I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8569 
To provide for a National Disaster Safety Board. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 9, 2020 
Ms. PORTER (for herself and Mr. GRAVES of Louisiana) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Com-
merce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for a National Disaster Safety Board. 
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 ‘‘Disaster Learning and 
Life Saving Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ACT OF VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘act of vio-
lence’’ means any terrorism-related or other willful 
act of human violence that causes loss of human life, 
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or human or economic injury, including an explosion, 
arson, mass shooting, or attack by a hostile force, as 
determined by the Board. 
(2) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Na-
tional Disaster Safety Board established under sec-
tion 3. 
(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The term ‘‘Chairperson’’ 
means the Chairperson of the Board appointed 
under section 3. 
(4) ECONOMIC INJURY.—The term ‘‘economic 
injury’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘substantial 
economic injury’’ in section 7(b) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)). 
(5) INCIDENT.—The term ‘‘incident’’ means a 
natural hazard, public health incident, or other cir-
cumstance that the Board decides to review. 
(6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND 
RESEARCH INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘institution of 
higher education and research institution’’ means— 
(A) an institution of higher education (as 
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1001)); 
(B) a National Laboratory (as defined in 
section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801)); 
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(C) a laboratory described in section 
308(c)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 188(c)(2)); 
(D) the National Domestic Preparedness 
Consortium established under section 1204 of 
the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1102) and 
the members of such Consortium; and 
(E) a research institution associated with 
an institution of higher education. 
(7) NATURAL
HAZARD.—The term ‘‘natural 
hazard’’ means any naturally occurring hurricane, 
tornado, storm, heat wave, flood, high water, wind- 
driven water, wind storm, wildfire, wildland urban 
interface fire, urban conflagration fire, tidal wave, 
tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, 
mudslide, snowstorm, dust storm, drought, or com-
bination thereof, that causes or threatens to cause 
loss of human life, or human or economic injury, as 
determined by the Board. 
(8) PUBLIC
HEALTH
INCIDENT.—The term 
‘‘public health incident’’ means any infectious dis-
ease outbreak or the public health and safety con-
sequences of chemical, radiological, and biological 
events, as determined by the Board. 
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(9) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 102 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 
(10) TECHNOLOGICAL
DISASTER.—The term 
‘‘technological disaster’’ means an incident that— 
(A) is caused by human error or malfunc-
tion in technology, including a dam or struc-
tural failure, a fire (other than a naturally oc-
curring wildfire, wildland urban interface fire, 
urban conflagration fire, or arson), a hazardous 
material incident, a nuclear accident, and a 
power and telecommunications failure; and 
(B) causes loss of human life, or human or 
economic injury, as determined by the Board. 
(11) TERRORISM.—The term ‘‘terrorism’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 2 of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101). 
(12) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
government’’ means the governing body of any In-
dian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, 
village, or community that the Secretary of the Inte-
rior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe under 
the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 
1994 (25 U.S.C. 5130 et seq.). 
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