H. R. 3080—103 
‘‘(3) WORK PLANS.—The Secretary shall enter into an agree-
ment with each State receiving technical assistance under this 
subsection to develop a work plan necessary for the State 
levee safety program of that State to reach a level of program 
performance that meets the guidelines established under sub-
section (c)(1). 
‘‘(f) PUBLIC EDUCATION AND AWARENESS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination with the 
Administrator, shall carry out public education and awareness 
efforts relating to the levee safety initiative. 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—In carrying out the efforts under para-
graph (1), the Secretary and the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) educate individuals living in leveed areas 
regarding the risks of living in those areas; and 
‘‘(B) promote consistency in the transmission of 
information regarding levees among Federal agencies and 
regarding risk communication at the State and local levels. 
‘‘(g) STATE AND TRIBAL LEVEE SAFETY PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) GUIDELINES.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, in consultation with 
the Administrator, the Secretary shall issue guidelines that 
establish the minimum components necessary for recogni-
tion of a State or tribal levee safety program as a partici-
pating program. 
‘‘(B) GUIDELINE
CONTENTS.—The guidelines under 
subparagraph (A) shall include provisions and procedures 
requiring each participating State and Indian tribe to cer-
tify to the Secretary that the State or Indian tribe, as 
applicable— 
‘‘(i) has the authority to participate in the levee 
safety initiative; 
‘‘(ii) can receive funds under this title; 
‘‘(iii) has adopted any levee safety guidelines devel-
oped under this title; 
‘‘(iv) will carry out levee inspections; 
‘‘(v) will carry out, consistent with applicable 
requirements, flood risk management and any emer-
gency action planning procedures the Secretary deter-
mines to be necessary relating to levees; 
‘‘(vi) will carry out public education and awareness 
activities consistent with the efforts carried out under 
subsection (f); and 
‘‘(vii) will collect and share information regarding 
the location and condition of levees, including for inclu-
sion in the national levee database. 
‘‘(C) PUBLIC COMMENT.—Prior to finalizing the guide-
lines under this paragraph, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(i) issue draft guidelines for public comment; and 
‘‘(ii) consider any comments received in the 
development of final guidelines. 
‘‘(2) ASSISTANCE TO STATES.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Administrator may provide 
assistance, subject to the availability of funding specified 
in appropriations Acts for Federal Emergency Management 
Agency activities pursuant to this title and subject to 
amounts available under subparagraph (E), to States and
H. R. 3080—104 
Indian tribes in establishing participating programs, con-
ducting levee inventories, and improving levee safety pro-
grams in accordance with subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to receive assist-
ance under this section, a State or Indian tribe shall— 
‘‘(i) meet the requirements of a participating pro-
gram established by the guidelines issued under para-
graph (1); 
‘‘(ii) use not less than 25 percent of any amounts 
received to identify and assess non-Federal levees 
within the State or on land of the Indian tribe; 
‘‘(iii) submit to the Secretary and Administrator 
any information collected by the State or Indian tribe 
in carrying out this subsection for inclusion in the 
national levee safety database; and 
‘‘(iv) identify actions to address hazard mitigation 
activities associated with levees and leveed areas 
identified in the hazard mitigation plan of the State 
approved by the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency under the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.). 
‘‘(C) MEASURES TO ASSESS EFFECTIVENESS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, the Administrator 
shall implement quantifiable performance measures 
and metrics to assess the effectiveness of the assistance 
provided in accordance with subparagraph (A). 
‘‘(ii) CONSIDERATIONS.—In assessing the effective-
ness of assistance under clause (i), the Administrator 
shall consider the degree to which the State or tribal 
program— 
‘‘(I) ensures that human lives and property 
that are protected by new and existing levees are 
safe; 
‘‘(II) 
encourages 
the 
use 
of 
appropriate 
engineering policies, procedures, and technical 
practices for levee site investigation, design, 
construction, operation and maintenance, inspec-
tion, assessment, and emergency preparedness; 
‘‘(III) develops and supports public education 
and awareness projects to increase public accept-
ance and support of levee safety programs and 
provide information; 
‘‘(IV) builds public awareness of the residual 
risks associated with living in levee protected 
areas; and 
‘‘(V) develops technical assistance materials, 
seminars, and guidelines to improve the security 
of levees of the United States. 
