I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3896 
To establish an airport infrastructure resilience pilot program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 7, 2023 
Mr. COHEN (for himself and Mr. DESAULNIER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To establish an airport infrastructure resilience pilot 
program. 
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 ‘‘Airport Infrastructure 
Resilience Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. AIRPORT INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE PILOT 
PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this section, the 
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Secretary shall establish a pilot program to pro-
vide competitive grants to sponsors of airports 
to incentivize the planning and design and con-
struction of projects that make improvements to 
infrastructure that is subject to, or that faces 
increased long-term future risks with respect to, 
the following: 
(i) Changing conditions, such as sea 
level rise or permafrost thaw. 
(ii) Weather events and natural disas-
ters, such as severe storms, flooding, 
drought, levee and dam failures, wildfire, 
rockslides, mudslides, sea level rise, perma-
frost thaw, extreme weather, including ex-
treme temperature, and earthquakes. 
(B) 
CLARIFICATION.—Projects 
funded 
under the pilot program under this section may 
be for new projects as well as for making im-
provements to existing infrastructure and may 
include the purchasing of monitoring equipment 
or services. 
(2) CONSULTATION.—In establishing the pilot 
program under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall— 
(A) engage in a public comment period; 
and 
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(B) consult with— 
(i) the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration; 
(ii) the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency; 
(iii) the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration; and 
(iv) the Administrator of the National 
Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
(3) CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding grants to 
sponsors under the pilot program under this section, 
the Secretary shall consider the following with re-
spect to projects funded under the grant: 
(A) Whether the project is natural infra-
structure or nature-based. 
(B) Whether the project is based on the 
best available science and engineering stand-
ards. 
(C) Whether the project will mitigate the 
airport’s impact on the environment. 
(D) Other items determined appropriate by 
the Secretary. 
(4) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under the pilot program under this section, a 
sponsor of an airport shall submit an application to 
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sponsor of an airport shall submit an application to 
the Secretary at such time, in such form, and con-
taining such information as the Secretary may re-
quire. Such information shall include a description 
of how the proposed project is projected to benefit 
and potentially impact both the airport and the sur-
rounding communities regarding changing condi-
tions, weather events, and natural disasters. 
(5) REPORTS TO SECRETARY.—A sponsor of an 
airport that is awarded a grant under the pilot pro-
gram under this section shall submit to the Sec-
retary periodic reports on the use of the funds. Such 
reports shall be submitted at such time, in such 
form, and containing such information as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(b) DISTRIBUTION FOR REGIONAL AIRPORTS.—In 
conducting the pilot program under this section, the Sec-
retary shall ensure that not less than 15 percent of the 
funds made available under subsection (e) is used to 
award grants to sponsors of regional airports. 
(c) FEDERAL SHARE.—The United States Govern-
ment’s share of allowable project costs for a project car-
ried out with a grant under the pilot program shall be 
the United States Government’s share of allowable project 
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costs specified under section 47109 of title 49, United 
States Code. 
(d) REQUIREMENTS.—The construction work for a 
project funded with grant under the pilot program shall 
be subject to the requirements under section 47112 of title 
49, United States Code. 
(e) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 
after the Secretary first awards a grant under the 
pilot program under this section, and annually there-
after for as long as the Secretary is conducting the 
pilot program under this section, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation and the Committee on Environment 
and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
of Representatives a report that evaluates the pilot 
program established under this section. Each such 
report shall include— 
(A) a description of each project funded 
under the program, including the changing con-
dition or weather event or natural disasters the 
project is addressing; 
(B) a description of the applications under 
the program; 
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(C) recommendations to improve the ad-
ministration of the program, including whether 
assistance from additional or fewer agencies to 
carry out the program is appropriate; 
(D) a description of the period required to 
disburse grant funds to sponsors based on ap-
plicable Federal coordination requirements; 
(E) a description of the facilities that re-
peatedly require repair or reconstruction due to 
weather events and natural disasters (as de-
scribed in subsection (a)); and 
(F) other items determined appropriate by 
the Secretary. 
(2) 
PUBLIC
AVAILABILITY.—The 
Secretary 
shall post each report submitted under paragraph 
(1) on the public internet website of the Department 
of Transportation. 
(f) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary $300,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this section. Such 
sums shall remain available until expended. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) AIRPORT.—The term ‘‘airport’’ has the 
meaning given that term in section 40102 of title 
49, United States Code. 
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(2) REGIONAL AIRPORT.—The term ‘‘regional 
airport’’ means a small hub airport, a nonhub air-
port, a nonprimary airport, and a reliever airport (as 
such terms are dined in section 47102 of title 49, 
United States Code). 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
Æ 
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