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SEC. 599H. NATIONAL HIRING STANDARD OF CARE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—An entity hiring a federally li-
censed motor carrier shall be deemed to have made the 
selection of the motor carrier in a reasonable and prudent 
manner if before tendering a shipment, but not more than 
45 days before the pickup of the shipment by the hired 
motor carrier, that entity verified that the motor carrier, 
at the time of such verification— 
(1) is registered with and authorized by the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to op-
erate as a motor carrier or household goods motor 
carrier, if applicable; 
(2) has the minimum insurance coverage re-
quired by Federal law; and 
(3)(A) before the safety fitness determination 
regulations are issued, does not have an unsatisfac-
tory safety fitness determination issued by the Fed-
eral Motor Carrier Safety Administration in force at 
the time of such verification; or 
(B) beginning on the date that revised safety 
fitness determination regulations are implemented, 
does not have a safety fitness rating issued by the 
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under 
such regulations that would place a motor carrier 
out-of-service.
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(b) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 30 days after the 
implementation of the safety fitness determination ref-
erenced in subsection (a)(3), the Secretary shall issue 
guidelines that specifically outline how a motor carrier’s 
operating authority and registration number could be re-
voked and subsequently placing them out-of-service. 
TITLE VI—DISASTER RECOVERY 
REFORM ACT 
SEC. 601. APPLICABILITY. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, the amend-
ments in this title to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re-
lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et 
seq.) apply to each major disaster and emergency declared 
by the President on or after August 1, 2017, under such 
Act. 
SEC. 602. STATE DEFINED. 
In this title, the term ‘‘State’’ has the meaning given 
that term in section 102(4) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5122(4)). 
SEC. 603. WILDFIRE PREVENTION. 
(a) MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.—Section 420 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5187) is amended—
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(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) HAZARD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.—Whether 
or not a major disaster is declared, the President may pro-
vide hazard mitigation assistance in accordance with sec-
tion 404 in any area affected by a fire for which assistance 
was provided under this section.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 404(a) (42 U.S.C. 5170c(a)) (as 
amended by section 636(a) of this Act)— 
(A) by inserting before the first period ‘‘, 
or any area affected by a fire for which assist-
ance was provided under section 420’’; and 
(B) in the third sentence by inserting ‘‘or 
event under section 420’’ after ‘‘major disaster’’ 
each place it appears; and 
(2) in section 322(e)(1) (42 U.S.C. 5165(e)(1)), 
by inserting ‘‘or event under section 420’’ after 
‘‘major disaster’’ each place it appears. 
(c) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of this Act and annually
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thereafter, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Sen-
ate, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 
of the House of Representatives, and the Appropriations 
Committees of the Senate and the House of Representa-
tives a report containing a summary of any projects car-
ried out, and any funding provided to those projects, 
under subsection (d) of section 420 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5187) (as amended by this section). 
SEC. 604. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) USE
OF ASSISTANCE.—Recipients of hazard 
mitigation assistance provided under this section and sec-
tion 203 may use the assistance to conduct activities to 
help reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or 
suffering in any area affected by a wildfire or windstorm, 
including— 
‘‘(1) reseeding ground cover with quick-growing 
or native species; 
‘‘(2) mulching with straw or chipped wood;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(3) constructing straw, rock, or log dams in 
small tributaries to prevent flooding; 
‘‘(4) placing logs and other erosion barriers to 
catch sediment on hill slopes; 
‘‘(5) installing debris traps to modify road and 
trail drainage mechanisms; 
‘‘(6) modifying or removing culverts to allow 
drainage to flow freely; 
‘‘(7) adding drainage dips and constructing 
emergency spillways to keep roads and bridges from 
washing out during floods; 
‘‘(8) planting grass to prevent the spread of 
noxious weeds; 
‘‘(9) installing warning signs; 
‘‘(10) establishing defensible space measures; 
‘‘(11) reducing hazardous fuels; 
‘‘(12) windstorm damage, including replacing or 
installing electrical transmission or distribution util-
ity pole structures with poles that are resilient to ex-
treme wind and combined ice and wind loadings for 
the basic wind speeds and ice conditions associated 
with the relevant location; 
‘‘(13) removing standing burned trees; and 
‘‘(14) replacing water systems that have been 
burned and have caused contamination.’’.
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SEC. 605. ELIGIBILITY FOR CODE IMPLEMENTATION AND 
ENFORCEMENT. 
Section 406(a)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5172(a)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (B); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of sub-
paragraph (C) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) base and overtime wages for extra 
hires to facilitate the implementation and en-
forcement of adopted building codes for a pe-
riod of not more than 180 days after the major 
disaster is declared.’’. 
SEC. 606. PROGRAM IMPROVEMENTS. 
(a) HAZARD MITIGATION.—Section 406(c) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172(c)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘90 per-
cent of’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘75 per-
cent of’’. 
(b) PARTICIPATION.—Section 428(d) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 5189f) is amended—
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(1) by inserting ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—’’ before 
‘‘Participation in’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) NO CONDITIONS.—The President may not 
condition the provision of Federal assistance under 
this Act on the election by a State, Tribal, or local 
government, or owner or operator of a private non-
profit facility to participate in the alternative proce-
dures adopted under this section.’’. 
(c) CERTIFICATION.—Section 428(e)(1) of such Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5189f(e)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(2) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) once certified by a professionally li-
censed engineer and accepted by the Adminis-
trator, the estimates on which grants made pur-
suant to this section are based shall be pre-
sumed to be reasonable and eligible costs, as 
long as there is no evidence of fraud.’’. 
SEC. 607. PRIORITIZATION OF FACILITIES. 
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
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•HR 4 EH1S 
Management Agency shall provide guidance and training 
on an annual basis to State, Tribal, and local govern-
ments, first responders, and utility companies on— 
(1) the need to prioritize assistance to hospitals, 
nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities to 
ensure that such health care facilities remain func-
tioning or return to functioning as soon as prac-
ticable during power outages caused by natural haz-
ards, including severe weather events; 
(2) how hospitals, nursing homes and other 
long-term care facilities should adequately prepare 
for power outages during a major disaster or emer-
gency; and 
(3) how State, Tribal, and local governments, 
first responders, utility companies, hospitals, nursing 
homes, and other long-term care facilities should de-
velop a strategy to coordinate emergency response 
plans, including the activation of emergency re-
sponse plans, in anticipation of a major disaster, in-
cluding severe weather events. 
SEC. 608. GUIDANCE ON EVACUATION ROUTES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) IDENTIFICATION.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in co-
ordination with the Administrator of the Federal
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•HR 4 EH1S 
Highway Administration, shall develop and issue 
guidance for State, local, and Tribal governments re-
garding the identification of evacuation routes. 
(2) GUIDANCE.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Highway Administration, in coordination with 
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency, shall revise existing guidance or 
issue new guidance as appropriate for State, local, 
and Tribal governments regarding the design, con-
struction, maintenance, and repair of evacuation 
routes. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.— 
(1) IDENTIFICATION.—In developing the guid-
ance under subsection (a)(1), the Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 
consider— 
(A) whether evacuation routes have re-
sisted impacts and recovered quickly from dis-
asters, regardless of cause; 
(B) the need to evacuate special needs pop-
ulations, including— 
(i) individuals with a physical or men-
tal disability; 
(ii) individuals in schools, daycare 
centers, mobile home parks, prisons, nurs-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
ing homes and other long-term care facili-
ties, and detention centers; 
(iii) individuals with limited-English 
proficiency; 
(iv) the elderly; and 
(v) individuals who are tourists, sea-
sonal workers, or homeless; 
(C) the sharing of information and other 
public communications with evacuees during 
evacuations; 
(D) the sheltering of evacuees, including 
the care, protection, and sheltering of animals; 
(E) the return of evacuees to their homes; 
and 
(F) such other items the Administrator 
considers appropriate. 
(2) DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE, 
AND REPAIR.—In revising or issuing guidance under 
(a)(2), the Administrator of the Federal Highway 
Administration shall consider— 
(A) methods that assist evacuation routes 
to— 
(i) withstand likely risks to viability, 
including flammability and hydrostatic 
forces;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(ii) improve durability, strength (in-
cluding the ability to withstand tensile 
stresses and compressive stresses), and 
sustainability; and 
(iii) provide for long-term cost sav-
ings; 
(B) the ability of evacuation routes to ef-
fectively manage contraflow operations; 
(C) for evacuation routes on public lands, 
the viewpoints of the applicable Federal land 
management agency regarding emergency oper-
ations, sustainability, and resource protection; 
and 
(D) such other items the Administrator 
considers appropriate. 
