I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3804 
To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to make grants to encourage 
community safety by incorporating disaster mitigation and emergency 
preparedness into comprehensive land use planning and urban develop-
ment, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 
Mr. BLUMENAUER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to make 
grants to encourage community safety by incorporating 
disaster mitigation and emergency preparedness into 
comprehensive land use planning and urban development, 
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 ‘‘Safe Communities Act 
of 2017’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Land use and public facility planning at 
both the State and local levels have not had ade-
quate financial resources to fully incorporate the 
threats posed both by natural and human-caused 
disasters, including acts of terrorism. Too frequently 
this has resulted in costly disaster relief programs 
and piecemeal, ad hoc security responses, such as 
unattractive physical barriers that disrupt and ad-
versely impact the physical, social, economic, and 
civic lives in United States communities. 
(2) Although land use planning is rightfully 
within the jurisdiction of State and local govern-
ments, encouraging community safety by incor-
porating disaster mitigation and emergency pre-
paredness into comprehensive land use planning and 
urban development should be supported by the Fed-
eral Government and State governments. 
(3) Disaster response and relief efforts impose 
significant costs to United States taxpayers. Federal 
expenditure is heavily weighted to post-disaster re-
covery, rather than mitigation. Planning should be 
undertaken to prevent property damage and human 
casualties, proactively incorporating mitigation strat-
egies and methods from the professional fields of 
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urban, community, and regional planning (including 
transportation and land use), architecture, landscape 
architecture, and urban design. 
(4) Disaster planning has traditionally been bi-
ased toward facilitating efficient responses and re-
covery, potentially to the detriment of other planning 
goals. Comprehensive planning can incorporate a 
range of effective practices for reducing risks posed 
by natural disasters and terrorist acts. The Federal 
Government and States should provide a supportive 
climate and statutory context for comprehensive 
planning. 
(5) Many States have land use statutes that do 
not currently support comprehensive planning for 
safe communities, and many States are undertaking 
efforts to update and reform statutes to better en-
able planning efforts that incorporate long-term haz-
ard mitigation and emergency preparedness. 
(6) Efforts to coordinate State and regional in-
vestments, including at-risk public infrastructure, 
with local plans require additional State level plan-
ning. 
(7) Comprehensive urban planning takes into 
account the relationship between land use, transpor-
tation systems, water and wastewater facilities, open 
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space, and other critical infrastructure in promoting 
safe and economically viable communities. 
(8) Local governments should integrate safety 
considerations into comprehensive planning efforts. 
(9) Safe housing is an essential component of 
safe community development, and comprehensive 
planning should incorporate modern, scientific plan-
ning techniques to ensure that a broad range of safe 
housing options are available to all members of the 
Nation’s communities. 
(10) Prevailing land use patterns often place 
people, structures, and environmental systems at 
great risk. Poorly regulated rural communities and 
small towns located on the metropolitan fringe often 
face significant growth pressures, resulting in hap-
hazard development patterns that do not incorporate 
regional impacts on critical disaster-reduction sys-
tems, such as open space and wetlands. 
(11) The Federal Government and State gov-
ernments should support the efforts of Tribal gov-
ernments and Native Hawaiian organizations to im-
plement land use planning and community develop-
ment to improve the safety of housing and socio-
economic conditions for Indian Tribes and Native 
Hawaiians. 
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SEC. 3. SAFE COMMUNITIES PLANNING GRANTS. 
(a) GRANT PROGRAM AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 
of Homeland Security shall establish a program to provide 
grants to States and local governments for the purpose 
of assisting in— 
(1) the development or revision of land use 
planning statutes, and State or local comprehensive 
planning documents, in those States or local govern-
ments that either do not have land use planning 
statutes, or have inadequate or outmoded land use 
planning statutes and regulations, such that plan-
ning efforts have not adequately incorporated strate-
gies to mitigate natural and human-caused hazards, 
including acts of terror, or otherwise hinder coordi-
nation of comprehensive planning and emergency 
preparedness efforts; 
(2) the creation or revision of State land use 
planning statutes and local comprehensive land use 
plans or plan elements in those States or local gov-
ernments that have land use planning statutes that 
incorporate risk-reduction and natural and human- 
caused hazard mitigation; and 
(3) the development or revision of comprehen-
sive land use plans or plan elements for multi-State 
regions. 
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