IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 34 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JANUARY 8, 2015 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, 
and Transportation 
AN ACT 
To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, 
warning, research, and mitigation program of the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tsunami Warning, 
Education, and Research Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDU-
CATION ACT. 
Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in 
this Act an amendment or repeal is expressed in terms 
of an amendment to, or repeal of, a section or other provi-
sion, the reference shall be considered to be made to a 
section or other provision of the Tsunami Warning and 
Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.). 
SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING 
AND EDUCATION ACT. 
Section 3 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘research,’’ 
after ‘‘warnings,’’; 
(2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(2) to enhance and modernize the existing 
United States Tsunami Warning System to increase 
the accuracy of forecasts and warnings, to maintain 
full coverage of tsunami detection assets, and to re-
duce false alarms;’’; 
(3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as fol-
lows: 
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‘‘(3) to improve and develop standards and 
guidelines for mapping, modeling, and assessment 
efforts to improve tsunami detection, forecasting, 
warnings, notification, mitigation, resiliency, re-
sponse, outreach, and recovery;’’; 
(4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and 
(6) as paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively; 
(5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) to improve research efforts related to im-
proving tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, no-
tification, mitigation, resiliency, response, outreach, 
and recovery;’’; 
(6) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and increase’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘, increase, and develop uniform standards 
and guidelines for’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, including the warning 
signs of locally generated tsunami’’ after ‘‘ap-
proaching’’; 
(7) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘, including the Indian Ocean; and’’ and in-
serting a semicolon; and 
(8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so re-
designated, the following: 
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‘‘(7) to foster resilient communities in the face 
of tsunami and other coastal hazards; and’’. 
SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND 
WARNING PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a) of section 4 (33 
U.S.C. 3203) is amended by striking ‘‘Atlantic Ocean, 
Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico region’’ and inserting 
‘‘Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean Sea and 
the Gulf of Mexico’’. 
(b) COMPONENTS.—Subsection (b) of such section 4 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘established’’ 
and inserting ‘‘supported or maintained’’; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and safe-
guarding port and harbor operations’’ after ‘‘com-
munities’’; 
(3) in paragraph (7)— 
(A) by inserting ‘‘, including graphical 
warning products,’’ after ‘‘warnings’’; 
(B) by inserting ‘‘, territories,’’ after 
‘‘States’’; and 
(C) by inserting ‘‘and Wireless Emergency 
Alerts’’ after ‘‘Hazards Program’’; and 
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(4) in paragraph (8), by inserting ‘‘and com-
mercial and Federal undersea communications ca-
bles’’ after ‘‘observing technologies’’. 
(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—Subsection (c) of 
such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) TSUNAMI WARNING SYSTEM.—The program 
under this section shall operate a tsunami warning system 
that— 
‘‘(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, includ-
ing forecasting tsunami arrival time and inundation 
estimates, anywhere in the Pacific and Arctic Ocean 
regions and providing adequate warnings; 
‘‘(2) is capable of forecasting and providing 
adequate warnings in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 
including the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, 
that are determined— 
‘‘(A) to be geologically active, or to have 
significant potential for geological activity; and 
‘‘(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami 
for States along the coastal areas of the Atlan-
tic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; 
and 
‘‘(3) supports other international tsunami fore-
casting and warning efforts.’’. 
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(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.—Subsection (d) 
of such section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(d) TSUNAMI WARNING CENTERS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator shall 
support or maintain centers to support the tsunami 
warning system required by subsection (c). The Cen-
ters shall include— 
‘‘(A) the National Tsunami Warning Cen-
ter, located in Alaska, which is primarily re-
sponsible for Alaska and the continental United 
States; 
‘‘(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, 
located in Hawaii, which is primarily respon-
sible for Hawaii, the Caribbean, and other 
areas of the Pacific not covered by the National 
Center; and 
‘‘(C) any additional forecast and warning 
centers determined by the National Weather 
Service to be necessary. 
‘‘(2) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities 
of the centers supported or maintained pursuant to 
paragraph (1) shall include the following: 
‘‘(A) Continuously monitoring data from 
seismological, deep ocean, coastal sea level, and 
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tidal monitoring stations and other data sources 
as may be developed and deployed. 