SEC. 609. DUPLICATION OF BENEFITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 312(b) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5155(b)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(4) WAIVER OF GENERAL PROHIBITION.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The President may 
waive the general prohibition provided in sub-
section (a) upon request of a Governor on be-
half of the State or on behalf of a person, busi-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
ness concern, or any other entity suffering 
losses as a result of a major disaster or emer-
gency, if the President finds such waiver is in 
the public interest and will not result in waste, 
fraud, or abuse. In making this decision, the 
President may consider the following: 
‘‘(i) The recommendations of the Ad-
ministrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency made in consultation 
with the Federal agency or agencies ad-
ministering the duplicative program. 
‘‘(ii) If a waiver is granted, the assist-
ance to be funded is cost effective. 
‘‘(iii) Equity and good conscience. 
‘‘(iv) Other matters of public policy 
considered appropriate by the President. 
‘‘(B) GRANT OR DENIAL OF WAIVER.—A 
request under subparagraph (A) shall be grant-
ed or denied not later than 45 days after sub-
mission of such request. 
‘‘(C) PROHIBITION
ON
DETERMINATION 
THAT
LOAN
IS
A
DUPLICATION.—Notwith-
standing subsection (c), in carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), the President may not deter-
mine that a loan is a duplication of assistance,
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•HR 4 EH1S 
provided that all Federal assistance is used to-
ward a loss suffered as a result of the major 
disaster or emergency.’’. 
(b) FUNDING OF A FEDERALLY AUTHORIZED WATER 
RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECT.— 
(1) ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITIES.—Notwithstanding 
section 312 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5155) 
and its implementing regulations, assistance pro-
vided pursuant to section 404 of such Act may be 
used to fund activities authorized for construction 
within the scope of a federally authorized water re-
sources development project of the Army Corps of 
Engineers if such activities are also eligible activities 
under such section. 
(2) FEDERAL FUNDING.—All Federal funding 
provided under section 404 pursuant to this section 
shall be applied toward the Federal share of such 
project. 
(3) NON-FEDERAL
MATCH.—All non-Federal 
matching funds required under section 404 pursuant 
to this section shall be applied toward the non-Fed-
eral share of such project. 
(4) TOTAL
FEDERAL
SHARE.—Funding pro-
vided under section 404 pursuant to this section
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•HR 4 EH1S 
may not exceed the total Federal share for such 
project. 
(5) NO
EFFECT.—Nothing in this section 
shall— 
(A) affect the cost-share requirement of a 
hazard mitigation measure under section 404; 
(B) affect the eligibility criteria for a haz-
ard mitigation measure under section 404; 
(C) affect the cost share requirements of a 
federally authorized water resources develop-
ment project; and 
(D) affect the responsibilities of a non- 
Federal interest with respect to the project, in-
cluding those related to the provision of lands, 
easements, rights-of-way, dredge material dis-
posal areas, and necessary relocations. 
(c) APPLICABILITY.—This section shall apply to each 
disaster and emergency declared pursuant to the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) after January 1, 2016.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
SEC. 610. STATE ADMINISTRATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR DI-
RECT TEMPORARY HOUSING AND PERMA-
NENT HOUSING CONSTRUCTION. 
Section 408(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re-
lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(f)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking the paragraph 
heading and inserting ‘‘STATE- OR TRIBAL-ADMINIS-
TERED
ASSISTANCE
AND
OTHER
NEEDS
ASSIST-
ANCE.—’’; 
(2) in paragraph (1)(A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘financial’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (e)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e) if 
the President and the State or Tribal govern-
ment comply, as determined by the Adminis-
trator, with paragraph (3)’’; 
(3) in paragraph (1)(B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘financial’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘subsection (e)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subsections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e)’’; 
and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—A State or Tribal 
government desiring to provide assistance under
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•HR 4 EH1S 
subsection (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), or (e) shall submit 
to the President an application for a grant to 
provide financial assistance under the program. 
‘‘(B) CRITERIA.—The President, in con-
sultation and coordination with State, Tribal, 
and local governments, shall establish criteria 
for the approval of applications submitted 
under subparagraph (A). The criteria shall in-
clude, at a minimum— 
‘‘(i) the demonstrated ability of the 
State or Tribal government to manage the 
program under this section; 
‘‘(ii) there being in effect a plan ap-
proved by the President as to how the 
State or Tribal government will comply 
with applicable Federal laws and regula-
tions and how the State or Tribal govern-
ment will provide assistance under its plan; 
‘‘(iii) a requirement that the State, 
Tribal, or local government comply with 
rules and regulations established pursuant 
to subsection (j); and 
‘‘(iv) a requirement that the Presi-
dent, or the designee of the President, 
comply with subsection (i).
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(C) QUALITY
ASSURANCE.—Before ap-
proving an application submitted under this 
section, the President, or the designee of the 
President, shall institute adequate policies, pro-
cedures, and internal controls to prevent waste, 
fraud, abuse, and program mismanagement for 
this program and for programs under sub-
sections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e). The Presi-
dent shall monitor and conduct quality assur-
ance activities on a State or Tribal govern-
ment’s implementation of programs under sub-
sections (c)(1)(B), (c)(4), and (e). If, after ap-
proving an application of a State or Tribal gov-
ernment submitted under this section, the 
President determines that the State or Tribal 
government is not administering the program 
established by this section in a manner satisfac-
tory to the President, the President shall with-
draw the approval. 
‘‘(D) AUDITS.—The Office of the inspector 
general shall provide for periodic audits of the 
programs administered by States and Tribal 
governments under this subsection. 
‘‘(E) APPLICABLE
LAWS.—All Federal 
laws applicable to the management, administra-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
tion, or contracting of the programs by the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency under 
this section shall be applicable to the manage-
ment, administration, or contracting by a non- 
Federal entity under this section. 
‘‘(F) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 
the inspector general of the Department of 
Homeland Security shall submit a report to the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives on the State or Tribal 
government’s role to provide assistance under 
this section. The report shall contain an assess-
ment of the effectiveness of the State or Tribal 
government’s role to provide assistance under 
this section, including— 
‘‘(i) whether the State or Tribal gov-
ernment’s role helped to improve the gen-
eral speed of disaster recovery; 
‘‘(ii) whether the State or Tribal gov-
ernment providing assistance under this 
section had the capacity to administer this 
section; and
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(iii) recommendations for changes to 
improve the program if the State or Tribal 
government’s role to administer the pro-
grams should be continued. 
‘‘(G) PROHIBITION.—The President may 
not condition the provision of Federal assist-
ance under this Act by a State or Tribal gov-
ernment requesting a grant under this section. 
‘‘(H) MISCELLANEOUS.— 
‘‘(i) NOTICE
AND
COMMENT.—The 
Administrator may waive notice and com-
ment rulemaking, if the Administrator de-
termines doing so is necessary to expedi-
tiously implement this section, and may 
carry out this section as a pilot program 
until such regulations are promulgated. 
‘‘(ii) FINAL RULE.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of this 
paragraph, the Administrator shall issue 
final regulations to implement this sub-
section as amended by the Disaster Recov-
ery Reform Act. 
‘‘(iii) WAIVER AND EXPIRATION.—The 
authority under clause (i) and any pilot 
program implemented pursuant to such
439 
•HR 4 EH1S 
clause shall expire 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this paragraph or upon 
issuance of final regulations pursuant to 
clause (ii), whichever occurs sooner.’’. 
SEC. 611. ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS. 
Section 408(h) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(h)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, excluding 
financial assistance to rent alternate housing accom-
modations under subsection (c)(1)(A)(i) and finan-
cial assistance to address other needs under sub-
section (e)’’ after ‘‘disaster’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para-
graph (3); 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) OTHER
NEEDS
ASSISTANCE.—The max-
imum financial assistance any individual or house-
hold may receive under subsection (e) shall be equiv-
alent to the amount set forth in paragraph (1) with 
respect to a single major disaster.’’; 
(4) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated), by 
striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraphs 
(1) and (2)’’; and
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (3) (as so re-
designated) the following: 
‘‘(4) EXCLUSION OF NECESSARY EXPENSES FOR 
INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES.— 
‘‘(A) The maximum amount of assistance 
established under paragraph (1) shall exclude 
expenses to repair or replace damaged accessi-
bility-related improvements under paragraphs 
(2), (3), and (4) of subsection (c) for individ-
uals with disabilities. 
‘‘(B) The maximum amount of assistance 
established under paragraph (2) shall exclude 
expenses to repair or replace accessibility-re-
lated personal property under subsection (e)(2) 
for individuals with disabilities.’’. 
SEC. 612. MULTIFAMILY LEASE AND REPAIR ASSISTANCE. 
(a) LEASE
AND REPAIR
OF RENTAL UNITS
FOR 
TEMPORARY HOUSING.—Section 408(c)(1)(B)(ii)(II) of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(c)(1)(B)(ii)(II)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(II) IMPROVEMENTS
OR
RE-
PAIRS.—Under the terms of any lease 
agreement for property entered into 
under this subsection, the value of the
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•HR 4 EH1S 
improvements or repairs shall be de-
ducted from the value of the lease 
agreement.’’. 
