H. R. 7776—1315 
(3) INDIAN
TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-Deter-
mination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
SEC. 8116. WORKFORCE PLANNING. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary is authorized to carry out 
activities, at Federal expense— 
(1) to foster, enhance, and support science, technology, 
engineering, and math education and awareness; and 
(2) to recruit individuals for careers at the Corps of Engi-
neers. 
(b) PARTNERING ENTITIES.—In carrying out activities under this 
section, the Secretary may enter into partnerships with— 
(1) public elementary and secondary schools, including 
charter schools; 
(2) community colleges; 
(3) technical schools; and 
(4) colleges and universities, including historically Black 
colleges and universities. 
(c) PRIORITIZATION.—The Secretary shall, to the maximum 
extent practicable, prioritize the recruitment of individuals under 
this section that are from economically disadvantaged communities 
(as defined by the Secretary under section 160 of the Water 
Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2201 note)), including 
economically disadvantaged communities located in urban and rural 
areas. 
(d) DEFINITION OF HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNIVER-
SITY.—In this section, the term ‘‘historically Black college or univer-
sity’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B institution’’ in section 
322 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 
(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized 
to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. 
SEC. 8117. CORPS OF ENGINEERS SUPPORT FOR UNDERSERVED 
COMMUNITIES; OUTREACH. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the policy of the United States for 
the Corps of Engineers to strive to understand and accommodate 
and, in coordination with non-Federal interests, seek to address 
the water resources development needs of all communities in the 
United States. 
(b) OUTREACH AND ACCESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, at Federal expense, 
develop, support, and implement public awareness, education, 
and regular outreach and engagement efforts for potential non- 
Federal interests with respect to the water resources develop-
ment authorities of the Secretary, with particular emphasis 
on— 
(A) technical service programs, including the authori-
ties under— 
(i) section 206 of the Flood Control Act of 1960 
(33 U.S.C. 709a); 
(ii) section 22 of the Water Resources Development 
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 1962d–16); and 
(iii) section 203 of the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 2000 (33 U.S.C. 2269); and
H. R. 7776—1316 
(B) continuing authority programs, as such term is 
defined in section 7001(c)(1)(D) of the Water Resources 
Reform and Development Act of 2014 (33 U.S.C. 2282d). 
(2) IMPLEMENTATION.—In carrying out this subsection, the 
Secretary shall— 
(A) develop and make publicly available (including on 
a publicly available website), technical assistance mate-
rials, guidance, and other information with respect to the 
water resources development authorities of the Secretary; 
(B) establish and make publicly available (including 
on a publicly available website), an appropriate point of 
contact at each district and division office of the Corps 
of Engineers for inquiries from potential non-Federal 
interests relating to the water resources development 
authorities of the Secretary; 
(C) 
conduct 
regular 
outreach 
and 
engagement, 
including through hosting seminars and community 
information sessions, with local elected officials, community 
organizations, and previous and potential non-Federal 
interests, on opportunities to address local water resources 
challenges through the water resources development 
authorities of the Secretary; 
(D) issue guidance for, and provide technical assistance 
through 
technical 
service 
programs 
to, 
non-Federal 
interests to assist such interests in pursuing technical serv-
ices and developing proposals for water resources develop-
ment projects; and 
(E) provide, at the request of a non-Federal interest, 
assistance with researching and identifying existing project 
authorizations or authorities to address local water 
resources challenges. 
(3) PRIORITIZATION.—In carrying out this subsection, the 
Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, prioritize 
awareness, education, and outreach and engagement to 
economically disadvantaged communities (as defined by the 
Secretary under section 160 of the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2201 note)), including economically 
disadvantaged communities located in urban and rural areas. 
(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out this section $30,000,000 
for each fiscal year. 
SEC. 8118. PILOT PROGRAMS FOR CERTAIN COMMUNITIES. 
(a) PILOT PROGRAMS ON THE FORMULATION OF CORPS OF ENGI-
NEERS PROJECTS IN RURAL COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMICALLY DIS-
ADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.—Section 118 of the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2201 note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘publish’’ and 
inserting ‘‘annually publish’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘select’’ and 
inserting ‘‘, subject to the availability of appropriations, 
annually select’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(2), in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A), by striking ‘‘projects’’ and inserting ‘‘projects 
annually’’.
