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively; 

8 (5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(4) to improve research efforts related to im11 proving tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, no12 tification, mitigation, resiliency, response, outreach, 

13 and recovery;’’; 

14 (6) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘and increase’’ and insert16 ing ‘‘, increase, and develop uniform standards 

17 and guidelines for’’; and 

18 (B) by inserting ‘‘, including the warning 

19 signs of locally generated tsunami’’ after ‘‘ap20 proaching’’; 

21 (7) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by 

22 striking ‘‘, including the Indian Ocean; and’’ and in23 serting a semicolon; and 

24 (8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so re25 designated, the following: 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(7) to foster resilient communities in the face 

2 of tsunami and other coastal hazards; and’’. 

3 SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND 

4 WARNING PROGRAM. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 4 (33 

6 U.S.C. 3203) is amended by striking ‘‘Atlantic Ocean, 

7 Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico region’’ and inserting 

8 ‘‘Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean Sea and 

9 the Gulf of Mexico’’. 

10 (b) COMPONENTS.—Subsection (b) of such section 4 

11 is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘established’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘supported or maintained’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and safe15 guarding port and harbor operations’’ after ‘‘com16 munities’’; 

17 (3) in paragraph (7)— 

18 (A) by inserting ‘‘, including graphical 

19 warning products,’’ after ‘‘warnings’’; 

20 (B) by inserting ‘‘, territories,’’ after 

21 ‘‘States’’; and 

22 (C) by inserting ‘‘and Wireless Emergency 

23 Alerts’’ after ‘‘Hazards Program’’; and 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

HR 5309 RFS

1 (4) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and com2 mercial and Federal undersea communications ca3 bles’’ after ‘‘observing technologies’’. 

4 (c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—Subsection (c) of 

5 such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 

6 ‘‘(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The program 

7 under this section shall operate a tsunami warning system 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, includ10 ing forecasting tsunami arrival time and inundation 

11 estimates, anywhere in the Pacific and Arctic Ocean 

12 regions and providing adequate warnings; 

13 ‘‘(2) is capable of forecasting and providing 

14 adequate warnings in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 

15 including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, 

16 that are determined— 

17 ‘‘(A) to be geologically active, or to have 

18 significant potential for geological activity; and 

19 ‘‘(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami 

20 for States along the coastal areas of the Atlan21 tic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(3) supports other international tsunami fore24 casting and warning efforts.’’. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

HR 5309 RFS

1 (d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—Subsection (d) 

2 of such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 

3 ‘‘(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 

5 support or maintain centers, as part of the National 

6 Centers for Environmental Prediction, to support 

7 the tsunami warning system required by subsection 

8 (c). The Centers shall include— 

9 ‘‘(A) the National Tsunami Warning Cen10 ter, located in Alaska, which is primarily re11 sponsible for Alaska, the continental United 

12 States, and the Caribbean; 

13 ‘‘(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, 

14 located in Hawaii, which is primarily respon15 sible for Hawaii and other areas of the Pacific 

16 not covered by the National Center; and 

17 ‘‘(C) any additional forecast and warning 

18 centers determined by the National Weather 

19 Service to be necessary. 

20 ‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities 

21 of the centers supported or maintained pursuant to 

22 paragraph (1) shall include the following: 

23 ‘‘(A) Continuously monitoring data from 

24 seismological, deep ocean, coastal sea level, and 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

HR 5309 RFS

1 tidal monitoring stations and other data sources 

2 as may be developed and deployed. 

3 ‘‘(B) Evaluating earthquakes, landslides, 

4 and volcanic eruptions that have the potential 

5 to generate tsunami. 

6 ‘‘(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and 

7 tidal monitoring stations for indications of tsu8 nami resulting from earthquakes and other 

9 sources. 

10 ‘‘(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a 

11 range of models to predict tsunami arrival 

12 times and flooding estimates. 

13 ‘‘(E) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami 

14 warning bulletins to Federal, State, and local 

15 government officials and the public. 

16 ‘‘(F) Coordinating with the tsunami haz17 ard mitigation program conducted under section 

18 5 to ensure ongoing sharing of information be19 tween forecasters and emergency management 

20 officials. 

21 ‘‘(G) Making data gathered under this Act 

22 and post-warning analyses conducted by the 

23 National Weather Service or other relevant Ad24 ministration offices available to researchers. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(3) FAIL-SAFE WARNING CAPABILITY.—The 

2 tsunami warning centers supported or maintained 

3 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall maintain a fail-safe 

4 warning capability and ability to perform back-up 

5 duties for each other. 