(b) 
RENTAL
PROPERTIES
IMPACTED.—Section 
408(c)(1)(B)(ii)(I)(aa) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5174(c)(1)(B)(ii)(I)(aa)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(aa) enter into lease agree-
ments with owners of multifamily 
rental property impacted by a 
major disaster or located in areas 
covered by a major disaster dec-
laration to house individuals and 
households eligible for assistance 
under this section; and’’. 
(c) INSPECTOR GENERAL REPORT.—Not later than 
2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security 
shall assess the use of the authority provided under section 
408(c)(1)(B) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and 
Emergency 
Assistance 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
5174(c)(1)(B)), including the adequacy of any benefit-cost 
analysis done to justify the use of this alternative, and 
submit a report on the results of that review to the appro-
priate committees of Congress.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
SEC. 613. PRIVATE NONPROFIT FACILITY. 
Section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122) is 
amended in paragraph (11)(B) by inserting ‘‘food banks,’’ 
after ‘‘shelter workshops,’’. 
SEC. 614. MANAGEMENT COSTS. 
Section 324 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165b) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by striking ‘‘any adminis-
trative expense, and any other expense not directly 
chargeable to’’ and inserting ‘‘direct administrative 
cost, and any other administrative expense associ-
ated with’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘establish’’ and inserting 
the following: ‘‘implement’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) SPECIFIC MANAGEMENT COSTS.—The Ad-
ministrator shall provide the following percentage 
rates, in addition to the eligible project costs, to 
cover direct and indirect costs of administering the 
following programs:
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(A) HAZARD
MITIGATION.—A grantee 
under section 404 may be reimbursed not more 
than 15 percent of the total amount of the 
grant award under such section of which not 
more than 10 percent may be used by the 
grantee and 5 percent by the subgrantee for 
such costs. 
‘‘(B) PUBLIC
ASSISTANCE.—A grantee 
under sections 403, 406, 407, and 502 may be 
reimbursed not more than 12 percent of the 
total award amount under such sections, of 
which not more than 7 percent may be used by 
the grantee and 5 percent by the subgrantee for 
such costs.’’. 
SEC. 615. FLEXIBILITY. 
(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘covered 
assistance’’ means assistance provided— 
(1) under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5174); and 
(2) in relation to a major disaster or emergency 
declared by the President under section 401 or 501 
of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 42 U.S.C. 
5191) on or after October 28, 2012.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding section 
3716(e) of title 31, United States Code, the Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency— 
(1) subject to paragraph (2), may waive a debt 
owed to the United States related to covered assist-
ance provided to an individual or household if— 
(A) the covered assistance was distributed 
based on an error by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency; 
(B) there was no fault on behalf of the 
debtor; and 
(C) the collection of the debt would be 
against equity and good conscience; and 
(2) may not waive a debt under paragraph (1) 
if the debt involves fraud, the presentation of a false 
claim, or misrepresentation by the debtor or any 
party having an interest in the claim. 
(c) MONITORING OF COVERED ASSISTANCE DISTRIB-
UTED BASED ON ERROR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The inspector general of the 
Department of Homeland Security shall monitor the 
distribution of covered assistance to individuals and 
households to determine the percentage of such as-
sistance distributed based on an error.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(2) REMOVAL OF WAIVER AUTHORITY BASED 
ON EXCESSIVE ERROR RATE.—If the inspector gen-
eral determines, with respect to any 12-month pe-
riod, that the amount of covered assistance distrib-
uted based on an error by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency exceeds 4 percent of the total 
amount of covered assistance distributed— 
(A) the inspector general shall notify the 
Administrator and publish the determination in 
the Federal Register; and 
(B) with respect to any major disaster or 
emergency declared by the President under sec-
tion 401 or section 501, respectively, of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 42 
U.S.C. 5191) after the date on which the deter-
mination is published under subparagraph (A), 
the authority of the Administrator to waive 
debt under subsection (b) shall no longer be ef-
fective. 
SEC. 616. ADDITIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE. 
(a) DISASTER MITIGATION.—Section 209 of the Pub-
lic Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 
U.S.C. 3149) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing:
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‘‘(e) DISASTER MITIGATION.—In providing assist-
ance pursuant to subsection (c)(2), if appropriate and as 
applicable, the Secretary may encourage hazard mitigation 
in assistance provided pursuant to such subsection.’’. 
(b) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ASSISTANCE COM-
PACT
GRANTS.—Section 661(d) of the Post-Katrina 
Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 
761(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘for fiscal year 2008’’ and 
inserting ‘‘for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022’’. 
(c) 
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE 
GRANTS PROGRAM.—Section 662(f) of the Post-Katrina 
Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 
762(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘the program’’ and all that 
follows through ‘‘2012’’ and inserting ‘‘the program, for 
each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022’’. 
(d) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 403(a)(3) of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170b(a)(3)) is amended by strik-
ing the second subparagraph (J). 
SEC. 617. NATIONAL VETERINARY EMERGENCY TEAMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency may establish one or 
more national veterinary emergency teams at accredited 
colleges of veterinary medicine.
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(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—A national veterinary emer-
gency team shall— 
(1) deploy with a team of the National Urban 
Search and Rescue Response System to assist 
with— 
(A) veterinary care of canine search teams; 
(B) locating and treating companion ani-
mals, service animals, livestock, and other ani-
mals; and 
(C) surveillance and treatment of zoonotic 
diseases; 
(2) recruit, train, and certify veterinary profes-
sionals, including veterinary students, in accordance 
with an established set of plans and standard oper-
ating guidelines to carry out the duties associated 
with planning for and responding to emergencies as 
described in paragraph (1); 
(3) assist State, Tribal, and local governments 
and nonprofit organizations in developing emergency 
management and evacuation plans that account for 
the care and rescue of animals and in improving 
local readiness for providing veterinary medical re-
sponse during a disaster; and 
(4) coordinate with the Department of Home-
land Security, the Department of Health and
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Human Services, the Department of Agriculture, 
State, Tribal, and local governments (including de-
partments of animal and human health), veterinary 
and health care professionals, and volunteers. 
SEC. 618. RIGHT OF ARBITRATION. 
Section 423 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189a) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) RIGHT OF ARBITRATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding this sec-
tion, an applicant for assistance under this title may 
request arbitration to dispute the eligibility for as-
sistance or repayment of assistance provided for a 
project of more than $100,000 for any disaster that 
occurred after January 1, 2016. Such arbitration 
shall be conducted de novo by the Civilian Board of 
Contract Appeals and the decision of such Board 
shall be binding. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To participate in arbitra-
tion under this subsection, an applicant— 
‘‘(A) shall submit the dispute to the arbi-
tration process established under the authority 
granted under section 601 of Public Law 111– 
5; and
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‘‘(B) may submit a request for arbitration 
in lieu of an appeal under subsection (a) at any 
time before the Administrator of FEMA has 
issued a final agency determination.’’. 
SEC. 619. UNIFIED FEDERAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND HIS-
TORIC PRESERVATION REVIEW. 
(a) REVIEW AND ANALYSIS.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
shall review the Unified Federal Environmental and His-
toric Preservation review process established pursuant to 
section 429 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5189g), and submit 
a report to the Committee on Transportation and Infra-
structure of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate that includes the following: 
(1) An analysis of whether and how the unified 
process has expedited the interagency review process 
to ensure compliance with the environmental and 
historic requirements under Federal law relating to 
disaster recovery projects. 
(2) A survey and analysis of categorical exclu-
sions used by other Federal agencies that may be 
applicable to any activity related to a Presidentially
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declared major disaster or emergency under such 
Act. 
(3) Recommendations on any further actions, 
including any legislative proposals, needed to expe-
dite and streamline the review process. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—After completing the review, 
survey, and analyses under subsection (a), but not later 
than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and 
after providing notice and opportunity for public comment, 
the Administrator shall issue regulations to implement any 
regulatory recommendations, including any categorical ex-
clusions identified under subsection (a), to the extent that 
the categorical exclusions meet the criteria for a categor-
ical exclusion under section 1508.4 of title 40, Code of 
Federal Regulations, and section II of DHS Instruction 
Manual 023–01–001–01. 
SEC. 620. CLOSEOUT INCENTIVES. 
(a) FACILITATING CLOSEOUT.—Section 705 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5205) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(d) FACILITATING CLOSEOUT.— 
‘‘(1) INCENTIVES.—The Administrator may de-
velop incentives and penalties that encourage State, 
Tribal, or local governments to close out expendi-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
tures and activities on a timely basis related to dis-
aster or emergency assistance. 
‘‘(2) AGENCY
REQUIREMENTS.—The Agency 
shall, consistent with applicable regulations and re-
quired procedures, meet its responsibilities to im-
prove closeout practices and reduce the time to close 
disaster program awards.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall issue 
regulations to implement this section. 
SEC. 621. PERFORMANCE OF SERVICES. 
