‘‘(16) retrofitting or hardening electric grid in-
frastructure to comply with the latest published 
strength standards or industry best practices for resil-
iency, including standards and practices relating to 
the strength of utility poles in high wind areas, re-
gardless of height; and 
‘‘(17) implementing technologies to improve in-
frastructure monitoring and distribution for the pur-
pose of reducing risk and avoiding future disaster im-
pacts and, notwithstanding other requirements related 
to cost-effectiveness, to avoid any unintended con-
sequences under this section and section 203.’’. 
(b) USE
OF ASSISTANCE
FOR EARTHQUAKE HAZ-
ARDS.—Subsection (h) of section 404 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5170c(h)) (as redesignated by section 2) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘and tsunami’’ after ‘‘earth-
quake’’ each place it appears (including in the sub-
section heading); 
(2) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(3) in paragraph (3) by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(4) planning, design, or construction of vertical 
evacuation structures in designated and mapped tsu-
nami danger areas or hazard zones.’’. 
SEC. 7. RESIDENTIAL RETROFIT AND RESILIENCE PILOT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency shall carry out a resi-
dential resilience pilot program through the program estab-
lished under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) to 
make available assistance to State and local governments 
for the purpose of providing grants to individuals for resi-
dential resilience retrofits. 
(b) AMOUNT OF FUNDS.—The Administrator may use 
not more than 10 percent of the assistance made available 
to applicants on an annual basis under section 203 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) to provide assistance under this 
section. 
(c) TIMELINE.—The Administrator shall establish the 
demonstration program under this section not later than 
1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and the pro-
gram shall terminate on September 30, 2025. 
(d) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit 
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to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Home-
land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a 
report that includes— 
(1) a summary of the grant awards and projects 
carried out under this section; 
(2) a detailed compilation of results achieved by 
the grant awards and projects carried out under this 
section, including the number of homes receiving ret-
rofits, the types and average costs of retrofits, demo-
graphic information for participants in the program, 
and estimate avoidance in disaster impacts and Fed-
eral disaster payments as a result of the grant invest-
ments; and 
(3) any identified implementation challenges 
and recommendations for improvements to the pilot 
program. 
(e) RESIDENTIAL RESILIENT RETROFITS DEFINED.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term ‘‘resi-
dential resilient retrofits’’ means a project that— 
(A) is designed to increase the resilience of 
an existing home or residence using mitigation 
measures which the administrator determines re-
duce damage and impacts from natural disaster 
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hazards and risks that are most likely to occur 
in the area where the home is located; and 
(B) to the extent applicable, are consistent 
with the 2 most recently published editions of 
relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, 
and standards, including any amendments made 
by State, local, tribal, or territorial governments 
to such codes, specifications, and standards that 
incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs 
and establish criteria for the design, construc-
tion, and maintenance of residential structures 
and facilities that may be eligible for assistance 
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et 
seq.) for the purpose of protecting the health, 
safety, and general welfare of the buildings’ users 
against disasters. 
(2) INCLUSION.—In this section, the term ‘‘resi-
dential resilient retrofits’’ includes— 
(A) elevations of homes and elevations of 
utilities within and around structures to miti-
gate damages; 
(B) floodproofing measures; 
(C) the construction of tornado safe rooms; 
(D) seismic retrofits; 
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(E) wildfire retrofit and mitigation meas-
ures; 
(F) wind retrofits, including roof replace-
ments, hurricane straps, and tie-downs; and 
(G) any other measures that meet the re-
quirements of paragraph (1), as determined by 
the Administrator. 
SEC. 8. BUY AMERICA FOR NONEMERGENCY PROJECTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of this rule-
making, to ensure that the United States has the productive 
capability to respond quickly to emergencies and natural 
disasters with a strong domestic industrial base being in 
the public interest, the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency shall require, as a condition of 
any financial assistance provided by the Agency on a non-
emergency basis after promulgation of regulations pursuant 
to subsection (c) for a construction project with a cost of 
at least $1,000,000, that the steel and iron used in the 
project be produced in the United States. 
(b) WAIVER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator may pro-
vide a waiver of the requirements in subsection (a) if 
the Administrator finds— 
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(A) that the application of such subsection 
would be inconsistent with the public interest, 
including causing unreasonable project delays; 
(B) that such steel and iron are not pro-
duced in the United States in sufficient and rea-
sonably available quantities and of a satisfactory 
quality; or 
(C) that inclusion of domestic material will 
increase the cost of the overall project contract by 
more than 25 percent. 
(2) PUBLIC
INPUT.—If the Administrator re-
ceives a request for a waiver under this subsection, the 
Administrator shall make available to the public, on 
an informal basis, a copy of the request and informa-
tion available to the Administrator concerning the re-
quest, and shall allow for informal public input on 
the request for at least 15 days prior to making a 
finding based on the request. 
(3) PUBLICATION OF REQUEST.—The Adminis-
trator shall make the request and accompanying in-
formation available by electronic means, including on 
the official public website of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency. 