6 ‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL WEATHER

7 SERVICE.—The National Weather Service shall co8 ordinate with the centers supported or maintained 

9 pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure that regional 

10 and local forecast offices— 

11 ‘‘(A) have the technical knowledge and ca12 pability to disseminate tsunami warnings for 

13 the communities they serve; and 

14 ‘‘(B) leverage connections with local emer15 gency management officials for optimally dis16 seminating tsunami warnings and forecasts. 

17 ‘‘(5) UNIFORM OPERATING PROCEDURES.—The 

18 Administrator shall— 

19 ‘‘(A) develop uniform operational proce20 dures for the centers supported or maintained 

21 pursuant to paragraph (1), including the use of 

22 software applications, checklists, decision sup23 port tools, and tsunami warning products that 

24 have been standardized across the program sup25 ported under this section; 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(B) ensure that processes and products of 

2 the warning system operated pursuant to sub3 section (c)— 

4 ‘‘(i) reflect industry best practices; 

5 ‘‘(ii) conform to the maximum extent 

6 practicable with internationally recognized 

7 standards for information technology; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) conform to the maximum extent 

9 practicable with other warning products 

10 and practices of the National Weather 

11 Service; 

12 ‘‘(C) ensure that future adjustments to 

13 operational protocols, processes, and warning 

14 products— 

15 ‘‘(i) are made consistently across the 

16 warning system operated pursuant to sub17 section (c); and 

18 ‘‘(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 

19 across such warning system; and 

20 ‘‘(D) disseminate guidelines and metrics 

21 for evaluating and improving tsunami forecast 

22 models. 

23 ‘‘(6) AVAILABLE RESOURCES.—The Adminis24 trator, through the National Weather Service, shall 

25 ensure that resources are available to fulfill the obliVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:17 Sep 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5309.RFS H5309

SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

HR 5309 RFS

1 gations of this Act. This includes ensuring super2 computing resources are available to run such com3 puter models as are needed for purposes of the tsu4 nami warning system operated pursuant to sub5 section (c).’’. 

6 (e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE AND

7 UPGRADES.—Subsection (e) of such section 4 is amended 

8 to read as follows: 

9 ‘‘(e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE

10 AND UPGRADES.—In carrying out this section, the Admin11 istrator shall— 

12 ‘‘(1) develop requirements for the equipment 

13 used to forecast tsunami, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 

15 platforms; 

16 ‘‘(B) reliability and performance metrics; 

17 and 

18 ‘‘(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 

19 requirements for the integration of equipment 

20 with other United States and global ocean and 

21 coastal observation systems, the global Earth 

22 observing system of systems, the global seismic 

23 networks, and the Advanced National Seismic 

24 System; 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer 

2 of technology from ongoing research conducted as 

3 part of the program supported or maintained under 

4 section 6 into the program under this section; and 

5 ‘‘(3) ensure that the Administration’s oper6 ational tsunami detection equipment is properly 

7 maintained.’’. 

8 (f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—Subsection (f) of such 

9 section 4 is amended to read as follows: 

10 ‘‘(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—When deploying and 

11 maintaining tsunami detection technologies under the pro12 gram under this section, the Administrator shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) identify which assets of other Federal 

14 agencies are necessary to support such program; and 

15 ‘‘(2) work with each agency identified under 

16 paragraph (1)— 

17 ‘‘(A) to acquire the agency’s assistance; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(B) to prioritize the necessary assets.’’. 

20 (g) UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.—Such section 4 is 

21 further amended by striking subsections (g) through (k). 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

HR 5309 RFS

1 SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD 

2 MITIGATION PROGRAM. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is 

4 amended by striking subsections (a) through (d) and in5 serting the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Administrator, in 

7 consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emer8 gency Management Agency and the heads of such other 

9 agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, shall 

10 conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation 

11 program to improve tsunami preparedness and resiliency 

12 of at-risk areas in the United States and the territories 

13 of the United States. 

14 ‘‘(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The Program con15 ducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(1) Technical and financial assistance to 

18 coastal States, territories, tribes, and local govern19 ments to develop and implement activities under this 

20 section. 

21 ‘‘(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and 

22 mitigation programs into ongoing State-based haz23 ard warning, resilience planning, and risk manage24 ment activities, including predisaster planning, emer25 gency response, evacuation planning, disaster recovVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:17 Sep 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5309.RFS H5309

SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ery, hazard mitigation, and community development 

2 and redevelopment programs in affected areas. 