‘‘(B) Evaluating earthquakes, landslides, 
and volcanic eruptions that have the potential 
to generate tsunami. 
‘‘(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and 
tidal monitoring stations for indications of tsu-
nami resulting from earthquakes and other 
sources. 
‘‘(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a 
range of models to predict tsunami arrival 
times and flooding estimates. 
‘‘(E) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami 
warning bulletins to Federal, State, and local 
government officials and the public. 
‘‘(F) Coordinating with the tsunami haz-
ard mitigation program conducted under section 
5 to ensure ongoing sharing of information be-
tween forecasters and emergency management 
officials. 
‘‘(G) Making data gathered under this Act 
and post-warning analyses conducted by the 
National Weather Service or other relevant Ad-
ministration offices available to researchers. 
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‘‘(3) FAIL-SAFE
WARNING
CAPABILITY.—The 
tsunami warning centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1) shall maintain a fail-safe 
warning capability and ability to perform back-up 
duties for each other. 
‘‘(4) COORDINATION WITH NATIONAL WEATHER 
SERVICE.—The National Weather Service shall co-
ordinate with the centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure that regional 
and local forecast offices— 
‘‘(A) have the technical knowledge and ca-
pability to disseminate tsunami warnings for 
the communities they serve; and 
‘‘(B) leverage connections with local emer-
gency management officials for optimally dis-
seminating tsunami warnings and forecasts. 
‘‘(5) UNIFORM OPERATING PROCEDURES.—The 
Administrator shall— 
‘‘(A) develop uniform operational proce-
dures for the centers supported or maintained 
pursuant to paragraph (1), including the use of 
software applications, checklists, decision sup-
port tools, and tsunami warning products that 
have been standardized across the program sup-
ported under this section; 
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‘‘(B) ensure that processes and products of 
the warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c)— 
‘‘(i) reflect industry best practices; 
‘‘(ii) conform to the maximum extent 
practicable with internationally recognized 
standards for information technology; and 
‘‘(iii) conform to the maximum extent 
practicable with other warning products 
and practices of the National Weather 
Service; 
‘‘(C) ensure that future adjustments to 
operational protocols, processes, and warning 
products— 
‘‘(i) are made consistently across the 
warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c); and 
‘‘(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 
across such warning system; and 
‘‘(D) disseminate guidelines and metrics 
for evaluating and improving tsunami forecast 
models. 
‘‘(6) AVAILABLE
RESOURCES.—The Adminis-
trator, through the National Weather Service, shall 
ensure that resources are available to fulfill the obli-
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gations of this Act. This includes ensuring super-
computing resources are available to run such com-
puter models as are needed for purposes of the tsu-
nami warning system operated pursuant to sub-
section (c).’’. 
(e) TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE AND 
UPGRADES.—Subsection (e) of such section 4 is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(e) TRANSFER
OF TECHNOLOGY; MAINTENANCE 
AND UPGRADES.—In carrying out this section, the Admin-
istrator shall— 
‘‘(1) develop requirements for the equipment 
used to forecast tsunami, including— 
‘‘(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 
platforms; 
‘‘(B) reliability and performance metrics; 
and 
‘‘(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 
requirements for the integration of equipment 
with other United States and global ocean and 
coastal observation systems, the global Earth 
observing system of systems, the global seismic 
networks, and the Advanced National Seismic 
System; 
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‘‘(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer 
of technology from ongoing research conducted as 
part of the program supported or maintained under 
section 6 into the program under this section; and 
‘‘(3) ensure that the Administration’s oper-
ational tsunami detection equipment is properly 
maintained.’’. 
(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—Subsection (f) of such 
section 4 is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) FEDERAL COOPERATION.—When deploying and 
maintaining tsunami detection technologies under the pro-
gram under this section, the Administrator shall— 
‘‘(1) identify which assets of other Federal 
agencies are necessary to support such program; and 
‘‘(2) work with each agency identified under 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) to acquire the agency’s assistance; 
and 
‘‘(B) to prioritize the necessary assets.’’. 
(g) UNNECESSARY PROVISIONS.—Such section 4 is 
further amended by striking subsections (g) through (k). 
