H. R. 302—277 
(B) in paragraph (9) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(C) by redesignating paragraph (10) as paragraph (12); 
and 
(D) by adding after paragraph (9) the following: 
‘‘(10) the extent to which the State, local, Indian tribal, 
or territorial government has facilitated the adoption and 
enforcement of the latest published editions of relevant con-
sensus-based codes, specifications, and standards, including 
amendments made by State, local, Indian tribal, or territorial 
governments during the adoption process that incorporate the 
latest hazard-resistant designs and establish 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 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 MITIGA-
TION 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, 416, and 428 for the major disaster in order to 
provide technical and financial assistance under this section 
and such set aside shall be deemed to be related to activities 
carried out pursuant to major disasters under this Act. 
‘‘(2) ESTIMATED AGGREGATE AMOUNT.—Not later than 180 
days after each major disaster declaration pursuant to this 
Act, the estimated aggregate amount of grants for purposes 
of paragraph (1) shall be determined by the President and 
such estimated 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 other-
wise made available for sections 403, 404, 406, 407, 408, 410, 
416, and 428 under this Act.’’; and 
(6) by striking subsections (j) and (m); 
(7) by redesignating subsections (k), (l), and (n) as sub-
sections (j), (k), and (l), respectively and 
(8) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(m) LATEST PUBLISHED EDITIONS.—For purposes of subsections 
(e)(1)(B)(iv) and (g)(10), the term ‘latest published editions’ means, 
with respect to relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and 
standards, the 2 most recently published editions.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made to section 203 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) by paragraphs (3) and (5) of subsection (a) 
shall apply to funds appropriated on or after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
(c) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that— 
(1) all funding expended from the National Public Infra-
structure Predisaster Mitigation Assistance created by Section 
203(i)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133), as added by this section, 
shall not be considered part of FEMA’s regular appropriations
H. R. 302—278 
for non-Stafford activities, also known as the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund base; and 
(2) the President should have the funds related to the 
National Public Infrastructure Predisaster Mitigation Assist-
ance created by Section 203(i)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133), 
as added by this section, identified in and allocated from the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund 
for major disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 
et seq.). 
(d) SUNSET.—On the date that is 5 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended 
by striking subsection (m), as added by subsection (a)(8) of this 
section. 
SEC. 1235. 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 
President has determined are cost effective and which substantially 
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 the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5172(e)(1)(A)) is amended— 
(1) in the matter preceding clause (i), by inserting after 
‘‘section,’’ the following: ‘‘for disasters declared on or after 
August 1, 2017, or a disaster in which a cost estimate has 
not yet been finalized for a project, or for any project for 
which the finalized cost estimate is on appeal,’’; 
(2) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(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 estab-
lish minimum acceptable criteria for the design, construc-
tion, and maintenance of residential structures and facili-
ties that may be eligible for assistance under this Act 
for the purposes of protecting the health, safety, and gen-
eral welfare of a facility’s users against disasters’’; 
(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 facility to meet 
the definition of resilient developed pursuant to this 
subsection.’’. 
(c) OTHER ELIGIBLE COST.—Section 406(e)(1) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5172(e)(1)) is further amended by adding at the end the following:
H. R. 302—279 
‘‘(C) CONTRIBUTIONS.—Contributions for the eligible 
cost made under this section may be provided on an actual 
cost basis or on cost-estimation procedures.’’. 
(d) NEW RULES.—Section 406(e) of the Robert T. Stafford Dis-
aster Relief and Emergency Assistance 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 
Management Agency, and in consultation with the heads 
of relevant Federal departments and agencies, shall issue 
a final rulemaking 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 interim 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 paragraph, the Administrator shall issue any 
necessary 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 guidance issued pursuant to this paragraph.’’. 
(e) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 205(d)(2) of the Disaster 
Mitigation Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 5172 note) is amended by inserting 
‘‘(B)’’ after ‘‘except that paragraph (1)’’. 
SEC. 1236. GUIDANCE AND TRAINING BY FEMA ON COORDINATION 
OF EMERGENCY RESPONSE PLANS. 
(a) TRAINING REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator, in coordina-
tion with other relevant agencies, shall provide guidance and 
training on an annual basis to State, local, and Indian tribal govern-
ments, first responders, and facilities that store hazardous materials 
on coordination of emergency 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 treatment response. 
(3) Publishing best practices for mitigating further danger 
to communities from hazardous substances. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—The requirement of subsection (a) shall 
be implemented not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act. 
SEC. 1237. CERTAIN RECOUPMENT PROHIBITED. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the 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 provided but 
subsequently withdrawn or deobligated.
H. R. 302—280 
(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 determined, after an 
audit, that— 
(A) the 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 inac-
curate information to the local government; and 
(C) the local government relied on the inaccurate 
information to determine that relevant contracts were 
eligible, reasonable, and reimbursable. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—This section shall be effective on the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 1238. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIVIDUALS AND HOUSEHOLDS 
AND NONPROFIT FACILITIES. 
(a) CRITICAL DOCUMENT FEE WAIVER.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 1 of the Passport 
Act of June 4, 1920 (22 U.S.C. 214) or any other provision 
of law, the President, in consultation with the Governor of 
a State, may provide a waiver under this subsection to an 
individual or household described in section 408(e)(1) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(e)(1)) for the following document replace-
ment fees: 
(A) The passport application fee for individuals who 
lost their United States passport in a major disaster within 
the preceding three calendar years. 
(B) The file search fee for a United States passport. 
(C) The Application for Waiver of Passport and/or Visa 
form (Form I–193) fee. 
(D) The Permanent Resident Card replacement form 
(Form I–90) filing fee. 
(E) The Declaration of Intention form (Form N–300) 
filing fee. 
(F) The Naturalization/Citizenship Document replace-
ment form (Form N–565) filing fee. 
(G) The Employment Authorization form (Form I–765) 
filing fee. 
(H) The biometric service fee. 
(2) EXEMPTION FROM FORM REQUIREMENT.—The authority 
of the President to waive fees under subparagraphs (C) through 
(H) of paragraph (1) applies regardless of whether the indi-
vidual or household qualifies for a Form I–912 Request for 
Fee Waiver, or any successor thereto. 
(3) EXEMPTION FROM ASSISTANCE MAXIMUM.—The assist-
ance limit in section 408(h) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174(h)) shall 
not apply to any fee waived under this subsection.