3 ‘‘(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsu4 nami resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitiga5 tion measures by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, 

6 and local governments and nongovernmental entities, 

7 including educational and risk communication pro8 grams to discourage development in high-risk areas. 

9 ‘‘(4) Activities to support the development of 

10 regional tsunami hazard and risk assessments, using 

11 inundation models that meet programmatic stand12 ards for accuracy. Such regional risk assessments 

13 may include the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) The sources, sizes, and histories of 

15 tsunami in that region. 

16 ‘‘(B) Inundation models and maps of crit17 ical infrastructure and socioeconomic vulner18 ability in areas subject to tsunami inundation. 

19 ‘‘(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacu20 ation routes. 

21 ‘‘(D) Evaluations of the size of populations 

22 that will require evacuation, including popu23 lations with special evacuation needs. 

24 ‘‘(5) Activities to support the development of 

25 community-based outreach and education programs 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

HR 5309 RFS

1 to ensure community readiness and resilience, in2 cluding the following: 

3 ‘‘(A) The development, implementation, 

4 and assessment of technical training and public 

5 education programs, including education pro6 grams that address unique characteristics of 

7 distant and near-field tsunami. 

8 ‘‘(B) The development of decision support 

9 tools. 

10 ‘‘(C) The incorporation of social science re11 search into community readiness and resilience 

12 efforts. 

13 ‘‘(D) The development of evidence-based 

14 education guidelines. 

15 ‘‘(6) Dissemination of guidelines and standards 

16 for community planning, education, and training 

17 products, programs, and tools, including standards 

18 for— 

19 ‘‘(A) mapping products; 

20 ‘‘(B) inundation models; and 

21 ‘‘(C) effective emergency exercises. 

22 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In addition to activi23 ties conducted under subsection (b), the program con24 ducted pursuant to subsection (a) may include the fol25 lowing: 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(1) Multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment 

2 research, education, and training to help integrate 

3 risk management and resilience objectives with com4 munity development planning and policies. 

5 ‘‘(2) Risk management training for local offi6 cials and community organizations to enhance un7 derstanding and preparedness. 

8 ‘‘(3) Development of practical applications for 

9 existing or emerging technologies, such as modeling, 

10 remote sensing, geospatial technology, engineering, 

11 and observing systems. 

12 ‘‘(4) Risk management, risk assessment, and 

13 resilience data and information services, including— 

14 ‘‘(A) access to data and products derived 

15 from observing and detection systems; and 

16 ‘‘(B) development and maintenance of new 

17 integrated data products to support risk man18 agement, risk assessment, and resilience pro19 grams. 

20 ‘‘(5) Risk notification systems that coordinate 

21 with and build upon existing systems and actively 

22 engage decisionmakers, local and State government 

23 agencies, business communities, nongovernmental or24 ganizations, and the media. 

25 ‘‘(d) NO PREEMPTION.— 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

HR 5309 RFS

1 ‘‘(1) DESIGNATION OF AT-RISK AREAS.—The 

2 establishment of national standards for inundation 

3 models under this section shall not prevent States, 

4 territories, tribes, and local governments from desig5 nating additional areas as being at risk based on 

6 knowledge of local conditions. 

7 ‘‘(2) NO NEW REGULATORY AUTHORITY.— 

8 Nothing in this Act may be construed as estab9 lishing new regulatory authority for any Federal 

10 agency.’’. 

11 (b) REPORT ON ACCREDITATION OF TSUNAMIREADY

12 PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the date of en13 actment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 

14 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to 

15 the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

16 of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

17 Technology of the House of Representatives a report on 

18 which authorities and activities would be needed to have 

19 the TsunamiReady program of the National Weather 

20 Service accredited by the Emergency Management Accred21 itation Program. 

22 SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM. 

23 Section 6 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended— 

24 (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by 

25 striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ and all that folVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:17 Sep 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5309.RFS H5309

SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

HR 5309 RFS

1 lows through ‘‘establish or maintain’’ and inserting 

2 the following: 

3 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in con4 sultation with such other Federal agencies, State and ter5 ritorial governments, and academic institutions as the Ad6 ministrator considers appropriate, the coordinating com7 mittee under section 11(b), and the panel under section 

8 8(a), support or maintain’’; 

9 (2) by striking ‘‘and assessment for tsunami 

10 tracking and numerical forecast modeling. Such re11 search program shall—’’ and inserting the following: 

12 ‘‘assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical 

13 forecast modeling, and standards development. 