Section 306 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5149) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency is authorized to appoint temporary 
personnel, after serving continuously for 3 years, to posi-
tions in the Agency in the same manner that competitive 
service employees with competitive status are considered 
for transfer, reassignment, or promotion to such positions. 
An individual appointed under this subsection shall be-
come a career-conditional employee, unless the employee 
has already completed the service requirements for career 
tenure.’’.
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SEC. 622. STUDY TO STREAMLINE AND CONSOLIDATE IN-
FORMATION COLLECTION. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall— 
(1) in coordination with the Small Business Ad-
ministration, the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, the Disaster Assistance Working 
Group of the Council of the Inspectors General on 
Integrity and Efficiency, and other appropriate 
agencies, conduct a study and develop a plan, con-
sistent with law, under which the collection of infor-
mation from disaster assistance applicants and 
grantees will be modified, streamlined, expedited, ef-
ficient, flexible, consolidated, and simplified to be 
less burdensome, duplicative, and time consuming 
for applicants and grantees; 
(2) in coordination with the Small Business Ad-
ministration, the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, the Disaster Assistance Working 
Group of the Council of the Inspectors General on 
Integrity and Efficiency, and other appropriate 
agencies, develop a plan for the regular collection 
and reporting of information on Federal disaster as-
sistance awarded, including the establishment and
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maintenance of a website for presenting the informa-
tion to the public; and 
(3) submit the plans to the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate. 
SEC. 623. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY. 
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 430. AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY. 
‘‘(a) PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.—Not later than 5 days 
after an award of a public assistance grant is made under 
section 406 that is in excess of $1,000,000, the Adminis-
trator shall publish on the Agency’s website the specifics 
of each such grant award, including— 
‘‘(1) identifying the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency Region; 
‘‘(2) the disaster or emergency declaration 
number; 
‘‘(3) the State, county, and applicant name; 
‘‘(4) if the applicant is a private nonprofit orga-
nization; 
‘‘(5) the damage category code;
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‘‘(6) the amount of the Federal share obligated; 
and 
‘‘(7) the date of the award. 
‘‘(b) MISSION ASSIGNMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 5 days after 
the issuance of a mission assignment or mission as-
signment task order, the Administrator shall publish 
on the Agency’s website any mission assignment or 
mission assignment task order to another Federal 
department or agency regarding a major disaster in 
excess of $1,000,000, including— 
‘‘(A) the name of the impacted State or 
Tribe; 
‘‘(B) the disaster declaration for such 
State or Tribe; 
‘‘(C) the assigned agency; 
‘‘(D) the assistance requested; 
‘‘(E) a description of the disaster; 
‘‘(F) the total cost estimate; 
‘‘(G) the amount obligated; 
‘‘(H) the State or Tribal cost share, if ap-
plicable; 
‘‘(I) the authority under which the mission 
assignment or mission assignment task order 
was directed; and
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(J) if applicable, the date a State or 
Tribe requested the mission assignment. 
‘‘(2) RECORDING CHANGES.—Not later than 10 
days after the last day of each month until a mission 
assignment or mission assignment task order de-
scribed in paragraph (1) is completed and closed 
out, the Administrator shall update any changes to 
the total cost estimate and the amount obligated. 
‘‘(c) DISASTER RELIEF MONTHLY REPORT.—Not 
later than 10 days after the first day of each month, the 
Administrator shall publish on the Agency’s website re-
ports, including a specific description of the methodology 
and the source data used in developing such reports, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(1) an estimate of the amounts for the fiscal 
year covered by the President’s most recent budget 
pursuant to section 1105(a) of title 31, United 
States Code, including— 
‘‘(A) the unobligated balance of funds to 
be carried over from the prior fiscal year to the 
budget year; 
‘‘(B) the unobligated balance of funds to 
be carried over from the budget year to the 
budget year plus 1;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(C) the amount of obligations for non-
catastrophic events for the budget year; 
‘‘(D) the amount of obligations for the 
budget year for catastrophic events delineated 
by event and by State; 
‘‘(E) the total amount that has been pre-
viously obligated or will be required for cata-
strophic events delineated by event and by State 
for all prior years, the current fiscal year, the 
budget year, and each fiscal year thereafter; 
‘‘(F) the amount of previously obligated 
funds that will be recovered for the budget 
year; 
‘‘(G) the amount that will be required for 
obligations for emergencies, as described in sec-
tion 102(1), major disasters, as described in 
section 102(2), fire management assistance 
grants, as described in section 420, surge ac-
tivities, and disaster readiness and support ac-
tivities; and 
‘‘(H) the amount required for activities not 
covered under section 251(b)(2)(D)(iii) of the 
Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Con-
trol Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(D)(iii)); 
and
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‘‘(2) an estimate or actual amounts, if available, 
of the following for the current fiscal year shall be 
submitted not later than the fifth day of each 
month, published by the Administrator on the Agen-
cy’s website not later than the fifth day of each 
month: 
‘‘(A) A summary of the amount of appro-
priations made available by source, the trans-
fers executed, the previously allocated funds re-
covered, and the commitments, allocations, and 
obligations made. 
‘‘(B) A table of disaster relief activity de-
lineated by month, including— 
‘‘(i) the beginning and ending bal-
ances; 
‘‘(ii) the total obligations to include 
amounts obligated for fire assistance, 
emergencies, surge, and disaster support 
activities; 
‘‘(iii) the obligations for catastrophic 
events delineated by event and by State; 
and 
‘‘(iv) the amount of previously obli-
gated funds that are recovered.
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‘‘(C) A summary of allocations, obligations, 
and expenditures for catastrophic events delin-
eated by event. 
‘‘(D) The cost of the following categories 
of spending: 
‘‘(i) Public assistance. 
‘‘(ii) Individual assistance. 
‘‘(iii) Mitigation. 
‘‘(iv) Administrative. 
‘‘(v) Operations. 
‘‘(vi) Any other relevant category (in-
cluding emergency measures and disaster 
resources) delineated by disaster. 
‘‘(E) The date on which funds appro-
priated will be exhausted. 
‘‘(d) CONTRACTS.— 
‘‘(1) INFORMATION.—Not later than 10 days 
after the first day of each month, the Administrator 
shall publish on the Agency’s website the specifics of 
each contract in excess of $1,000,000 that the Agen-
cy enters into, including— 
‘‘(A) the name of the party; 
‘‘(B) the date the contract was awarded; 
‘‘(C) the amount and scope of the contract;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(D) if the contract was awarded through 
competitive bidding process; 
‘‘(E) if no competitive bidding process was 
used, the reason why competitive bidding was 
not used; and 
‘‘(F) the authority used to bypass the com-
petitive bidding process. 
The information shall be delineated by disaster, if 
applicable, and specify the damage category code, if 
applicable. 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 10 days after 
the last day of the fiscal year, the Administrator 
shall provide a report to the appropriate committees 
of Congress summarizing the following information 
for the preceding fiscal year: 
‘‘(A) The number of contracts awarded 
without competitive bidding. 
‘‘(B) The reasons why a competitive bid-
ding process was not used. 
‘‘(C) The total amount of contracts award-
ed with no competitive bidding. 
‘‘(D) The damage category codes, if appli-
cable, for contracts awarded without competi-
tive bidding.’’.
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SEC. 624. AUDIT OF CONTRACTS. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Ad-
ministrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy shall not reimburse a State, Tribe, or local government 
or the owner or operator of a private nonprofit facility for 
any activities made pursuant to a contract entered into 
after August 1, 2017, that prohibits the Administrator or 
the Comptroller General of the United States from audit-
ing or otherwise reviewing all aspects relating to the con-
tract. 
SEC. 625. INSPECTOR GENERAL AUDIT OF FEMA CON-
TRACTS FOR TARPS AND PLASTIC SHEETING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the inspector general of the 
Department of Homeland Security shall initiate an audit 
of the contracts awarded by the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency (in this section referred to as ‘‘FEMA’’) 
for tarps and plastic sheeting for the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands in re-
sponse to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. 
(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In carrying out the audit 
under subsection (a), the inspector general shall review— 
(1) the contracting process used by FEMA to 
evaluate offerors and award the relevant contracts to 
contractors;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(2) FEMA’s assessment of the past perform-
ance of the contractors, including any historical in-
formation showing that the contractors had sup-
ported large-scale delivery quantities in the past; 
(3) FEMA’s assessment of the capacity of the 
contractors to carry out the relevant contracts, in-
cluding with respect to inventory, production, and fi-
nancial capabilities; 
(4) how FEMA ensured that the contractors 
met the terms of the relevant contracts; and 
(5) whether the failure of the contractors to 
meet the terms of the relevant contracts and 
FEMA’s subsequent cancellation of the relevant con-
tracts affected the provision of tarps and plastic 
sheeting to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and 
the United States Virgin Islands. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 270 days after the date 
of initiation of the audit under subsection (a), the inspec-
tor general shall submit to the Committee on Transpor-
tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern-
mental Affairs of the Senate a report on the results of 
the audit, including findings and recommendations.
