‘‘(3) to improve and develop standards and 
guidelines for mapping, modeling, and assessment 
efforts to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, 
warnings, notification, mitigation, resiliency, re-
sponse, outreach, and recovery;’’; 
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and 
(6) as paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively; 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) to improve research efforts related to im-
proving tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, no-
tification, mitigation, resiliency, response, outreach, 
and recovery;’’; 
(6) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and increase’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘, increase, and develop uniform standards 
and guidelines for’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, including the warning 
signs of locally generated tsunami’’ after ‘‘ap-
proaching’’; 
(7) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘, including the Indian Ocean; and’’ and in-
serting a semicolon; and 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so re-
designated, the following:
‘‘(7) to foster resilient communities in the face 
of tsunami and other coastal hazards; and’’. 
SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND 
WARNING PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 4 (33 
U.S.C. 3203) is amended by striking ‘‘Atlantic Ocean, 
Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico region’’ and inserting 
‘‘Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean Sea and 
the Gulf of Mexico’’. 
(b) COMPONENTS.—Subsection (b) of such section 4 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘established’’ 
and inserting ‘‘supported or maintained’’; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and safe-
guarding port and harbor operations’’ after ‘‘com-
munities’’; 
(3) in paragraph (7)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, including graphical 
warning products,’’ after ‘‘warnings’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, territories,’’ after 
‘‘States’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘and Wireless Emergency 
Alerts’’ after ‘‘Hazards Program’’; and
(4) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and com-
mercial and Federal undersea communications ca-
bles’’ after ‘‘observing technologies’’. 
(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—Subsection (c) of 
such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The program 
under this section shall operate a tsunami warning system 
that— 
‘‘(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, includ-
ing forecasting tsunami arrival time and inundation 
estimates, anywhere in the Pacific and Arctic Ocean 
regions and providing adequate warnings; 
‘‘(2) is capable of forecasting and providing 
adequate warnings in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 
including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, 
that are determined— 
‘‘(A) to be geologically active, or to have 
significant potential for geological activity; and 
‘‘(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami 
for States along the coastal areas of the Atlan-
tic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; 
and 
‘‘(3) supports other international tsunami fore-
casting and warning efforts.’’.
(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—Subsection (d) 
of such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
support or maintain centers to support the tsunami 
warning system required by subsection (c). The Cen-
ters shall include— 
‘‘(A) the National Tsunami Warning Cen-
ter, located in Alaska, which is primarily re-
sponsible for Alaska and the continental United 
States; 
‘‘(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, 
located in Hawaii, which is primarily respon-
sible for Hawaii, the Caribbean, and other 
areas of the Pacific not covered by the National 
Center; and 
‘‘(C) any additional forecast and warning 
centers determined by the National Weather 
Service to be necessary. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities 
of the centers supported or maintained pursuant to 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) Continuously monitoring data from 
seismological, deep ocean, coastal sea level, and
tidal monitoring stations and other data sources 
as may be developed and deployed. 
‘‘(B) Evaluating earthquakes, landslides, 
and volcanic eruptions that have the potential 
to generate tsunami. 
‘‘(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and 
tidal monitoring stations for indications of tsu-
nami resulting from earthquakes and other 
sources. 
‘‘(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a 
range of models to predict tsunami arrival 
times and flooding estimates. 
‘‘(E) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami 
warning bulletins to Federal, State, and local 
government officials and the public. 
‘‘(F) Coordinating with the tsunami haz-
ard mitigation program conducted under section 
5 to ensure ongoing sharing of information be-
tween forecasters and emergency management 
officials. 
‘‘(G) Making data gathered under this Act 
and post-warning analyses conducted by the 
National Weather Service or other relevant Ad-
ministration offices available to researchers.
‘‘(3) FAIL-SAFE
WARNING
CAPABILITY.—The 
tsunami warning centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1) shall maintain a fail-safe 
warning capability and ability to perform back-up 
duties for each other. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE.—The National Weather Service shall co-
ordinate with the centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure that regional 
and local forecast offices— 
‘‘(A) have the technical knowledge and ca-
pability to disseminate tsunami warnings for 
the communities they serve; and 
‘‘(B) leverage connections with local emer-
gency management officials for optimally dis-
seminating tsunami warnings and forecasts. 