14 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The research program 

15 supported or maintained pursuant to subsection (a) 

16 shall—’’; 

17 (3) in subsection (b), as designated by para18 graph (2)— 

19 (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 

20 follows: 

21 ‘‘(1) consider other appropriate research to 

22 mitigate the impact of tsunami, including the im23 provement of near-field tsunami detection and fore24 casting capabilities, which may include use of new 

25 generation Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

HR 5309 RFS

1 Tsunamis and National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

2 Administration supercomputer capacity to develop a 

3 rapid tsunami forecast for all United States coast4 lines;’’; 

5 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

6 (i) by striking ‘‘include’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘conduct’’; and 

8 (ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

9 (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

10 paragraph (5); and 

11 (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(4) develop the technical basis for validation of 

14 tsunami maps, numerical tsunami models, digital 

15 elevation models, and forecasts; and’’; and 

16 (4) by adding at the end the following: 

17 ‘‘(c) PILOT PROJECT.—The Administrator may, pur18 suant to subsection (b), develop a pilot project for near19 field tsunami forecast development for the Cascadia region 

20 along the west coast of the United States using new gen21 eration Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of 

22 Tsunamis, upcoming and existing cable networks, and new 

23 National Centers for Environmental Protection modeling 

24 capability.’’. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

HR 5309 RFS

1 SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NET2 WORK. 

3 Section 7 (33 U.S.C. 3206) is amended— 

4 (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol5 lows: 

6 ‘‘(a) SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INTER7 NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The Adminis8 trator shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State 

9 and in consultation with such other agencies as the Ad10 ministrator considers relevant, provide technical assistance 

11 and training to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic 

12 Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, 

13 and Cultural Organization, the World Meteorological Or14 ganization of the United Nations, and such other inter15 national entities as the Administrator considers appro16 priate, as part of the international efforts to develop a 

17 fully functional global tsunami forecast and warning sys18 tem comprised of regional tsunami warning networks.’’; 

19 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘shall’’ and 

20 inserting ‘‘may’’; and 

21 (3) in subsection (c)— 

22 (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘estab23 lishing’’ and inserting ‘‘supporting’’; and 

24 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

25 (i) by striking ‘‘establish’’ and insert26 ing ‘‘support’’; and 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

HR 5309 RFS

1 (ii) by striking ‘‘establishing’’ and in2 serting ‘‘supporting’’. 

3 SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 

4 PANEL. 

5 The Act is further amended— 

6 (1) by redesignating section 8 (33 U.S.C. 3207) 

7 as section 9; and 

8 (2) by inserting after section 7 (33 U.S.C. 

9 3206) the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 

11 PANEL. 

12 ‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Administrator shall des13 ignate the Ocean Exploration Advisory Working Group 

14 within the Science Advisory Board of the Administration 

15 to serve as the Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory 

16 Panel to provide advice to the Administrator on matters 

17 regarding tsunami science, technology, and regional pre18 paredness. 

19 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

20 ‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The working group des21 ignated under subsection (a) shall be composed of no 

22 fewer than 7 members selected by the Administrator 

23 from among individuals from academia or State 

24 agencies who have academic or practical expertise in 

25 physical sciences, social sciences, information techVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:17 Sep 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5309.RFS H5309

SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

HR 5309 RFS

1 nology, coastal resilience, emergency management, 

2 or such other disciplines as the Administrator con3 siders appropriate. 

4 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT.—No member of 

5 the working group designated pursuant to subsection 

6 (a) may be a Federal employee. 

7 ‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Not less frequently than 

8 once every 4 years, the working group designated under 

9 subsection (a) shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) review the activities of the Administration, 

11 and other Federal activities as appropriate, relating 

12 to tsunami research, detection, forecasting, warning, 

13 mitigation, resiliency, and preparation; and 

14 ‘‘(2) submit to the Administrator and such oth15 ers as the Administrator considers appropriate— 

16 ‘‘(A) the findings of the working group 

17 with respect to the most recent review con18 ducted pursuant to paragraph (1); and 

19 ‘‘(B) such recommendations for legislative 

20 or administrative action as the working group 

21 considers appropriate to improve Federal tsu22 nami research, detection, forecasting, warning, 

23 mitigation, resiliency, and preparation. 