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SEC. 626. RELIEF ORGANIZATIONS. 
Section 309 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5152) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and other re-
lief or’’ and inserting ‘‘long-term recovery groups, 
domestic hunger relief, and other relief, or’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘and other re-
lief or’’ and inserting ‘‘long-term recovery groups, 
domestic hunger relief, and other relief, or’’. 
SEC. 627. GUIDANCE ON INUNDATED AND SUBMERGED 
ROADS. 
The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency, in coordination with the Administrator 
of the Federal Highway Administration, shall develop and 
issue guidance for State, local, and Tribal governments 
regarding repair, restoration, and replacement of inun-
dated and submerged roads damaged or destroyed by a 
major disaster, and for associated expenses incurred by 
the Government, with respect to roads eligible for assist-
ance under section 406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172). 
SEC. 628. AUTHORITIES. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the non- 
federally funded actions of private parties and State, local, 
or Tribal governments, on State, local, Tribal, and private
463 
•HR 4 EH1S 
land, and the effects of those actions, shall not be attrib-
uted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s ac-
tions under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 
U.S.C. 4001 et seq.), the Flood Disaster Protection Act 
of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4002 et seq.), the Biggert-Waters 
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (subtitle A of title 
II of division F of Public Law 112–141; 126 Stat. 916), 
and the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 
2014 (Public Law 113–89; 128 Stat. 1020) for the pur-
poses of section 7 (16 U.S.C. 1536) and section 9 (16 
U.S.C. 1538) of the Endangered Species Act. Actions 
taken under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, 
the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, the Biggert- 
Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012, and the 
Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, 
that may influence private actions do not create a Federal 
nexus for the purpose of applying the requirements of sec-
tion 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 
1536). 
SEC. 629. RECOUPMENT OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE PROHIB-
ITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 3716(e) 
of title 31, United States Code, and unless there is evi-
dence of civil or criminal fraud, the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency may not take any action to recoup
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•HR 4 EH1S 
covered assistance from the recipient of such assistance 
if the receipt of such assistance occurred on a date that 
is more than 3 years before the date on which the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency first provides to the re-
cipient written notification of an intent to recoup. 
(b) COVERED ASSISTANCE DEFINED.—In this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘covered assistance’’ means assistance pro-
vided— 
(1) under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5174); and 
(2) in relation to a major disaster or emergency 
declared by the President under section 401 or 501 
of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 42 U.S.C. 5191) on 
or after January 1, 2012. 
SEC. 630. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 705 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5205) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Except’’ and inserting 
‘‘Notwithstanding section 3716(e) of title 31, 
United States Code, and except’’; and
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(B) by striking ‘‘report for the disaster or 
emergency’’ and inserting ‘‘report for project 
completion as certified by the grantee’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘report 
for the disaster or emergency’’ and inserting 
‘‘report for project completion as certified by 
the grantee’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3) by inserting ‘‘for 
project completion as certified by the grantee’’ 
after ‘‘final expenditure report’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to disaster or 
emergency assistance provided to a State or local 
government on or after January 1, 2004— 
(A) no administrative action may be taken 
to recover a payment of such assistance after 
the date of enactment of this Act if the action 
is prohibited under section 705(a)(1) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5205(a)(1)), 
as amended by subsection (a); and 
(B) any administrative action to recover a 
payment of such assistance that is pending on 
such date of enactment shall be terminated if
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•HR 4 EH1S 
the action is prohibited under section 705(a)(1) 
of that Act, as amended by subsection (a). 
(2) LIMITATION.—This section, including the 
amendments made by this section, may not be con-
strued to invalidate or otherwise affect any adminis-
tration action completed before the date of enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 631. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RECOMMENDA-
TIONS. 
(a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall provide 
technical assistance to a common interest community that 
provides essential services of a governmental nature on ac-
tions that a common interest community may take in 
order to be eligible to receive reimbursement from a grant-
ee that receives funds from the Agency for certain activi-
ties performed after an event that results in a disaster 
declaration. 
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall provide to the Committee on Transportation and In-
frastructure of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
of the Senate a legislative proposal on how to provide eligi-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
bility for disaster assistance with respect to common areas 
of condominiums and housing cooperatives. 
SEC. 632. GUIDANCE ON HAZARD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall issue guid-
ance regarding the acquisition of property for open space 
as a mitigation measure under section 404 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5170c) that includes— 
(1) a process by which the State hazard mitiga-
tion officer appointed for such an acquisition shall, 
not later than 60 days after the applicant for assist-
ance enters into an agreement with the Adminis-
trator regarding the acquisition, provide written no-
tification to each affected unit of local government 
for such acquisition that includes— 
(A) the location of the acquisition; 
(B) the State-local assistance agreement 
for the hazard mitigation grant program; 
(C) a description of the acquisition; and 
(D) a copy of the deed restriction; and 
(2) recommendations for entering into and im-
plementing a memorandum of understanding be-
tween units of local government and covered entities
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that includes provisions to allow an affected unit of 
local government notified under paragraph (1) to— 
(A) use and maintain the open space cre-
ated by such a project, consistent with section 
404 (including related regulations, standards, 
and guidance) and consistent with all adjoining 
property, subject to the notification of the ad-
joining property, so long as the cost of the 
maintenance is borne by the local government; 
and 
(B) maintain the open space pursuant to 
standards exceeding any local government 
standards defined in the agreement with the 
Administrator described under paragraph (1). 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section the following defi-
nitions apply: 
(1) AFFECTED
UNIT
OF
LOCAL
GOVERN-
MENT.—The term ‘‘affected unit of local govern-
ment’’ means any entity covered by the definition of 
local government in section 102 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), that has jurisdiction over the 
property subject to the acquisition described in sub-
section (a).
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(2) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered en-
tity’’ means— 
(A) the grantee or subgrantee receiving as-
sistance for an open space project described in 
subsection (a); 
(B) the State in which such project is lo-
cated; and 
(C) the applicable Regional Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
SEC. 633. LOCAL IMPACT. 
In making recommendations to the President regard-
ing a major disaster declaration, the Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall give great-
er weight and consideration to severe local impact or re-
cent multiple disasters. Further, the Administrator shall 
make corresponding adjustments to the Agency’s policies 
and regulations regarding such consideration. Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, 
the Administrator shall report to the Committee on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs of the Senate on the changes made to 
regulations and policies and the number of declarations 
that have been declared based on the new criteria.
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SEC. 634. ADDITIONAL HAZARD MITIGATION ACTIVITIES. 
Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c) is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) USE
OF ASSISTANCE.—Recipients of hazard 
mitigation assistance provided under this section and sec-
tion 203 may use the assistance to conduct activities to 
help reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss, or 
suffering in any area affected by earthquake hazards, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(1) improvements to regional seismic networks 
in support of building a capability for earthquake 
early warning; 
‘‘(2) improvements to geodetic networks in sup-
port of building a capability for earthquake early 
warning; and 
‘‘(3) improvements to seismometers, Global Po-
sitioning System receivers, and associated infrastruc-
ture in support of building a capability for earth-
quake early warning.’’. 
SEC. 
635. 
NATIONAL 
PUBLIC 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION. 
(a) PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION.—Section 
203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended—
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(1) in subsection (c) by inserting ‘‘Public Infra-
structure’’ after ‘‘the National’’; 
(2) in subsection (e)(1)(B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end of clause 
(ii); 
(B) by striking the period at the end of 
clause (iii) and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iv) to establish and carry out en-
forcement activities to implement the latest 
published editions of relevant consensus- 
based codes, specifications, and standards 
that incorporate the latest hazard-resistant 
designs and establish minimum acceptable 
criteria for the design, construction, and 
maintenance of residential structures and 
facilities that may be eligible for assistance 
under this Act for the purpose of pro-
tecting the health, safety, and general wel-
fare of the buildings’ users against disas-
ters.’’; 
(3) in subsection (f)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘for 
mitigation activities that are cost effective’’ 
after ‘‘competitive basis’’; and
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(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) 
REDISTRIBUTION
OF
UNOBLIGATED 
AMOUNTS.—The President may— 
‘‘(A) withdraw amounts of financial assist-
ance made available to a State (including 
amounts made available to local governments of 
a State) under this subsection that remain un-
obligated by the end of the third fiscal year 
after the fiscal year for which the amounts were 
allocated; and 
‘‘(B) in the fiscal year following a fiscal 
year in which amounts were withdrawn under 
subparagraph (A), add the amounts to any 
other amounts available to be awarded on a 
competitive basis pursuant to paragraph (1).’’; 
(4) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in paragraph (9) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (10) as 
paragraph (12); and 
(C) by adding after paragraph (9) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(10) the extent to which the State or local 
government has facilitated the adoption and enforce-
ment of the latest published editions of relevant con-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
sensus-based codes, specifications, and standards 
that incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs 
and establish criteria for the design, construction, 
and maintenance of residential structures and facili-
ties that may be eligible for assistance under this 
Act for the purpose of protecting the health, safety, 
and general welfare of the buildings’ users against 
disasters; 
‘‘(11) the extent to which the assistance will 
fund activities that increase the level of resiliency; 
and’’; 
(5) by striking subsection (i) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(i) 
NATIONAL
PUBLIC
INFRASTRUCTURE 
PREDISASTER MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President may set 
aside from the Disaster Relief Fund, with respect to 
each major disaster, an amount equal to 6 percent 
of the estimated aggregate amount of the grants to 
be made pursuant to sections 403, 406, 407, 408, 
410, and 416 for the major disaster in order to pro-
vide technical and financial assistance under this 
section. 
