‘‘(iii) outreach and information dis-
semination to communities on location-spe-
cific earthquake hazards and methods to 
reduce the risks from those hazards; and 
‘‘(iv) development and maintenance of 
a repository of information, including tech-
nical data, on seismic risk and hazards re-
duction.’’; and 
(B) by striking paragraphs (3) through 
(5); 
(2) by amending subsection (b) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM AGENCIES.— 
‘‘(1) LEAD AGENCY.—The National Institute of 
Standards and Technology (in this section referred 
to as the ‘Institute’) shall be responsible for plan-
ning and coordinating the Program. In carrying out 
this paragraph, the Director of the Institute shall— 
‘‘(A) ensure that the Program includes the 
necessary components to promote the imple-
mentation of earthquake hazards risk reduction 
measures by households, businesses, commu-
nities, local, State, and Federal governments, 
national standards and model building code or-
ganizations, architects and engineers, building 
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owners, and others with a role in preparing for 
disasters, or the planning, constructing, retro-
fitting, and insuring of buildings, structures, 
and lifelines; 
‘‘(B) support the development of perform-
ance-based seismic engineering tools, and work 
with the appropriate groups to promote the 
commercial application of such tools, through 
earthquake-related building codes, standards, 
and construction practices; 
‘‘(C) ensure the use of social science re-
search and findings in informing research and 
technology 
development 
priorities, 
commu-
nicating earthquake risks to the public, devel-
oping earthquake risk mitigation strategies, and 
preparing for earthquake disasters; 
‘‘(D) coordinate all Federal post-earth-
quake investigations; and 
‘‘(E) when warranted by research or inves-
tigative findings, issue recommendations for 
changes in model codes to the relevant code de-
velopment organizations, and report back to 
Congress on whether such recommendations 
were adopted. 
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‘‘(2) NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND 
TECHNOLOGY.—In addition to the lead agency re-
sponsibilities described under paragraph (1), the In-
stitute shall be responsible for carrying out research 
and development to improve building codes and 
standards and practices for buildings, structures, 
and lifelines. In carrying out this paragraph, the Di-
rector of the Institute shall— 
‘‘(A) work, in conjunction with other ap-
propriate Federal agencies, to support the de-
velopment of improved seismic standards and 
model codes; 
‘‘(B) in coordination with other appro-
priate Federal agencies, work closely with 
standards and model code development organi-
zations, professional societies, and practicing 
engineers, architects, and others involved in the 
construction of buildings, structures, and life-
lines, to promote better building practices, in-
cluding by— 
‘‘(i) developing technical resources for 
practitioners on new knowledge and stand-
ards of practice; and 
‘‘(ii) developing methods and tools to 
facilitate the incorporation of earthquake 
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engineering principles into design and con-
struction practices; 
‘‘(C) develop tools, technologies, methods, 
and practitioner guidance to feasibly and cost- 
effectively retrofit existing buildings and struc-
tures to increase their earthquake resiliency; 
and 
‘‘(D) work closely with national standards 
organizations, and other interested parties, to 
develop seismic safety standards and practices 
for new and existing lifelines. 
‘‘(3) 
FEDERAL
EMERGENCY
MANAGEMENT 
AGENCY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency (in this paragraph 
referred to as the ‘Agency’), consistent with the 
Agency’s all hazards approach, shall be respon-
sible for facilitating the development and adop-
tion of standards, model building codes, and 
better seismic building practices, developing 
tools to assess earthquake hazards, promoting 
the adoption of hazard mitigation measures, 
and carrying out a program of direct assistance 
to States and localities to mitigate earthquake 
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risks to buildings, structures, lifelines, and com-
munities. 
‘‘(B) DIRECTOR’S DUTIES.—The Director 
of the Agency shall— 
‘‘(i) work closely with other relevant 
Federal agencies, standards and model 
building code development organizations, 
architects, engineers, and other profes-
sionals, to facilitate the development and 
adoption of standards, model codes, and 
design and construction practices to in-
crease the earthquake resiliency of new 
and existing buildings, structures, and life-
lines in the— 
‘‘(I) preparation, maintenance, 
and wide dissemination of design 
guidance, model building codes and 
standards, and practices to increase 
the earthquake resiliency of new and 
existing buildings, structures, and life-
lines; 
‘‘(II) development of perform-
ance-based 
design 
guidelines 
and 
methodologies supporting model codes 
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for buildings, structures, and lifelines; 
and 
‘‘(III) development of methods 
and tools to facilitate the incorpora-
tion of earthquake engineering prin-
ciples into design and construction 
practices; 
‘‘(ii) develop tools, technologies, and 
methods to assist local planners, and oth-
ers, to model and predict the potential im-
pact of earthquake damage in seismically 
hazardous areas; and 
‘‘(iii) support the implementation of a 
comprehensive earthquake education and 
public awareness program, including the 
development of materials and their wide 
dissemination to all appropriate audiences, 
and support public access to locality-spe-
cific information that may assist the public 
in preparing for, mitigating against, re-
sponding to, and recovering from earth-
quakes and related disasters. 