‘‘(5) UNIFORM OPERATING PROCEDURES.—The 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) develop uniform operational proce-
dures for the centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1), including the use of 
software applications, checklists, decision sup-
port tools, and tsunami warning products that 
have been standardized across the program sup-
ported under this section;
‘‘(B) ensure that processes and products of 
the warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c)— 
‘‘(i) reflect industry best practices; 
‘‘(ii) conform to the maximum extent 
practicable with internationally recognized 
standards for information technology; and 
‘‘(iii) conform to the maximum extent 
practicable with other warning products 
and practices of the National Weather 
Service; 
‘‘(C) ensure that future adjustments to 
operational protocols, processes, and warning 
products— 
‘‘(i) are made consistently across the 
warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c); and 
‘‘(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 
across such warning system; and 
‘‘(D) disseminate guidelines and metrics 
for evaluating and improving tsunami forecast 
models. 
‘‘(6) AVAILABLE
RESOURCES.—The Adminis-
trator, through the National Weather Service, shall 
ensure that resources are available to fulfill the obli-
gations of this Act. This includes ensuring super-
computing resources are available to run such com-
puter models as are needed for purposes of the tsu-
nami warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c).’’. 
(e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE AND 
UPGRADES.—Subsection (e) of such section 4 is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(e) TRANSFER
OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE 
AND UPGRADES.—In carrying out this section, the Admin-
istrator shall— 
‘‘(1) develop requirements for the equipment 
used to forecast tsunami, including— 
‘‘(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 
platforms; 
‘‘(B) reliability and performance metrics; 
and 
‘‘(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 
requirements for the integration of equipment 
with other United States and global ocean and 
coastal observation systems, the global Earth 
observing system of systems, the global seismic 
networks, and the Advanced National Seismic 
System;
‘‘(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer 
of technology from ongoing research conducted as 
part of the program supported or maintained under 
section 6 into the program under this section; and 
‘‘(3) ensure that the Administration’s oper-
ational tsunami detection equipment is properly 
maintained.’’. 
(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—Subsection (f) of such 
section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—When deploying and 
maintaining tsunami detection technologies under the pro-
gram under this section, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(1) identify which assets of other Federal 
agencies are necessary to support such program; and 
‘‘(2) work with each agency identified under 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) to acquire the agency’s assistance; 
and 
‘‘(B) to prioritize the necessary assets.’’. 
(g) UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.—Such section 4 is 
further amended by striking subsections (g) through (k).
SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD 
MITIGATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is 
amended by striking subsections (a) through (d) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Administrator, in 
consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency and the heads of such other 
agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, shall 
conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation 
program to improve tsunami preparedness and resiliency 
of at-risk areas in the United States and the territories 
of the United States. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The Program con-
ducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) Technical and financial assistance to 
coastal States, territories, tribes, and local govern-
ments to develop and implement activities under this 
section. 
‘‘(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and 
mitigation programs into ongoing State-based haz-
ard warning, resilience planning, and risk manage-
ment activities, including predisaster planning, emer-
gency response, evacuation planning, disaster recov-
ery, hazard mitigation, and community development 
and redevelopment programs in affected areas. 
‘‘(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsu-
nami resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitiga-
tion measures by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, 
and local governments and nongovernmental entities, 
including educational and risk communication pro-
grams to discourage development in high-risk areas. 
‘‘(4) Activities to support the development of 
regional tsunami hazard and risk assessments, using 
inundation models that meet programmatic stand-
ards for accuracy. Such regional risk assessments 
may include the following: 
‘‘(A) The sources, sizes, and histories of 
tsunami in that region. 
‘‘(B) Inundation models and maps of crit-
ical infrastructure and socioeconomic vulner-
ability in areas subject to tsunami inundation. 
‘‘(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacu-
ation routes. 
‘‘(D) Evaluations of the size of populations 
that will require evacuation, including popu-
lations with special evacuation needs. 
‘‘(5) Activities to support the development of 
community-based outreach and education programs
to ensure community readiness and resilience, in-
cluding the following: 
‘‘(A) The development, implementation, 
and assessment of technical training and public 
education programs, including education pro-
grams that address unique characteristics of 
distant and near-field tsunami. 
‘‘(B) The development of decision support 
tools. 
‘‘(C) The incorporation of social science re-
search into community readiness and resilience 
efforts. 
‘‘(D) The development of evidence-based 
education guidelines. 
