(1) Coastal States and many island States and
territories are vulnerable to the hazards of wind-
storms. All Midwest, Southern, and Mid-Atlantic
States are vulnerable to the hazards of tornadoes
and thunderstorms and increased building activity is
occurring in high-risk areas such as the seashore
and ‘‘tornado alley’’.
(2) Hurricanes cause enormous loss of life, in-
jury, destruction of property, and economic and so-
cial disruption, as evidenced by the 56 deaths and
$6,000,000,000 in property damage in 1999 from
Hurricane Floyd. From 1990 to 1999 hurricanes
caused an average of 14 deaths and $4,970,000,000
in property losses annually while tornadoes and
other windstorms caused over 58 deaths and
$871,000,000 in property losses annually.
(3) Improved windstorm hazard reduction
measures, including—
(A) cost-effective and affordable design
and construction methods and practices;
(B) informed land use decisions;
(C) impact prediction methodologies and
early warning systems; and
(D) public education and involvement pro-
grams,
have the potential over the next 10 years to reduce
these losses. Losses will increase if steps are not
taken to help communities reduce their vulnerability.
(4) Wind engineering research needs to address
both improving new structures and retrofitting exist-
ing ones.
(5) There is an appropriate role for the Federal
Government in the collection, preparation, coordina-
tion, and dissemination of windstorm hazards reduc-
tion information in order to protect public health
and safety and in increasing public awareness of the
dangers of windstorms and of affordable steps home-
owners can take to preserve life and property. Im-
proved mechanisms are needed to translate existing
information and research findings into usable, state-
of-the-art specifications, criteria, and cost-effective
practices.
(6) An effective Federal program in windstorm
hazard reduction will require interagency coordina-
tion, input from individuals and institutions outside
the Federal Government who are expert in the
sciences of natural hazards reduction and in the
practical application of mitigation measures, and im-
proved mechanisms for the transfer of new knowl-
edge to State and local officials, to homeowners, and
to the design and construction industry. Tax credits
are an appropriate means of helping homeowners
apply mitigation measures.
(7) Windstorms are a worldwide problem, and
international cooperation is desirable for mutual
learning and mitigation.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy.
(2) The term ‘‘State’’ means each of the States
of the United States, the District of Columbia, the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States
Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Com-
monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
any other territory or possession of the United
States.
(3) The term ‘‘windstorm’’ means any storm
with a damaging or destructive wind component,
such as a hurricane, tropical storm, tornado, or
thunderstorm.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL WINDSTORM HAZARD REDUCTION PRO-
GRAM.
(a) INTERAGENCY GROUP.—Not later than 30 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director
shall establish an Interagency Group, to be cochaired by
the Director or the Director’s designee and the Director
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or that
Director’s designee, consisting of representatives of appro-
priate Federal agencies, including the National Science
Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the Department of Energy, and other agen-
cies with jurisdiction over housing, construction, and nat-
ural disaster mitigation and relief, to be responsible for
the development and implementation of a coordinated
Federal windstorm hazard reduction research, develop-
ment, and technology transfer program. In establishing
the Interagency Group, the Director is encouraged where
appropriate to designate lead agencies and to preserve ex-
isting programs and functions of Federal agencies and or-
ganizations, and shall ensure regular agency coordination
and information sharing and where appropriate coordina-
tion with other agencies.
(b) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the windstorm
hazard reduction program is the achievement, within 10
years after the date of the enactment of this Act, of major
measurable reductions in losses that would otherwise have
occurred to life and property from windstorms. The objec-
tive is to be achieved through the creation of a program
involving cooperation among governments at all levels and
the private sector featuring—
(1) pertinent basic and applied research which
takes into account locality-specific weather, suscepti-
bility to other hazards, and design and construction
practices;
(2) better understanding of impediments and
disincentives to wind hazard reduction;
(3) inventorying of existing buildings and re-
lated data for use in developing and deploying wind
hazard mitigation measures;
(4) dissemination of information on cost-effec-
tive and affordable wind hazard reduction research
results, technology, and techniques to industry,
State and local governments, homeowners, and the
general public;
(5) improved technology for prediction, storm
warnings, advanced planning, and disaster response;
(6) increased public awareness of the dangers
of windstorms and of ways to preserve affected prop-
erty and life; and
(7) priority attention to critical lifelines, includ-
ing infrastructure and utilities, that are especially
needed in time of disaster.
