I 
108TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2020
To reduce the impacts of hurricanes, tornadoes, and related hazards through 
a program of research and development and technology transfer, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2003
Mr. MOORE (for himself, Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Ms. MCCAR-
THY of Missouri, Ms. HART, Mr. CARSON of Oklahoma, Mr. SNYDER, Mr. 
GRAVES, Mr. TANNER, Mr. RYUN of Kansas, Mr. SKELTON, Mr. LUCAS 
of Oklahoma, and Mr. MCINTYRE) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To reduce the impacts of hurricanes, tornadoes, and related 
hazards through a program of research and development 
and technology transfer, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Hurricane, Tornado, 
and Related Hazards Research Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Natural disasters cause enormous loss of 
life. Almost all States and territories are at risk 
from the effects of 1 or more types of natural dis-
aster. 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, which combine high winds and 
flooding, and related natural disasters cause enor-
mous loss of life, injury, destruction of property, and 
economic and social 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 annu-
ally. 
(3) Improved windstorm and related hazard re-
duction measures have the potential over the next 10 
years to reduce these losses that will only increase
and any major hazard of human origin potentially 
resulting in similar destruction, including terrorist 
acts. 
(3) 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. 
(4) 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 AND RELATED HAZARD IM-
PACT REDUCTION PROGRAM. 
(a) INTERAGENCY GROUP.—Not later than 90 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director 
shall establish an Interagency Group consisting of rep-
resentatives of appropriate Federal agencies, including the 
National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy, 
and other agencies with jurisdiction over housing, con-
struction, and natural disaster mitigation and relief, to be
responsible for the development and implementation of a 
coordinated Federal windstorm and related hazards reduc-
tion research, development, and technology transfer pro-
gram based on identified public needs. In establishing the 
Interagency Group, the Director is encouraged, where ap-
propriate, to designate lead agencies and to preserve exist-
ing programs and functions of Federal agencies and orga-
nizations, and shall ensure regular agency coordination 
and information sharing. 
(b) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the windstorm and 
related hazard impact reduction program is the achieve-
ment, 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 and related hazards. The objective is to be 
achieved through the creation of a program involving co-
operation among governments at all levels and the private 
sector featuring—
(1) pertinent basic research and applied re-
search based on identified public needs, which takes 
into account locality-specific weather, susceptibility 
to natural hazards, design and construction prac-
tices, and performance of the built environment dur-
ing windstorms and related hazards;
(2) better understanding of costs and benefits 
associated with natural hazard impact reduction; 
(3) systematic collection of physical and per-
formance data for buildings and other structures for 
use in developing and deploying mitigation meas-
ures; 
(4) an ongoing program of information dissemi-
nation on cost-effective and affordable hazard reduc-
tion research results and hazard-resistant building 
construction techniques to industry, State and local 
governments, homeowners, and the general public; 
(5) improved technology for loss estimation, 
risk assessment, hazard identification, prediction, 
warnings, advanced planning, and disaster response; 
(6) increased public awareness of the dangers 
of windstorms and related hazards, and the value of 
taking preventative action 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) peer-reviewed research and development on 
and demonstration of disaster-resistant systems, 
based on identified public needs, and materials for 
new construction and retrofit of existing construc-
tion, including composite materials; building enve-
lope components, including windows, doors, and 
roofs; structural design; and design and construction 
techniques, through physical testing and postdisaster 
assessments, and through computer simulation when 
appropriate, taking into consideration life safety and 
cost-effectiveness, affordability, and regional dif-
ferences including susceptibility to windstorm and 
related hazards; 
(2) development of quantitative assessment 
techniques to evaluate the direct, indirect, and soci-
etal costs and benefits associated with natural haz-
ards, including exploration of mitigation measures 
that could reduce windstorm vulnerability, and to ef-
fectively exploit existing and developing mitigation 
techniques; 
(3) development of mechanisms for collecting 
and inventorying information on building systems 
and materials performance in windstorms and re-
lated hazards, information on identified public miti-
gation priorities, and other pertinent information
from sources such as the construction industry, in-
surance companies, and building officials; 
(4) 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; 
(5) research and development on wind charac-
terization and micro-climates and on techniques, 
methodologies, and new technologies for the map-
ping in finer detail of windstorms and related hazard 
risks, to be coordinated with the mapping of other 
natural and manmade hazards; 
(6) development of improved loss estimation 
and risk assessment systems for predicting and eval-
uating damaging windstorm impacts and for identi-
fying, evaluating, and reliably characterizing wind-
storm hazards; and 
(7) development of improved approaches for 
providing emergency services, reconstruction, and re-
development after a windstorm or related hazard 
event.