‘‘(6) Dissemination of guidelines and standards 
for community planning, education, and training 
products, programs, and tools, including standards 
for— 
‘‘(A) mapping products; 
‘‘(B) inundation models; and 
‘‘(C) effective emergency exercises. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In addition to activi-
ties conducted under subsection (b), the program con-
ducted pursuant to subsection (a) may include the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(1) DESIGNATION
OF
AT-RISK
AREAS.—The 
establishment of national standards for inundation 
models under this section shall not prevent States, 
territories, tribes, and local governments from desig-
nating additional areas as being at risk based on 
knowledge of local conditions. 
‘‘(2) NO
NEW
REGULATORY
AUTHORITY.— 
Nothing in this Act may be construed as estab-
lishing new regulatory authority for any Federal 
agency.’’. 
(b) REPORT ON ACCREDITATION OF TSUNAMIREADY 
PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives a report on 
which authorities and activities would be needed to have 
the TsunamiReady program of the National Weather 
Service accredited by the Emergency Management Accred-
itation Program. 
SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
Section 6 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended— 
(1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ and all that fol-
lows through ‘‘establish or maintain’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall, in con-
sultation with such other Federal agencies, State and ter-
ritorial governments, and academic institutions as the Ad-
ministrator considers appropriate, the coordinating com-
mittee under section 11(b), and the panel under section 
8(a), support or maintain’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘and assessment for tsunami 
tracking and numerical forecast modeling. Such re-
search program shall—’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘assessment for tsunami tracking and numerical 
forecast modeling, and standards development. 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The research program 
supported or maintained pursuant to subsection (a) 
shall—’’; 
(3) in subsection (b), as designated by para-
graph (2)— 
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) consider other appropriate research to 
mitigate the impact of tsunami, including the im-
provement of near-field tsunami detection and fore-
casting capabilities, which may include use of new 
generation Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of
Tsunamis and National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration supercomputer capacity to develop a 
rapid tsunami forecast for all United States coast-
lines;’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘include’’ and inserting 
‘‘conduct’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 
paragraph (5); and 
(D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 
following: 
‘‘(4) develop the technical basis for validation of 
tsunami maps, numerical tsunami models, digital 
elevation models, and forecasts; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) PILOT PROJECT.—The Administrator may, pur-
suant to subsection (b), develop a pilot project for near- 
field tsunami forecast development for the Cascadia region 
along the west coast of the United States using new gen-
eration 
Deep-ocean 
Assessment 
and 
Reporting 
of 
Tsunamis, upcoming and existing cable networks, and new 
National Centers for Environmental Protection modeling 
capability.’’.
SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NET-
WORK. 
Section 7 (33 U.S.C. 3206) is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) SUPPORT
FOR
DEVELOPMENT
OF
INTER-
NATIONAL TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The Adminis-
trator shall, in coordination with the Secretary of State 
and in consultation with such other agencies as the Ad-
ministrator considers relevant, provide technical assistance 
and training to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic 
Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, 
and Cultural Organization, the World Meteorological Or-
ganization of the United Nations, and such other inter-
national entities as the Administrator considers appro-
priate, as part of the international efforts to develop a 
fully functional global tsunami forecast and warning sys-
tem comprised of regional tsunami warning networks.’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘shall’’ and 
inserting ‘‘may’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘estab-
lishing’’ and inserting ‘‘supporting’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘establish’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘support’’; and
(ii) by striking ‘‘establishing’’ and in-
serting ‘‘supporting’’. 
SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 
PANEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Act is further amended— 
(1) by redesignating section 8 (33 U.S.C. 3207) 
as section 9; and 
(2) by inserting after section 7 (33 U.S.C. 
3206) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY 
PANEL. 
‘‘(a) DESIGNATION.—The Administrator shall des-
ignate an existing working group within the Science Advi-
sory Board of the Administration to serve as the Tsunami 
Science and Technology Advisory Panel to provide advice 
to the Administrator on matters regarding tsunami 
science, technology, and regional preparedness. 
‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(1) COMPOSITION.—The working group des-
ignated under subsection (a) shall be composed of no 
fewer than 7 members selected by the Administrator 
from among individuals from academia or State 
agencies who have academic or practical expertise in 
physical sciences, social sciences, information tech-
nology, coastal resilience, emergency management,
or such other disciplines as the Administrator con-
siders appropriate. 
‘‘(2) FEDERAL EMPLOYMENT.—No member of 
the working group designated pursuant to subsection 
(a) may be a Federal employee. 
