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107TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4900
To establish a National Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience Program,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 6, 2002
Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma introduced the following bill; which was referred to
the Committee on Science
A BILL
To establish a National Climate Change Vulnerability and
Resilience Program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Weather Safety Act’’.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND
RESILIENCE PROGRAM.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Commerce
shall establish a National Climate Change Vulnerability
and Resilience Program (in this section referred to as the
‘‘Program’’) for evaluating and making recommendations
with respect to local, regional, and national vulnerability
and resilience to impacts related to both longer term cli-
matic changes and shorter term climatic variations, in-
cluding changes and variations resulting from human ac-
tivities.
(b) CONSULTATION.—In designing the Program, the
Secretary of Commerce shall consult with Federal agencies
participating in the United States Global Change Re-
search Program and any other appropriate Federal, State,
or local agency.
(c) OFFICE OF CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY
AND RESILIENCE RESEARCH.—The Secretary of Com-
merce shall establish an Office of Climate Change Vulner-
ability and Resilience Research (in this section referred
to as the ‘‘Office’’) within the Department of Commerce,
which shall be responsible for managing the Program and
shall, in accordance with the design of the Program, co-
ordinate climatic change and climatic variation vulner-
ability and resilience research in the United States.
(d) VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENTS.—The Program
shall include—
(1) evaluations, based on historical data, cur-
rent observational data, and, where appropriate,
available predictions, of local, State, regional, and
national vulnerability to phenomena associated with
climatic change and climatic variation, including—
(A) severe weather events, such as severe
thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes;
(B) annual and interannual climate events,
such as the El Nin˜o Southern Oscillation and
the North Atlantic Oscillation;
(C) changes in sea level and shifts in the
hydrological cycle;
(D) natural hazards, including tsunamis,
droughts, floods, and wildfires; and
(E) alterations of ecological communities
as a result of climatic change and climatic vari-
ation; and
(2) the production of a Vulnerability Scorecard,
in cooperation with State and local institutions in-
cluding university researchers and programs, that
assesses each State’s vulnerability and capacity to
respond to climatic change and climatic variation
hazards.
(e) PREPAREDNESS RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later
than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act,
the Office shall transmit to the Congress a report that—
(1) includes the Vulnerability Scorecards pro-
duced under subsection (d)(2); and
(2) identifies, and recommends implementation
and funding strategies for, short-term and long-term
actions that may be taken at the local, State, re-
gional, or national level—
(A) to minimize climatic change and cli-
matic variation threats to human life and prop-
erty;
(B) to minimize negative economic impacts
of climatic change and climatic variation; and
(C) to improve resilience to climatic change
and climatic variation hazards.
(f) VULNERABILITY RESEARCH.—In addition to its
other responsibilities under this section, the Office shall—
(1) apply the results of available vulnerability
research to develop and improve criteria that meas-
ure resilience to climatic change and climatic vari-
ation hazards at the local, State, regional, and na-
tional levels;
(2) coordinate the implementation of short-term
and long-term research programs based on the rec-
ommendations made under subsection (e)(2);
(3) measure progress in increasing each State’s
capacity to respond to climatic change and climatic
variation hazards, using the Vulnerability Scorecards
produced under subsection (d)(2) as a benchmark;
and
(4) review not less than annually and, when ad-
ditional information becomes available making it ap-
propriate, update the Vulnerability Scorecards and
the recommendations made under subsection (e)(2).
(g) INFORMATION
AND TECHNOLOGY DISSEMINA-
TION.—The Secretary of Commerce shall make widely
available appropriate information, technologies, and prod-
ucts to assist local, State, regional, and national efforts
to reduce loss of life and property due to climatic change
and climatic variation, and shall coordinate the dissemina-
tion of such information, technologies, and products
through all appropriate channels.
(h) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Com-
merce $10,000,000 for carrying out this section.
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