‘‘(C) STATE
ASSISTANCE
GRANT
PRO-
GRAM.—The Director of the Agency shall oper-
ate a program of grants and assistance to en-
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able States to develop mitigation, preparedness, 
and response plans, compare inventories and 
conduct seismic safety inspections of critical 
structures and lifelines, update building and 
zoning codes and ordinances to enhance seismic 
safety, increase earthquake awareness and edu-
cation, and encourage the development of 
multistate groups for such purposes. The Direc-
tor shall operate such programs in coordination 
with the all hazards mitigation and prepared-
ness programs authorized by the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), in order to 
ensure that such programs are as consistent as 
possible. In order to qualify for assistance 
under this subparagraph, a State must— 
‘‘(i) demonstrate that the assistance 
will result in enhanced seismic safety in 
the State; 
‘‘(ii) provide 50 percent of the costs of 
the activities for which assistance is being 
given, except that the Director may lower 
or waive the cost-share requirement for 
these activities in exceptional cases of eco-
nomic hardship; and 
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‘‘(iii) meet such other requirements as 
the Director of the Agency shall prescribe. 
‘‘(D) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 
AGENCY ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY.—Nothing 
in this Act shall be construed to diminish the 
role and responsibility of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency with regard to all 
hazards preparedness, response, recovery, and 
mitigation. 
‘‘(4) UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.— 
The United States Geological Survey (in this para-
graph referred to as the ‘Survey’) shall conduct re-
search and other activities necessary to characterize 
and identify earthquake hazards, assess earthquake 
risks, monitor seismic activity, and provide real-time 
earthquake information. In carrying out this para-
graph, the Director of the Survey shall— 
‘‘(A) conduct a systematic assessment of 
the seismic risks in each region of the Nation 
prone to earthquakes, including, where appro-
priate, the establishment and operation of in-
tensive monitoring projects on hazardous faults, 
detailed seismic hazard and risk studies in 
urban and other developed areas where earth-
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quake risk is determined to be significant, and 
engineering seismology studies; 
‘‘(B) work with officials of State and local 
governments to ensure that they are knowledge-
able about the specific seismic risks in their 
areas; 
‘‘(C) develop standard procedures, in con-
sultation with the Director of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, for issuing 
earthquake 
alerts, 
including 
aftershock 
advisories, and, to the extent possible, ensure 
that such alerts are compatible with the Inte-
grated Public Alerts and Warning System pro-
gram authorized by section 202 of the Robert 
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5132); 
‘‘(D) issue when justified, and notify the 
Director of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency of, an earthquake prediction or 
other earthquake advisory, which may be evalu-
ated by the National Earthquake Prediction 
Evaluation Council; 
‘‘(E) operate, as integral parts of the Ad-
vanced National Seismic Research and Moni-
toring System, a National Earthquake Informa-
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tion Center and a national seismic network, to-
gether providing timely and accurate informa-
tion on earthquakes worldwide; 
‘‘(F) support the operation of regional seis-
mic networks in areas of higher seismic risk; 
‘‘(G) develop and support seismic instru-
mentation of buildings and other structures to 
obtain data on their response to earthquakes 
for use in engineering studies and assessment 
of damage; 
‘‘(H) monitor and assess Earth surface de-
formation as it pertains to the evaluation of 
earthquake hazards and impacts; 
‘‘(I) work with other Program agencies to 
maintain awareness of, and where appropriate 
cooperate with, earthquake risk reduction ef-
forts in other countries, to ensure that the Pro-
gram benefits from relevant information and 
advances in those countries; 
‘‘(J) maintain suitable seismic hazard 
maps in support of building codes for structures 
and lifelines, including additional maps needed 
for performance-based design approaches, and, 
to the extent possible, ensure that such maps 
are developed consistent with the multihazard 
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advisory maps authorized by section 203(k) of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(k)); 
‘‘(K) conduct a competitive, peer-reviewed 
process which awards grants and cooperative 
agreements to complement and extend related 
internal Survey research and monitoring activi-
ties; and 
‘‘(L) operate, in cooperation with the Na-
tional Science Foundation, a Global Seis-
mographic Network for detection of earth-
quakes around the world and research into fun-
damental earth processes. 
‘‘(5) NATIONAL
SCIENCE
FOUNDATION.—The 
National Science Foundation shall be responsible for 
funding basic research that furthers the under-
standing of earthquakes, earthquake engineering, 
and community preparation and response to earth-
quakes. In carrying out this paragraph, the Director 
of the National Science Foundation shall— 
‘‘(A) support multidisciplinary and inter-
disciplinary research that will improve the resil-
iency of communities to earthquakes, includ-
ing— 
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