‘‘(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Not less frequently than 
once every 4 years, the working group designated under 
subsection (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) review the activities of the Administration, 
and other Federal activities as appropriate, relating 
to tsunami research, detection, forecasting, warning, 
mitigation, resiliency, and preparation; and 
‘‘(2) submit to the Administrator and such oth-
ers as the Administrator considers appropriate— 
‘‘(A) the findings of the working group 
with respect to the most recent review con-
ducted pursuant to paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) such recommendations for legislative 
or administrative action as the working group 
considers appropriate to improve Federal tsu-
nami research, detection, forecasting, warning, 
mitigation, resiliency, and preparation. 
‘‘(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not less frequently 
than once every 4 years, the Administrator shall submit 
to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, 
Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
a report on the findings and recommendations received by 
the Administrator under subsection (c)(2).’’. 
SEC. 9. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF TSUNAMI WARN-
ING AND EDUCATION ACT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
submit to Congress a report on the implementation of the 
Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et 
seq.). 
(b) ELEMENTS.—The report required by subsection 
(a) shall include the following: 
(1) A detailed description of the progress made 
in implementing sections 4(d)(6), 5(b)(6), and 
6(b)(4) of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act. 
(2) A description of the ways that tsunami 
warnings and warning products issued by the Tsu-
nami Forecasting and Warning Program established 
under section 4 of the Tsunami Warning and Edu-
cation Act (33 U.S.C. 3203) can be standardized 
and streamlined with warnings and warning prod-
ucts for hurricanes, coastal storms, and other coast-
al flooding events.
SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
Section 9 of the Act, as redesignated by section 
8(a)(1) of this Act, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Ad-
ministrator to carry out this Act $27,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2015 through 2017, of which— 
‘‘(1) not less than 27 percent of the amount ap-
propriated for each fiscal year shall be for activities 
under the National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Pro-
gram under section 5; and 
‘‘(2) not less than 8 percent of the amount ap-
propriated for each fiscal year shall be for the Tsu-
nami Research Program under section 6.’’. 
SEC. 11. OUTREACH RESPONSIBILITIES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, in coordi-
nation with State and local emergency managers, shall de-
velop and carry out formal outreach activities to improve 
tsunami education and awareness and foster the develop-
ment of resilient communities. Outreach activities may in-
clude— 
(1) the development of outreach plans to ensure 
the close integration of tsunami warning centers 
supported or maintained pursuant to section 4(d) of 
the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33
U.S.C. 3203(d)) with local Weather Forecast Offices 
of the National Weather Service and emergency 
managers; 
(2) working with appropriate local Weather 
Forecast Offices to ensure they have the technical 
knowledge and capability to disseminate tsunami 
warnings to the communities they serve; and 
(3) evaluating the effectiveness of warnings and 
of coordination with local Weather Forecast Offices 
after significant tsunami events. 
(b) COORDINATING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL 
TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall con-
vene a coordinating committee to assist the Adminis-
trator in the conduct of the program required by 
section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and Education 
Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)). 
(2) COMPOSITION.—The coordinating com-
mittee shall be composed of members from each of 
the States at risk from tsunami, and any other such 
representatives as the Administrator considers ap-
propriate to represent Federal, State, tribal, terri-
torial, and local governments.
(3) SUBCOMMITTEES.—The Administrator may 
approve the formation of subcommittees to address 
specific program components or regional issues. 
(4) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The coordinating com-
mittee shall— 
(A) provide feedback on how funds should 
be prioritized to carry out the program required 
by section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and 
Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)); 
(B) ensure that areas described in section 
4(c) of the Tsunami Warning and Education 
Act (33 U.S.C. 3203(c)) in the United States 
and its territories have the opportunity to par-
ticipate in the program; 
(C) provide recommendations to the Ad-
ministrator on how to improve and continuously 
advance the TsunamiReady program, particu-
larly on ways to make communities more tsu-
nami resilient through the use of inundation 
maps and models and other hazard mitigation 
practices; and 
(D) ensure that all components of the pro-
gram required by section 5(a) of the Tsunami 
Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 
3204(a)) are integrated with ongoing State-
based hazard warning, risk management, and 
resilience activities, including— 
(i) integrating activities with emer-
gency response plans, disaster recovery, 
hazard mitigation, and community develop-
ment programs in affected areas; and 
(ii) integrating information to assist 
in tsunami evacuation route planning. 
Passed the House of Representatives January 7, 
2015. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 34 
AN ACT 
To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, 
forecast, warning, research, and mitigation pro-
gram of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, and for other purposes.