(c) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the President, acting through 
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the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, shall conduct and complete a rulemaking to estab-
lish what considerations shall be used by the Administrator 
to assess whether a waiver request made pursuant to sub-
section (b)(1)(A) is in the public interest. Such criteria 
shall include both a calculation considering domestically 
produced steel and iron and a calculation with non-domes-
tically produced steel and iron for construction projects 
which require a Benefit-Cost Analysis in order to qualify 
for financial assistance. 
(d) ADJUSTMENT.—The amount in subsection (a) shall 
be adjusted annually to reflect changes in the Consumer 
Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the De-
partment of Labor. 
SEC. 9. REIMBURSEMENT OF INTEREST PAYMENTS RE-
LATED TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 431. REIMBURSEMENT OF INTEREST PAYMENTS RE-
LATED TO PUBLIC ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—For purposes of assistance under 
this title, the President shall provide financial assistance 
at the applicable Federal share to a State or local govern-
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ment, electric cooperative, or nonprofit organization as re-
imbursement for qualifying interest. 
‘‘(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi-
nitions apply: 
‘‘(1) QUALIFYING INTEREST.—The term ‘quali-
fying interest’ means, with respect to a qualifying 
loan, the lesser of— 
‘‘(A) the actual interest paid to a lender for 
such qualifying loan; and 
‘‘(B) the interest that would have been paid 
to a lender if such qualifying loan had an inter-
est rate equal to the prime rate most recently 
published on the Federal Reserve Statistical Re-
lease on selected interest rates. 
‘‘(2) QUALIFYING LOAN.—The term ‘qualifying 
loan’ means a loan— 
‘‘(A) obtained by a State or local govern-
ment, electric cooperative, or nonprofit organiza-
tion; and 
‘‘(B) of which not less than 90 percent of 
the proceeds are used to fund activities for which 
such State or local government, electric coopera-
tive, or nonprofit organization receives assistance 
under this Act after the date on which such loan 
is disbursed.’’. 
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(b) RULE OF APPLICABILITY.—Any qualifying interest 
(as such term is defined in section 431 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as 
added by this section) incurred by a State or local govern-
ment, electric cooperative, or nonprofit organization in the 
5 years preceding the date of enactment of this Act shall 
be treated as eligible for financial assistance for purposes 
of such section 431. 
SEC. 10. FUNDING OF A FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED WATER 
RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. 
Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(n) FUNDING OF A FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED WATER 
RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 312 
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155) and its imple-
menting regulations, assistance provided under this 
section may be used to fund activities authorized for 
construction within the scope of a federally authorized 
water resources development project of the Army 
Corps of Engineers if such activities are also eligible 
activities under this section. 
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‘‘(2) FEDERAL FUNDING.—All Federal funding 
provided pursuant to this section shall be applied to-
ward the Federal share of a federally authorized 
water resources development project described in 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL
MATCH.—All non-Federal 
matching funds required pursuant to this section 
shall be applied toward the non-Federal share of a 
federally authorized water resources development 
project described in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(4) TOTAL
FEDERAL
SHARE.—Funding pro-
vided pursuant to this section may not exceed the 
total Federal share for a federally authorized water 
resources development project described in paragraph 
(1). 
‘‘(5) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection may be construed to affect— 
‘‘(A) the cost-share requirement of a hazard 
mitigation measure under this section; 
‘‘(B) the eligibility criteria for a hazard 
mitigation measure under this section; 
‘‘(C) the cost share requirements of a feder-
ally authorized water resources development 
project described in paragraph (1); and 
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‘‘(D) the responsibilities of a non-Federal 
interest with respect to such project, including 
those related to the provision of lands, easements, 
rights-of-way, dredge material disposal areas, 
and necessary relocations. 
‘‘(6) LIMITATION.—If a federally authorized 
water resources development project of the Army 
Corps of Engineers is constructed with funding pro-
vided under this subsection, no further Federal fund-
ing shall be provided for construction of such a 
project.’’. 
SEC. 11. GAO REPORT TO CONGRESS ON CHALLENGES 
UNDER PUBLIC ASSISTANCE ALTERNATIVE 
PROCEDURES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 
United States shall conduct a study on the challenges to 
States and Territories of the United States in obtaining as-
sistance under section 428 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189f). 
(b) CONTENTS.—In conducting the study described in 
subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall study the chal-
lenges for assistance described in subsection (a) faced by the 
following: 
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(1) Rural areas, as such term is defined in sec-
tion 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189a). 
(2) Small impoverished communities, as such 
term is defined in section 203 of such Act. 
(3) Other communities, areas, or individuals 
that the Comptroller General determines pertinent. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen-
eral shall submit to Congress a report describing the results 
of the study required under subsection (a). 
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Union Calendar No. 204 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5689 
[Report No. 117–277] 
A BILL 
To improve the provision of Federal resources to 
help build capacity and fund risk-reducing, cost- 
effective mitigation projects for eligible State, 
local, Tribal, and territorial governments and 
certain private nonprofit organizations, and for 
other purposes. 
MARCH 24, 2022 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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