‘‘(D) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Technical assistance 
or grants may not be provided to a State under this sub-
section during a fiscal year unless the State enters into 
an agreement with the Administrator to ensure that the 
State will maintain during that fiscal year aggregate 
expenditures for programs to ensure levee safety that equal 
or exceed the average annual level of such expenditures
H. R. 3080—105 
for the State for the 2 fiscal years preceding that fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(E) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Administrator to carry out this sub-
section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 
through 2019. 
‘‘(ii) ALLOCATION.—For each fiscal year, amounts 
made available under this subparagraph shall be allo-
cated among the States and Indian tribes as follows: 
‘‘(I) 1⁄3 among States and Indian tribes that 
qualify for assistance under this subsection. 
‘‘(II) 2⁄3 among States and Indian tribes that 
qualify for assistance under this subsection, to 
each such State or Indian tribe in the proportion 
that— 
‘‘(aa) the miles of levees in the State or 
on the land of the Indian tribe that are listed 
on the inventory of levees; bears to 
‘‘(bb) the miles of levees in all States and 
on the land of all Indian tribes that are in 
the national levee database. 
‘‘(iii) MAXIMUM
AMOUNT
OF
ALLOCATION.—The 
amounts allocated to a State or Indian tribe under 
this subparagraph shall not exceed 50 percent of the 
reasonable cost of implementing the State or tribal 
levee safety program. 
‘‘(F) PROHIBITION.—No amounts made available to the 
Administrator under this title shall be used for levee 
construction, rehabilitation, repair, operations, or mainte-
nance. 
‘‘(h) LEVEE REHABILITATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall provide assist-
ance to States, Indian tribes, and local governments relating 
to addressing flood mitigation activities that result in an overall 
reduction in flood risk. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—To be eligible to receive assistance 
under this subsection, a State, Indian tribe, or local government 
shall— 
‘‘(A) participate in, and comply with, all applicable 
Federal floodplain management and flood insurance pro-
grams; 
‘‘(B) have in place a hazard mitigation plan that— 
‘‘(i) includes all levee risks; and 
‘‘(ii) complies with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 
2000 (Public Law 106–390; 114 Stat. 1552); 
‘‘(C) submit to the Secretary an application at such 
time, in such manner, and containing such information 
as the Secretary may require; 
‘‘(D) commit to provide normal operation and mainte-
nance of the project for the 50 year-period following comple-
tion of rehabilitation; and 
‘‘(E) comply with such minimum eligibility require-
ments as the Secretary, in consultation with the committee, 
may establish to ensure that each owner and operator 
of a levee under a participating State or tribal levee safety 
program—
H. R. 3080—106 
‘‘(i) acts in accordance with the guidelines devel-
oped under subsection (c); and 
‘‘(ii) carries out activities relating to the public 
in the leveed area in accordance with the hazard miti-
gation plan described in subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(3) FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT PLANS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of execution of a project agreement for assistance 
under this subsection, a State, Indian tribe, or local govern-
ment shall prepare a floodplain management plan in 
accordance with the guidelines under subparagraph (D) 
to reduce the impacts of future flood events in each 
applicable leveed area. 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—A plan under subparagraph (A) shall 
address— 
‘‘(i) potential measures, practices, and policies to 
reduce loss of life, injuries, damage to property and 
facilities, public expenditures, and other adverse 
impacts of flooding in each applicable leveed area; 
‘‘(ii) plans for flood fighting and evacuation; and 
‘‘(iii) public education and awareness of flood risks. 
‘‘(C) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of completion of construction of the applicable 
project, a floodplain management plan prepared under 
subparagraph (A) shall be implemented. 
‘‘(D) GUIDELINES.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary, in 
consultation with the Administrator, shall develop such 
guidelines for the preparation of floodplain management 
plans prepared under this paragraph as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(E) TECHNICAL SUPPORT.—The Secretary may provide 
technical support for the development and implementation 
of floodplain management plans prepared under this para-
graph. 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Assistance provided under this sub-
section may be used— 
‘‘(i) for any rehabilitation activity to maximize 
overall risk reduction associated with a levee under 
a participating State or tribal levee safety program; 
and 
‘‘(ii) only for a levee that is not federally operated 
and maintained. 
‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—Assistance provided under this sub-
section shall not be used— 
‘‘(i) to perform routine operation or maintenance 
for a levee; or 
‘‘(ii) to make any modification to a levee that does 
not result in an improvement to public safety. 
‘‘(5) NO PROPRIETARY INTEREST.—A contract for assistance 
provided under this subsection shall not be considered to confer 
any proprietary interest on the United States. 
‘‘(6) COST SHARE.—The maximum Federal share of the cost 
of any assistance provided under this subsection shall be 65 
percent.