‘‘(2) ESTIMATED
AGGREGATE
AMOUNT.—Not 
later than 180 days after each major disaster dec-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
laration pursuant to this Act, the estimated aggre-
gate amount of grants for purposes of paragraph (1) 
shall be determined by the President and such esti-
mated amount need not be reduced, increased, or 
changed due to variations in estimates. 
‘‘(3) 
NO
REDUCTION
IN
AMOUNTS.—The 
amount set aside pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 
not reduce the amounts otherwise made available for 
sections 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 410, and 416 
under this Act.’’; and 
(6) by striking subsections (j) and (m) and re-
designating subsections (k), (l), and (n) as sub-
sections (j), (k), and (l), respectively. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made to sec-
tion 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) by para-
graphs (3) and (5) of subsection (a) shall apply to funds 
appropriated after the date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 636. ADDITIONAL MITIGATION ACTIVITIES. 
(a) HAZARD MITIGATION CLARIFICATION.—Section 
404(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c(a)) is 
amended by striking the first sentence and inserting the 
following: ‘‘The President may contribute up to 75 percent 
of the cost of hazard mitigation measures which the Presi-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
dent has determined are cost effective and which substan-
tially reduce the risk of, or increase resilience to, future 
damage, hardship, loss, or suffering in any area affected 
by a major disaster.’’. 
(b) ELIGIBLE COST.—Section 406(e)(1)(A) of such 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5172(e)(1)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by insert-
ing after ‘‘section,’’ the following: ‘‘for disasters de-
clared on or after August 1, 2017, or a disaster in 
which a cost estimate has not yet been finalized for 
a project,’’; 
(2) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’; 
(3) in clause (ii)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘codes, specifications, and 
standards’’ and inserting ‘‘the latest published 
editions of relevant consensus-based codes, 
specifications, and standards that incorporate 
the latest hazard-resistant designs and establish 
minimum acceptable criteria for the design, 
construction, and maintenance of residential 
structures and facilities that may be eligible for 
assistance under this Act for the purposes of 
protecting the health, safety, and general wel-
fare of a facility’s users against disasters’’;
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(B) by striking ‘‘applicable at the time at 
which the disaster occurred’’; and 
(C) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iii) in a manner that allows the fa-
cility to meet the definition of resilient de-
veloped pursuant to this subsection.’’. 
(c) OTHER ELIGIBLE COST.—Section 406(e)(1) of 
such Act (42 U.S.C. 5172(e)(1)) is further amended by 
inserting at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) CONTRIBUTIONS.—Contributions for 
the eligible cost made under this section may be 
provided on an actual cost basis or on cost-esti-
mation procedures.’’. 
(d) NEW RULES.—Section 406(e) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 5172(e)) is further amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(5) NEW RULES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this 
paragraph, the President, acting through the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency, shall issue a final rulemaking
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that defines the terms ‘resilient’ and ‘resiliency’ 
for purposes of this subsection. 
‘‘(B) INTERIM GUIDANCE.—Not later than 
60 days after the date of enactment of this 
paragraph, the Administrator shall issue in-
terim guidance to implement this subsection. 
Such interim guidance shall expire 18 months 
after the date of enactment of this paragraph 
or upon issuance of final regulations pursuant 
to subparagraph (A), whichever occurs first. 
‘‘(C) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date on which the Administrator 
issues the final rulemaking under this para-
graph, the Administrator shall issue any nec-
essary guidance related to the rulemaking. 
‘‘(D) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 
the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report summarizing the regulations and guid-
ance issued pursuant to this paragraph.’’. 
(e) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 205(d)(2) 
of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (Public Law 106– 
390) is amended by inserting ‘‘(B)’’ after ‘‘except that 
paragraph (1)’’.
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SEC. 637. ELIGIBILITY FOR CODE IMPLEMENTATION AND 
ENFORCEMENT. 
Section 402 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170a) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(4); 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as para-
graph (6); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(5) provide assistance to State and local gov-
ernments for building code and floodplain manage-
ment ordinance administration and enforcement, in-
cluding inspections for substantial damage compli-
ance.’’. 
SEC. 638. GAO REPORT ON LONG-TERM RECOVERY EF-
FORTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 240 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
shall submit to Congress a report on long-term recovery 
efforts following Hurricane Andrew, the attacks of Sep-
tember 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike, and 
Hurricane Sandy. 
(b) CONTENT OF REPORT.—The report shall contain 
the following:
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(1) Information on defining a long-term recov-
ery, the stages of a long-term recovery, and the 
transition from Federal Government management of 
long-term recovery efforts to State and local leader-
ship. 
(2) An assessment of the personnel needed, and 
the types of expertise or certifications required to ac-
complish the administration and management of re-
covery efforts for each of the disasters described in 
subsection (a). 
(3) An analysis of the success and efficiency of 
the long-term disaster recovery, and best practices 
learned that may be applied to future long-term dis-
aster recovery plans. 
(4) Recommendations of the Comptroller Gen-
eral for what should be defined as a long-term dis-
aster recovery project using existing authority and 
responsibility of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency (FEMA) to advise and make rec-
ommendations to the President regarding Presi-
dential Disaster Declarations. 
(5) Recommendations of FEMA on the capacity 
and competence of FEMA to manage multiple major 
Presidential Disaster Declarations simultaneously of 
the magnitude of 3, 4, or all 5 of the disasters de-
480 
•HR 4 EH1S 
scribed in subsection (a) occurring within weeks of 
each other. 
SEC. 639. GUIDANCE AND TRAINING BY FEMA ON COORDI-
NATION OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS. 
(a) TRAINING REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall provide 
guidance and training on an annual basis to State, local, 
and Tribal governments, first responders, and facilities 
that store hazardous materials on coordination of emer-
gency response plans in the event of a major disaster or 
emergency, including severe weather events. The guidance 
and training shall include the following: 
(1) Providing a list of equipment required in 
the event a hazardous substance is released into the 
environment. 
(2) Outlining the health risks associated with 
exposure to hazardous substances to improve treat-
ment response. 
(3) Publishing best practices for mitigating fur-
ther danger to communities from hazardous sub-
stances. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The requirement of sub-
section (a) shall be implemented not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
SEC. 640. REIMBURSEMENT. 
The 
Federal 
Emergency 
Management 
Agency 
(FEMA) shall retroactively reimburse State and local 
units of government (for a period of 3 years after the dec-
laration of a major disaster under section 401 of the Rob-
ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5170)) upon determination that a locally- 
implemented housing solution, implemented by State or 
local units of government, costs 50 percent of comparable 
FEMA solution or whatever the locally-implemented solu-
tion costs, whichever is lower. 
SEC. 641. FLOOD INSURANCE. 
Section 406(d)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5172(d)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: ‘‘This section shall not apply to more than one 
building of a multi-structure educational, law enforcement, 
correctional, fire, or medical campus, effective January 1, 
2016.’’. 
SEC. 642. CERTAIN RECOUPMENT PROHIBITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
shall deem any covered disaster assistance to have been 
properly procured, provided, and utilized, and shall restore 
any funding of covered disaster assistance previously pro-
vided but subsequently withdrawn or deobligated.
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(b) COVERED DISASTER ASSISTANCE DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘‘covered disaster assistance’’ means 
assistance— 
(1) provided to a local government pursuant to 
section 403, 406, or 407 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5170b, 5172, or 5173); and 
(2) with respect to which, the Inspector General 
of the Department of Homeland Security has deter-
mined, after an audit, that— 
(A) the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency deployed to the local government a 
Technical Assistance Contractor to review field 
operations, provide eligibility advice, and assist 
with day-to-day decisions; 
(B) the Technical Assistance Contractor 
provided inaccurate information to the local 
government; and 
(C) the local government relied on the in-
accurate information to determine that relevant 
contracts were eligible, reasonable, and reim-
bursable.
483 
•HR 4 EH1S 
TITLE VII—FLIGHT R&D ACT 
Subtitle A—General Provisions 
SEC. 701. SHORT TITLE. 