(c) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ELEMENTS.—
The research and development elements of the program
may include—
(1) basic wind characterization and micro-cli-
mate research;
(2) development of methods to increase accu-
racy and reliability in the prediction of the track and
magnitude of windstorms;
(3) peer-reviewed research and development on
and demonstration of wind-resistant systems and
materials for new construction and retrofit, includ-
ing composite materials; building envelope compo-
nents, including windows, doors, and roofs; struc-
tural design; and design and construction tech-
niques, through physical testing and through com-
puter simulation when appropriate, taking into con-
sideration cost-effectiveness, affordability, and re-
gional differences including susceptibility to other
hazards;
(4) development of mechanisms for collecting
information on building systems and materials per-
formance in windstorms, information on mitigation
priorities, and other pertinent information from
sources such as the construction industry, insurance
companies, and building officials;
(5) development of updatable, cost-effective,
and affordable systems, both for new construction
and for retrofitting, and for inventorying informa-
tion on components and materials and their inter-
action;
(6) development of cost-effective and affordable
planning, design, construction, rehabilitation, and
retrofit methods and procedures, including utiliza-
tion of mitigation measures, for critical lifelines and
facilities such as hospitals, schools, public utilities,
and other structures that are especially needed in
time of disaster;
(7) research and development on techniques,
methodologies, and new technologies for the map-
ping in finer detail of windstorm hazard risks, to be
coordinated with the mapping of other natural and
manmade hazards;
(8) development of improved systems for pre-
dicting damaging windstorm impact and for identi-
fying, evaluating, and reliably characterizing wind-
storm hazards;
(9) development of improved approaches for
providing emergency services, reconstruction, and re-
development after a windstorm;
(10) development of quantitative assessment
techniques for the delineation and evaluation of the
socioeconomic effects of windstorms and their appli-
cation on a regional basis, including exploration of
adjustments that could be made to reduce windstorm
vulnerability and to effectively exploit existing and
developing mitigation techniques; and
(11) studies of impediments and disincentives
to effective wind hazard mitigation, preparedness,
and response policies and innovations.
(d) 
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER.—The 
technology
transfer elements of the program shall include—
(1) the collection, classification, presentation,
and dissemination in a usable form to Federal,
State, and local officials, community leaders, the de-
sign and construction industry, contractors, home
owners, and the general public, of research results
and other pertinent information regarding wind-
storm phenomena, the identification of locations and
features which are especially susceptible to wind-
storm damage, ways to reduce the adverse con-
sequences of windstorms, and related matters;
(2) in coordination with the private sector, aca-
demia, and the States, curriculum development and
related measures to facilitate the training of employ-
ees of the design and construction industry, the in-
surance industry, and State and local governments,
and other interested persons; and
(3) efforts to increase public awareness and in-
formation related to windstorm hazard mitigation.