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SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD 
MITIGATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 5 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is 
amended by striking subsections (a) through (d) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Administrator, in 
consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency and the heads of such other 
agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, shall 
conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation 
program to improve tsunami preparedness and resiliency 
of at-risk areas in the United States and the territories 
of the United States. 
‘‘(b) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—The Program con-
ducted pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) Technical and financial assistance to 
coastal States, territories, tribes, and local govern-
ments to develop and implement activities under this 
section. 
‘‘(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and 
mitigation programs into ongoing State-based haz-
ard warning, resilience planning, and risk manage-
ment activities, including predisaster planning, emer-
gency response, evacuation planning, disaster recov-
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ery, hazard mitigation, and community development 
and redevelopment programs in affected areas. 
‘‘(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsu-
nami resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitiga-
tion measures by Federal, State, territorial, tribal, 
and local governments and nongovernmental entities, 
including educational and risk communication pro-
grams to discourage development in high-risk areas. 
‘‘(4) Activities to support the development of 
regional tsunami hazard and risk assessments, using 
inundation models that meet programmatic stand-
ards for accuracy. Such regional risk assessments 
may include the following: 
‘‘(A) The sources, sizes, and histories of 
tsunami in that region. 
‘‘(B) Inundation models and maps of crit-
ical infrastructure and socioeconomic vulner-
ability in areas subject to tsunami inundation. 
‘‘(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacu-
ation routes. 
‘‘(D) Evaluations of the size of populations 
that will require evacuation, including popu-
lations with special evacuation needs. 
‘‘(5) Activities to support the development of 
community-based outreach and education programs 
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to ensure community readiness and resilience, in-
cluding the following: 
‘‘(A) The development, implementation, 
and assessment of technical training and public 
education programs, including education pro-
grams that address unique characteristics of 
distant and near-field tsunami. 
‘‘(B) The development of decision support 
tools. 
‘‘(C) The incorporation of social science re-
search into community readiness and resilience 
efforts. 
‘‘(D) The development of evidence-based 
education guidelines. 
‘‘(6) Dissemination of guidelines and standards 
for community planning, education, and training 
products, programs, and tools, including standards 
for— 
‘‘(A) mapping products; 
‘‘(B) inundation models; and 
‘‘(C) effective emergency exercises. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.—In addition to activi-
ties conducted under subsection (b), the program con-
ducted pursuant to subsection (a) may include the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘(1) Multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment 
research, education, and training to help integrate 
risk management and resilience objectives with com-
munity development planning and policies. 
‘‘(2) Risk management training for local offi-
cials and community organizations to enhance un-
derstanding and preparedness. 
‘‘(3) Development of practical applications for 
existing or emerging technologies, such as modeling, 
remote sensing, geospatial technology, engineering, 
and observing systems. 
‘‘(4) Risk management, risk assessment, and 
resilience data and information services, including— 
‘‘(A) access to data and products derived 
from observing and detection systems; and 
‘‘(B) development and maintenance of new 
integrated data products to support risk man-
agement, risk assessment, and resilience pro-
grams. 
‘‘(5) Risk notification systems that coordinate 
with and build upon existing systems and actively 
engage decisionmakers, local and State government 
agencies, business communities, nongovernmental or-
ganizations, and the media. 
‘‘(d) NO PREEMPTION.— 
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‘‘(1) DESIGNATION
OF
AT-RISK
AREAS.—The 
establishment of national standards for inundation 
models under this section shall not prevent States, 
territories, tribes, and local governments from desig-
nating additional areas as being at risk based on 
knowledge of local conditions. 
‘‘(2) NO
NEW
REGULATORY
AUTHORITY.— 
Nothing in this Act may be construed as estab-
lishing new regulatory authority for any Federal 
agency.’’. 
(b) REPORT ON ACCREDITATION OF TSUNAMIREADY 
PROGRAM.—Not later than 180 days after the date of en-
actment of this Act, the Administrator of the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall submit to 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives a report on 
which authorities and activities would be needed to have 
the TsunamiReady program of the National Weather 
Service accredited by the Emergency Management Accred-
itation Program. 
SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM. 
Section 6 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended— 
(1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘The Administrator shall’’ and all that fol-
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