This title may be cited as the ‘‘FAA Leadership in 
Groundbreaking High-Tech Research and Development 
Act’’ or the ‘‘FLIGHT R&D Act’’. 
SEC. 702. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title, the following definitions apply: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Federal 
Aviation Administration. 
(2) FAA.—The term ‘‘FAA’’ means the Fed-
eral Aviation Administration. 
(3) NASA.—The term ‘‘NASA’’ means the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Transportation. 
SEC. 703. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) AUTHORIZATIONS.—Section 48102(a) of title 49, 
United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in the matter before paragraph (1) by strik-
ing ‘‘and, for each of fiscal years 2012 through 
2015, under subsection (g)’’; 
(2) at the end of paragraph (9), by striking 
‘‘and’’; and
484 
•HR 4 EH1S 
(3) by striking paragraph (10) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(10) for fiscal year 2018, $181,000,000, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) $128,500,000 for Safety Research 
and Development programs, including— 
‘‘(i) Fire Research and Safety; 
‘‘(ii) Propulsion and Fuel Systems; 
‘‘(iii) Advanced Materials/Structural 
Safety; 
‘‘(iv) Aircraft Icing/Digital System 
Safety; 
‘‘(v) Continued Airworthiness; 
‘‘(vi) Aircraft Catastrophic Failure 
Prevention Research; 
‘‘(vii) Flightdeck/Maintenance/System 
Integration Human Factors; 
‘‘(viii) System Safety Management; 
‘‘(ix) Air Traffic Control/Technical 
Operations Human Factors; 
‘‘(x) Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(xi) Weather Program; 
‘‘(xii) Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
Research;
485 
•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(xiii) NextGen–Alternative Fuels for 
General Aviation; 
‘‘(xiv) Joint Planning and Develop-
ment Office; 
‘‘(xv) Ocean and Other Remote Loca-
tions ATS Research Program; 
‘‘(xvi) Cybersecurity Research Pro-
gram; 
‘‘(xvii) Cybersecurity Threat Modeling 
Program; 
‘‘(xviii) Single Piloted Commercial 
Cargo Aircraft Program; and 
‘‘(xix) UAV-Manned Aircraft Collision 
Research Program; 
‘‘(B) $26,000,000 for Economic Competi-
tiveness Research and Development programs, 
including— 
‘‘(i) NextGen–Wake Turbulence; 
‘‘(ii) NextGen–Air Ground Integration 
Human Factors; 
‘‘(iii) Next Gen–Weather Technology 
in the Cockpit; and 
‘‘(iv) Commercial Space Transpor-
tation Safety;
486 
•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(C) $20,000,000 for Environmental Sus-
tainability Research and Development pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) Environment and Energy; and 
‘‘(ii) 
NextGen–Environmental 
Re-
search–Aircraft Technologies, Fuels and 
Metrics; and 
‘‘(D) $6,500,000 for Mission Support pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) System Planning and Resource 
Management; and 
‘‘(ii) William J. Hughes Technical 
Center Laboratory Facility; 
‘‘(11) for fiscal year 2019, $186,000,000, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(A) $131,000,000 for Safety Research 
and Development programs, including— 
‘‘(i) Fire Research and Safety; 
‘‘(ii) Propulsion and Fuel Systems; 
‘‘(iii) Advanced Materials/Structural 
Safety; 
‘‘(iv) Aircraft Icing/Digital System 
Safety; 
‘‘(v) Continued Airworthiness;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(vi) Aircraft Catastrophic Failure 
Prevention Research; 
‘‘(vii) Flightdeck/Maintenance/System 
Integration Human Factors; 
‘‘(viii) System Safety Management; 
‘‘(ix) Air Traffic Control/Technical 
Operations Human Factors; 
‘‘(x) Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(xi) Weather Program; 
‘‘(xii) Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
Research; 
‘‘(xiii) NextGen–Alternative Fuels for 
General Aviation; 
‘‘(xiv) Joint Planning and Develop-
ment Office; 
‘‘(xv) Ocean and Other Remote Loca-
tions ATS Research Program; 
‘‘(xvi) Cybersecurity Research Pro-
gram; 
‘‘(xvii) Cybersecurity Threat Modeling 
Program; 
‘‘(xviii) Single Piloted Commercial 
Cargo Aircraft Program; and 
‘‘(xix) UAV-Manned Aircraft Collision 
Research Program;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(B) $28,000,000 for Economic Competi-
tiveness Research and Development programs, 
including— 
‘‘(i) NextGen–Wake Turbulence; 
‘‘(ii) NextGen–Air Ground Integration 
Human Factors; 
‘‘(iii) Next Gen–Weather Technology 
in the Cockpit; and 
‘‘(iv) Commercial Space Transpor-
tation Safety; 
‘‘(C) $20,000,000 for Environmental Sus-
tainability Research and Development pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) Environment and Energy; and 
‘‘(ii) 
NextGen–Environmental 
Re-
search–Aircraft Technologies, Fuels and 
Metrics; and 
‘‘(D) $7,000,000 for Mission Support pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) System Planning and Resource 
Management; and 
‘‘(ii) William J. Hughes Technical 
Center Laboratory Facility; 
‘‘(12) for fiscal year 2020, $190,000,000, in-
cluding—
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(A) $133,500,000 for Safety Research 
and Development programs, including— 
‘‘(i) Fire Research and Safety; 
‘‘(ii) Propulsion and Fuel Systems; 
‘‘(iii) Advanced Materials/Structural 
Safety; 
‘‘(iv) Aircraft Icing/Digital System 
Safety; 
‘‘(v) Continued Airworthiness; 
‘‘(vi) Aircraft Catastrophic Failure 
Prevention Research; 
‘‘(vii) Flightdeck/Maintenance/System 
Integration Human Factors; 
‘‘(viii) System Safety Management; 
‘‘(ix) Air Traffic Control/Technical 
Operations Human Factors; 
‘‘(x) Aeromedical Research; 
‘‘(xi) Weather Program; 
‘‘(xii) Unmanned Aircraft Systems 
Research; 
‘‘(xiii) NextGen–Alternative Fuels for 
General Aviation; 
‘‘(xiv) Joint Planning and Develop-
ment Office;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(xv) Ocean and Other Remote Loca-
tions ATS Research Program; 
‘‘(xvi) Cybersecurity Research Pro-
gram; 
‘‘(xvii) Cybersecurity Threat Modeling 
Program; 
‘‘(xviii) Single Piloted Commercial 
Cargo Aircraft Program; and 
‘‘(xix) UAV-Manned Aircraft Collision 
Research Program; 
‘‘(B) $29,000,000 for Economic Competi-
tiveness Research and Development programs, 
including— 
‘‘(i) NextGen–Wake Turbulence; 
‘‘(ii) NextGen–Air Ground Integration 
Human Factors; 
‘‘(iii) Next Gen–Weather Technology 
in the Cockpit; and 
‘‘(iv) Commercial Space Transpor-
tation Safety; 
‘‘(C) $20,000,000 for Environmental Sus-
tainability Research and Development pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) Environment and Energy; and
491 
•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(ii) 
NextGen–Environmental 
Re-
search–Aircraft Technologies, Fuels and 
Metrics; and 
‘‘(D) $7,500,000 for Mission Support pro-
grams, including— 
‘‘(i) System Planning and Resource 
Management; and 
‘‘(ii) William J. Hughes Technical 
Center Laboratory Facility; 
‘‘(13) for fiscal year 2021, $195,000,000; 
‘‘(14) for fiscal year 2022, $200,000,000; and 
‘‘(15) for fiscal year 2023, $204,000,000.’’. 
(b) ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF THE NATIONAL AVIA-
TION RESEARCH PLAN.—Section 48102(g) of title 49, 
United States, Code, is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(g) ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF THE NATIONAL AVIA-
TION RESEARCH PLAN.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 
no funds are authorized to be appropriated for the Office 
of the Administrator for a fiscal year unless the Secretary 
has submitted the national aviation research plan to Con-
gress no later than the date of submission of the Presi-
dent’s budget request to Congress for that fiscal year, as 
required under section 44501(c).’’.
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Subtitle B—FAA Research and 
Development Organization 
SEC. 711. ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) APPOINTMENT.—Not later than 3 months after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
appoint an Associate Administrator for Research and De-
velopment. 
(b) SENIOR EXECUTIVE SERVICE.—The Associate 
Administrator for Research and Development shall be a 
Senior Executive Service position. 
(c) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Associate Adminis-
trator for Research and Development shall, at a minimum, 
be responsible for— 
(1) management and oversight of all the FAA’s 
research and development programs and activities; 
and 
(2) production of all congressional reports from 
the FAA relevant to research and development, in-
cluding the national aviation research plan required 
under section 44501(c) of title 49, United States 
Code. 
(d) DUAL APPOINTMENT.—The Associate Adminis-
trator for Research and Development may be a dual-ap-
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•HR 4 EH1S 
pointment, holding the responsibilities of another Asso-
ciate Administrator. 