(e) 
IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN.—The 
Interagency
Group established under subsection (a) shall refine, in
conjunction with appropriate representatives of State and
local units of government and private sector organizations,
the objective stated in subsection (b), develop measure-
ments related to the objective, including emphasis on cost-
effectiveness and affordability, and develop a 10-year im-
plementation plan for achieving the objective, deferring to
the private sector and State and local government for im-
plementation in all appropriate instances. Not later than
210 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Interagency Group shall submit to the Congress the imple-
mentation plan. The plan shall include—
(1) a statement of research and development
goals and priorities;
(2) plans for the development of improved fore-
casting techniques for windstorms, early warning
systems, and systems for comprehensive response;
(3) plans for the development of an inventory of
buildings, building components, and damage to
buildings from windstorms;
(4) plans for transfer of technology and infor-
mation to State, county, local, and regional govern-
mental units and the private sector for appropriate
application of research and development results;
(5) provisions for dissemination, on a timely
basis, of—
(A) delivery of information and technology
in a form that is of use to the design profes-
sions, the construction industry, and other in-
terested parties; and
(B) other information and knowledge of in-
terest to the public to reduce vulnerability to
windstorm hazards;
(6) a description of how Federal disaster relief
and emergency assistance programs will incorporate
research and development results;
(7) establishment, consistent with this Act, of
goals, priorities, and target dates for implementation
of the program;
(8) assignment of responsibilities with respect
to each element of the program that does not al-
ready have a Federal lead agency;
(9) a description of plans for cooperation and
coordination in all phases of the program with inter-
ested governmental entities in all States, particularly
those containing areas of high or moderate wind-
storm risk; and
(10) staffing plans for the program and its
components.
(f) PARTICIPATION.—The implementation plan shall
avoid duplication whenever possible and assign responsibil-
ities to Federal agencies with existing expertise.
(g) MANUFACTURED HOUSING STANDARDS.—No de-
sign, construction method, practice, technology, material,
mitigation methodology, or hazard reduction measure of
any kind developed under this Act shall be required for
a home certified under section 616 of the National Manu-
factured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act
of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5415), pursuant to standards issued
under such Act, without being subject to the consensus
development process and rulemaking procedures of that
Act.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR WINDSTORM
HAZARD REDUCTION.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—A National Advisory Com-
mittee shall be established to review progress made under
the program established under section 4, advise on any
improvements that should be made to that program, and
report to the Congress on actions that have been taken
to advance the Nation’s capability to reduce the impacts
of windstorm hazards.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Committee shall be
composed of 21 members to be appointed by the President
(one of whom shall be designated by the President as
chair). The members shall include representatives of a
broad cross-section of interests such as the research, tech-
nology transfer, architectural, engineering, and financial
communities; materials and systems suppliers; State,
county, and local governments concerned with the reduc-
tion of windstorm hazards; the residential, multifamily,
and commercial sectors of the construction industry; and
the insurance industry, and other representatives (not in-
cluding members of Federal agencies) from areas im-
pacted by windstorm hazards.
(c) COORDINATION.—The Advisory Committee shall
coordinate with existing advisory committees of the Fed-
eral Government and of the National Academies of Science
and Engineering. As appropriate, the work and reports of
the Advisory Committee may be done in conjunction with
or replace the work of other advisory committees.
(d) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Advisory Committee
shall provide a summary report to Congress each year.
(e) EXEMPTION.—Section 14 of the Federal Advisory
Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory Committee
established under this section.
SEC. 6. ANNUAL REPORT.
(a) REPORT.—The Interagency Group established
under section 4(a) shall, within 90 days after the end of
each fiscal year, submit a report to the Congress describ-
ing the status of the windstorm hazard reduction program,
describing progress achieved during the preceding fiscal
year, by government at all levels and by the private sector,
toward achieving the objective stated in section 4(b) and
implementing the plan developed under section 4(e), and
including any amendments to the implementation plan.
Each such report shall include any recommendations for
legislative and other action the Interagency Group con-
siders necessary and appropriate.
(b) CONFERENCE.—In order to disseminate the re-
search findings of the windstorm hazard reduction pro-
gram established under section 4(a), the Interagency
Group is encouraged to arrange for an annual conference
where research findings and mitigation efforts can be pre-
sented. Those invited to the conference shall include rep-
resentatives of a broad cross-section of interests such as
the research, technology transfer, architectural, engineer-
ing, and financial communities; materials and systems
suppliers; State, county, and local governments concerned
with the reduction of windstorm hazards; the residential,
multifamily, and commercial sectors of the construction
industry; and the insurance industry, and other represent-
atives from areas impacted by windstorm hazards.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
activities under this Act $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2001,
$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2002, and $150,000,000 for
fiscal year 2003.
Æ