I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4774 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to issue guidance on extreme temperature events and resilience goals, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 20, 2023 
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself and Mrs. GONZA´LEZ-COLO´N) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency to issue guidance on extreme tempera-
ture events and resilience goals, 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 ‘‘Empowering Resilient 
Communities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is 
amended— 
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(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF HIGH NEED COMMUNITY.—In 
this section, the term ‘high need community’ means a com-
munity, or a neighborhood within a community, that is 
comprised of— 
‘‘(1) one or more areas with high individual 
hazard risk rating, as defined in section 206 (d) (2), 
as amended by the Community Disaster Resilience 
Zones Act of 2022 (PL 117–255). 
‘‘(2) not more than 10,000 individuals; or 
‘‘(3) is otherwise determined by the President; 
and 
‘‘(4) is not already covered by section 206, as 
amended by Public Law 117–255.’’; 
(2) in subsection (g)(9) by striking ‘‘small im-
poverished communities’’ and inserting ‘‘high need 
communities’’; and 
(3) in subsection (h)(2)— 
(A) in the heading by striking ‘‘SMALL IM-
POVERISHED
COMMUNITIES’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘HIGH NEED COMMUNITIES’’; 
(B) by adding ‘‘or benefiting’’ after ‘‘car-
ried out in’’; and 
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(C) by striking ‘‘small impoverished com-
munity’’ and inserting ‘‘high need community’’. 
SEC. 3. GUIDANCE ON EXTREME TEMPERATURE EVENTS. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Administration shall issue guidance related 
to extreme temperature events, including heat waves and 
freezes, and publish such guidance in the Federal Emer-
gency Management Administration Public Assistance Pro-
gram and Policy Guide. 
SEC. 4. HAZARD MITIGATION PLANS. 
Section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘, including— 
‘‘(1) identifying the extent to which resilience is 
or will be incorporated into other planning processes, 
including community land use, economic develop-
ment, capital improvement budgets and transpor-
tation planning processes; 
‘‘(2) goals and objectives related to increasing 
resilience over a 5-year period, including benchmarks 
for future work and an assessment of past progress; 
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‘‘(3) the building codes in existence at the time 
the plan is submitted and standards that are in use 
by the State for all manner of planning or develop-
ment purposes and how the State has or will comply 
with the standards set forth in section 406(e)(1)(A); 
‘‘(4) the use of nature-based solutions or other 
mitigation activities that conserve or restore natural 
features that can serve to abate or lessen the im-
pacts of future disasters; 
‘‘(5) integration of each local mitigation plan 
with the State, Indian Tribe, or territory plan; and 
‘‘(6) the disparate impacts on underserved com-
munities (as such term is defined in section 203(a)) 
and plans to address any disparities.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall issue specific guid-
ance on resilience goals and provide technical assistance 
for States, Indian Tribes, territories, and local govern-
ments to meet such goals. 
‘‘(g) ADEQUATE STAFFING.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall ensure 
that ample staff are available to develop the guidance and 
technical assistance under section 322, including hazard 
mitigation planning staff and personnel with expertise in 
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community planning, land use development, and consensus 
based codes and hazard resistant designs at each regional 
office that specifically focus on providing financial and 
non-financial direct technical assistance to States, Indian 
Tribes, and territories. 
‘‘(h) REPORTING.—Not less frequently than every 5 
years, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report 
on the progress of meeting the goals under this section.’’. 
SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL USES OF FUNDS. 
Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) ADDITIONAL USES OF FUNDS.—For State and 
local governments that have exceeded, adopted, or are im-
plementing the latest two published editions of relevant 
consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards that 
incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs and estab-
lish minimum acceptable criteria for the design, construc-
tion, and maintenance of residential structures and facili-
ties, a recipient of assistance provided under this para-
graph may use such assistance in a manner consistent 
with the standards set forth in clauses (ii) and (iii) of sec-
tion 406(e)(1)(A).’’. 
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