(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, 
cost-effective construction techniques, loss estimation 
and risk assessment methodologies, and other perti-
nent information regarding windstorm phenomena, 
the identification of locations and features which are 
especially susceptible to natural hazard damage, 
ways to reduce the adverse consequences of natural 
hazards, 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) development of an outreach effort to in-
crease public and community awareness, including 
information related to windstorm and related 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 safe-
ty, cost-effectiveness, and affordability, and develop a 10-
year implementation plan for achieving the objective with 
a strategic review of goals and objectives every 3 years, 
working in coordination with the private sector and State 
and local government for implementation in all appro-
priate instances. Not later than 210 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Interagency Group shall 
submit to the Congress the implementation plan. The plan 
shall include—
(1) a statement of strategic research and devel-
opment 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 a systematic 
method for collecting an inventory of buildings, 
building components, and damage to buildings from 
natural hazards;
(4) a strategy to implement the transfer of 
technology and information to State, county, local, 
and regional governmental units and the private sec-
tor for appropriate implementation of research and 
development results; 
(5) provisions for outreach and dissemination, 
on a timely basis, of—
(A) information and technology in a form 
that is of use to the design professions, the con-
struction industry, and other interested parties; 
and 
(B) other information and knowledge of in-
terest to the public to reduce vulnerability to 
wind and related 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 and 
related hazard risk; and 
(10) staffing plans for the program and its 
components. 
(f) PARTICIPATION.—The implementation plan shall 
complement existing Federal research programs and shall 
avoid duplication of existing programs including earth-
quake programs whenever possible and assign responsibil-
ities to Federal agencies with existing expertise. 
(g) BUDGET COORDINATION.—The Director shall 
each year, after consulting with the Interagency Group es-
tablished under section 4(a), provide guidance to the other 
program agencies concerning the preparation of requests 
for appropriations for activities related to this Act, and 
shall prepare, in conjunction with the other program agen-
cies, an annual program budget to be submitted to the 
Office of Management and Budget. Each program agency 
shall include with its annual request for appropriations 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget a re-
port that—
(1) identifies each element of the proposed pro-
gram activities of the agency; 
(2) specifies how each of these activities con-
tributes to the program; and
(3) states the portion of its request for appro-
priations allocated to each element of the program. 
(h) MANUFACTURED HOUSING STANDARDS.—Noth-
ing in this Act supersedes any provision of the National 
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Stand-
ards Act of 1974. No design, construction method, prac-
tice, technology, material, mitigation methodology, or haz-
ard reduction measure of any kind developed under this 
Act shall be required for a home certified under section 
616 of the National Manufactured Housing Construction 
and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5415), pur-
suant to standards issued under such Act, without being 
subject to the consensus development process and rule-
making procedures of that Act. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR WINDSTORM 
AND RELATED HAZARDS IMPACT REDUC-
TION. 
(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 and related hazards.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Committee shall be 
composed of no more than 21 members to be appointed 
by the President (one of whom shall be designated by the 
President as chair). The members shall include represent-
atives of a broad cross-section of interests such as the re-
search, technology transfer, architectural, engineering, 
and financial communities; materials and systems sup-
pliers; State, county, and local governments concerned 
with the reduction of windstorm and related hazards; the 
residential, multifamily, and commercial sectors of the 
construction industry; and the insurance industry, and 
other representatives (not including members of Federal 
agencies) from areas impacted by windstorms and related 
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. 
(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. 
The Interagency Group established under section 
4(a) shall, within 180 days after the end of each fiscal 
year, submit a report to the Congress describing the status 
of the windstorm and related hazards 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. 
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
activities under this Act $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2004, 
$50,000,000 for fiscal year 2005, and $100,000,000 for 
fiscal year 2006.
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