24 ‘‘(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not less frequently 

25 than once every 4 years, the Administrator shall submit 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

HR 5309 RFS

1 to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor2 tation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, 

3 Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 

4 a report on the findings and recommendations received by 

5 the Administrator under subsection (c)(2).’’. 

6 SEC. 9. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF TSUNAMI WARN7 ING AND EDUCATION ACT. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 

9 date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 

10 submit to Congress a report on the implementation of the 

11 Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et 

12 seq.). 

13 (b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 

14 (a) shall include the following: 

15 (1) A detailed description of the progress made 

16 in implementing sections 4(d)(6), 5(b)(6), and 

17 6(b)(4) of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. 

18 (2) A description of the ways that tsunami 

19 warnings and warning products issued by the Tsu20 nami Forecasting and Warning Program established 

21 under section 4 of the Tsunami Warning and Edu22 cation Act (33 U.S.C. 3203) can be standardized 

23 and streamlined with warnings and warning prod24 ucts for hurricanes, coastal storms, and other coast25 al flooding events. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
23 

HR 5309 RFS

1 SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

2 Section 9 of the Act, as redesignated by section 

3 8(a)(1) of this Act, is amended to read as follows: 

4 ‘‘SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

5 ‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad6 ministrator to carry out this Act $27,000,000 for each of 

7 fiscal years 2015 through 2017, of which— 

8 ‘‘(1) not less than 27 percent of the amount ap9 propriated for each fiscal year shall be for activities 

10 under the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Pro11 gram under section 5; and 

12 ‘‘(2) not less than 8 percent of the amount ap13 propriated for each fiscal year shall be for the Tsu14 nami Research Program under section 6.’’. 

15 SEC. 11. OUTREACH RESPONSIBILITIES. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na17 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in coordi18 nation with State and local emergency managers, shall de19 velop and carry out formal outreach activities to improve 

20 tsunami education and awareness and foster the develop21 ment of resilient communities. Outreach activities may in22 clude— 

23 (1) the development of outreach plans to ensure 

24 the close integration of tsunami warning centers 

25 supported or maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of 

26 the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
24 

HR 5309 RFS

1 U.S.C. 3203(d)) with local Weather Forecast Offices 

2 of the National Weather Service and emergency 

3 managers; 

4 (2) working with appropriate local Weather 

5 Forecast Offices to ensure they have the technical 

6 knowledge and capability to disseminate tsunami 

7 warnings to the communities they serve; and 

8 (3) evaluating the effectiveness of warnings and 

9 of coordination with local Weather Forecast Offices 

10 after significant tsunami events. 

11 (b) COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL

12 TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con14 vene a coordinating committee to assist the Adminis15 trator in the conduct of the program required by 

16 section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and Education 

17 Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)). 

18 (2) COMPOSITION.—The coordinating com19 mittee shall be composed of members from each of 

20 the States at risk from tsunami, and any other such 

21 representatives as the Administrator considers ap22 propriate to represent Federal, State, tribal, terri23 torial, and local governments. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
25 

HR 5309 RFS

1 (3) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Administrator may 

2 approve the formation of subcommittees to address 

3 specific program components or regional issues. 

4 (4) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The coordinating com5 mittee shall— 

6 (A) provide feedback on how funds should 

7 be prioritized to carry out the program required 

8 by section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and 

9 Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)); 

10 (B) ensure that areas described in section 

11 4(c) of the Tsunami Warning and Education 

12 Act (33 U.S.C. 3203(c)) in the United States 

13 and its territories have the opportunity to par14 ticipate in the program; 

15 (C) provide recommendations to the Ad16 ministrator on how to improve and continuously 

17 advance the TsunamiReady program, particu18 larly on ways to make communities more tsu19 nami resilient through the use of inundation 

20 maps and models and other hazard mitigation 

21 practices; and 

22 (D) ensure that all components of the pro23 gram required by section 5(a) of the Tsunami 

24 Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 

25 3204(a)) are integrated with ongoing StateVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:17 Sep 10, 2014 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00025 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5309.RFS H5309

SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
26 

HR 5309 RFS

1 based hazard warning, risk management, and 

2 resilience activities, including— 

3 (i) integrating activities with emer4 gency response plans, disaster recovery, 

5 hazard mitigation, and community develop6 ment programs in affected areas; and 

7 (ii) integrating information to assist 

8 in tsunami evacuation route planning. 

Passed the House of Representatives September 8, 

2014. 

Attest: KAREN L. HAAS, 

Clerk. 


SSpencer on DSK3TPTVN1PROD with BILLS