SEC. 712. RESEARCH ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
(a) 
ADVICE
AND
RECOMMENDATIONS.—Section 
44508(a)(1)(A) of title 49, United States Code, is amend-
ed to read as follows: 
‘‘(A) provide advice and recommendations to 
the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Adminis-
tration and Congress about needs, objectives, plans, 
approaches, content, and accomplishments of all 
aviation research and development activities and 
programs carried out, including those under sections 
40119, 44504, 44505, 44507, 44511–44513, and 
44912 of this title;’’. 
(b) WRITTEN REPLY TO RESEARCH ADVISORY COM-
MITTEE.—Section 44508 of title 49, United States Code, 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(f) WRITTEN REPLY.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days 
after receiving any recommendation from the re-
search advisory committee, the Administrator shall 
provide a written reply to the research advisory com-
mittee that, at a minimum— 
‘‘(A) clearly states whether the Adminis-
trator accepts or rejects the recommendations;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
‘‘(B) explains the rationale for the Admin-
istrator’s decision; 
‘‘(C) sets forth the timeframe in which the 
Administrator will implement the recommenda-
tion; and 
‘‘(D) describes the steps the Administrator 
will take to implement the recommendation. 
‘‘(2) TRANSPARENCY.—The written reply to the 
research advisory committee, when transmitted to 
the research advisory committee, shall be— 
‘‘(A) made publicly available on the re-
search advisory committee website; and 
‘‘(B) transmitted to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Sen-
ate. 
‘‘(3) NATIONAL AVIATION RESEARCH PLAN.— 
The national aviation research plan required under 
section 44501(c) shall include a summary of all re-
search advisory committee recommendations and a 
description of the status of their implementation.’’.
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Subtitle C—Unmanned Aircraft 
Systems 
SEC. 721. UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT ROADMAP. 
No funds are authorized to be appropriated for the 
Office of the Administrator for a fiscal year unless the 
Secretary has submitted the unmanned aircraft systems 
roadmap to Congress on an annual basis as required 
under section 45502(a) of title 49, United States Code, 
(as added by this Act). 
SEC. 722. PROBABILISTIC METRICS FOR EXEMPTIONS. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall commis-
sion an independent study to— 
(1) develop parameters to conduct research and 
development for probabilistic metrics to enable the 
identification of hazards and the assessment of risks 
as necessary to make determinations under section 
45505(a) of title 49, United States Code, (as added 
by this Act) that certain unmanned aircraft systems 
may operate safely in the national airspace system; 
(2) identify additional research needed to more 
effectively develop and use such metrics and make 
such determinations; and
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(3) in developing parameters for probabilistic 
metrics, this study shall take into account the utility 
of performance standards to make determinations 
under section 45505(a) of title 49, United States 
Code, (as added by this Act). 
(b) CONSIDERATION
OF RESULTS.—The Adminis-
trator shall consider the results of the study conducted 
under subsection (a) when making a determination de-
scribed in subsection (a)(1). 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 9 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 
the results of the study conducted under subsection (a) 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Com-
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 
SEC. 723. PROBABILISTIC ASSESSMENT OF RISKS. 
The Administrator shall conduct research and devel-
opment to enable a probabilistic assessment of risks to in-
form requirements for standards for operational certifi-
cation of public unmanned aircraft systems in the national 
airspace. 
SEC. 724. UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLE-MANNED AIRCRAFT 
COLLISION RESEARCH. 
(a) RESEARCH.—The Administrator shall coordinate 
with NASA to conduct comprehensive testing of un-
497 
•HR 4 EH1S 
manned aerial vehicles colliding with a manned aircraft, 
including— 
(1) collisions between unmanned aerial vehicles 
of various sizes, traveling at various speeds, and 
commercial jet airliners of various sizes, traveling at 
various speeds; 
(2) collisions between unmanned aerial vehicles 
of various sizes, traveling at various speeds, and pro-
peller planes of various sizes, traveling at various 
speeds; 
(3) collisions between unmanned aerial vehicles 
of various sizes, traveling at various speeds, and 
blimps of various sizes, traveling at various speeds; 
(4) collisions between unmanned aerial vehicles 
of various sizes, traveling at various speeds, and 
rotorcraft of various sizes, traveling at various 
speeds; and 
(5) collisions between unmanned aerial vehicles 
and various parts of the aforementioned aircraft, in-
cluding— 
(A) windshields; 
(B) noses; 
(C) engines; 
(D) radomes; 
(E) propellers; and
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(F) wings. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall transmit 
a report summarizing the costs and results of research 
under this section to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of 
the Senate. 
SEC. 725. SPECIAL RULE FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT. 
Except as necessary to support enforcement action 
under applicable provisions of law against persons oper-
ating unmanned aircraft in a manner that endangers the 
safety of the national airspace system, notwithstanding 
any other provision of law relating to the incorporation 
of unmanned aircraft systems into FAA plans and policies, 
the Administrator may not promulgate any rule or regula-
tion regarding the operation of an unmanned aircraft sys-
tem— 
(1) that is flown strictly for research and devel-
opment use; 
(2) that is operated less than 400 feet above 
the ground and in Class G airspace;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(3) that is operated in a manner that does not 
interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft; 
and 
(4) when flown within 5 miles of an airport, the 
operator of the aircraft provides the airport operator 
and the airport air traffic control tower (when an air 
traffic facility is located at the airport) with prior 
notice of the operation (unmanned aircraft operators 
flying from a permanent location within 5 miles of 
an airport should establish a mutually-agreed upon 
operating procedure with the airport operator and 
the airport air traffic control tower (when an air 
traffic facility is located at the airport)). 
SEC. 726. BEYOND LINE-OF-SIGHT RESEARCH AND DEVEL-
OPMENT. 
(a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 332(c)(2) the FAA 
Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (49 U.S.C. 40101 
note) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Administrator shall’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Administrator’’; 
(2) at the beginning of each of subparagraphs 
(A) through (F), by inserting ‘‘shall’’; 
(3) at the end of subparagraph (E), by striking 
‘‘and’’;
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•HR 4 EH1S 
(4) at the end of subparagraph (F), by striking 
the period and inserting a semicolon; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraphs: 
‘‘(G) shall allow beyond line-of-sight oper-
ation of unmanned aircraft systems to be flown 
within the boundaries of a test range estab-
lished under this subsection; 
‘‘(H) may promulgate regulations gov-
erning beyond line-of-sight operation of un-
manned aircraft systems flown within the 
boundaries of a test range established under 
this subsection for the purposes of public safe-
ty; and 
‘‘(I) shall allow NASA to authorize oper-
ation of beyond line-of-sight unmanned aircraft 
systems within the boundaries of any NASA 
center or facility.’’. 
(b) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in the 
amendments made by subsection (a) shall be construed to 
limit the authority of the Administrator to pursue enforce-
ment action under applicable provisions of law against per-
sons operating unmanned aircraft in a manner that en-
dangers the safety of the national airspace system.
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Subtitle D—Cybersecurity 
SEC. 731. CYBER TESTBED. 
Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator shall develop an integrated 
Cyber Testbed for research, development, evaluation, and 
validation of air traffic control modernization programs or 
technologies, before they enter the national airspace sys-
tem, as being compliant with FAA data security regula-
tions. The Cyber Testbed shall be part of an integrated 
research and development test environment capable of cre-
ating, identifying, defending, and solving cybersecurity-re-
lated problems for the national airspace system. This inte-
grated test environment shall incorporate integrated test 
capacities within the FAA related to the national airspace 
system and NextGen. 
SEC. 732. CABIN COMMUNICATIONS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND 
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMS CY-
BERSECURITY VULNERABILITIES. 
(a) EVALUATION.—The Administrator shall evaluate 
and determine the research and development needs associ-
ated with cybersecurity vulnerabilities of cabin commu-
nications, entertainment, and information technology sys-
tems on civil passenger aircraft. This evaluation shall in-
clude research and development to address— 
(1) technical risks and vulnerabilities;
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SEC. 902. INTERAGENCY COUNCIL ON EXTREME WEATHER 
RESILIENCE, 
PREPAREDNESS, 
AND 
RISK 
IDENTIFICATION AND MANAGEMENT. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a 
council to be known as the ‘‘Interagency Council on Ex-
treme Weather Resilience, Preparedness, and Risk Identi-
fication and Management’’. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Interagency Council shall be 
composed of the following: 
(1) Senior officials, to be appointed by the 
President, including representation from the fol-
lowing: 
(A) The Council on Environmental Qual-
ity. 
(B) The Office of Science and Technology 
Policy. 
(C) The National Security Council. 
(D) The Office of Management and Budg-
et. 
(E) The Department of Transportation. 
(F) The Environmental Protection Agency. 
(G) The National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration. 
(H) The Department of Energy. 
(I) The Department of Homeland Security.