H. R. 7776—1317 
(b) PILOT PROGRAM FOR CONTINUING AUTHORITY PROJECTS IN 
SMALL OR DISADVANTAGED COMMUNITIES.—Section 165(a) of the 
Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (33 U.S.C. 2201 note) 
is amended in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘10’’ and inserting 
‘‘20’’. 
SEC. 8119. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
(a) PLANNING ASSISTANCE TO STATES.—Section 22 of the Water 
Resources Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 1962d–16) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘local government,’’ after ‘‘State 
or group of States,’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘local government,’’ after ‘‘such 
State, interest,’’; 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘section 236 of title 
10’’ and inserting ‘‘section 4141 of title 10’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) PRIORITIZATION.—To the maximum extent practicable, 
the Secretary shall prioritize the provision of assistance under 
this subsection to address both inland and coastal life safety 
risks.’’; 
(2) in subsection (c)(2), by striking ‘‘$15,000,000’’ and 
inserting ‘‘$30,000,000’’; and 
(3) in subsection (f)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The cost-share for assistance’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) TRIBES AND TERRITORIES.—The cost-share for assist-
ance’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) ECONOMICALLY
DISADVANTAGED
COMMUNITIES.—Not-
withstanding subsection (b)(1) and the limitation in section 
1156 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986, as 
applicable pursuant to paragraph (1) of this subsection, the 
Secretary is authorized to waive the collection of fees for any 
local government to which assistance is provided under sub-
section (a) that the Secretary determines is an economically 
disadvantaged community, as defined by the Secretary under 
section 160 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 
(33 U.S.C. 2201 note) (including economically disadvantaged 
communities located in urban and rural areas).’’. 
(b) WATERSHED PLANNING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—In pro-
viding assistance under section 22 of the Water Resources Develop-
ment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 1962d–16) or pursuant to section 
206 of the Flood Control Act of 1960 (33 U.S.C. 709a), the Secretary 
shall, upon request, provide such assistance at a watershed scale. 
SEC. 8120. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR LEVEE INSPECTIONS. 
In any instance where the Secretary requires, as a condition 
of eligibility for Federal assistance under section 5 of the Act 
of August 18, 1941 (33 U.S.C. 701n), that a non-Federal sponsor 
of a flood control project undertake an electronic inspection of 
the portion of such project that is under normal circumstances 
submerged, the Secretary shall provide to the non-Federal sponsor 
credit or reimbursement for the cost of carrying out such inspection 
against the non-Federal share of the cost of repair or restoration 
of such project carried out under such section.
H. R. 7776—1318 
SEC. 8121. ASSESSMENT OF CORPS OF ENGINEERS LEVEES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall periodically conduct 
assessments of federally authorized levees under the jurisdiction 
of the Corps of Engineers, to evaluate the potential Federal interest 
in the modification (including realignment or incorporation of nat-
ural features and nature-based features, as such terms are defined 
in section 1184(a) of the Water Resources Development Act of 
2016 (33 U.S.C. 2289a(a))) of levee systems to meet one or more 
of the following objectives: 
(1) Increasing the flood risk reduction benefits of such 
systems. 
(2) Achieving greater flood resiliency. 
(3) Restoring hydrological and ecological connections with 
adjacent floodplains that achieve greater environmental bene-
fits without undermining flood risk reduction or flood resiliency 
for levee-protected communities. 
(b) LEVEES OPERATED BY NON-FEDERAL INTERESTS.—The Sec-
retary shall carry out an assessment under subsection (a) for a 
federally authorized levee system operated by a non-Federal interest 
only if the non-Federal interest— 
(1) requests the assessment; and 
(2) agrees to provide 50 percent of the cost of the assess-
ment. 
(c) ASSESSMENTS.— 
(1) CONSIDERATIONS.—In conducting an assessment under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall consider and identify, with 
respect to each levee system— 
(A) an estimate of the number of structures and popu-
lation at risk and protected by the levee system that would 
be adversely impacted if the levee system fails or water 
levels exceed the height of any levee segment within the 
levee system (which may be the applicable estimate 
included in the levee database established under section 
9004 of the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 
(33 U.S.C. 3303), if available); 
(B) the number of times the non-Federal interest has 
received emergency flood-fighting or repair assistance 
under section 5 of the Act of August 18, 1941 (33 U.S.C. 
701n) for the levee system, and the total expenditures 
on postflood repairs over the life of the levee system; 
(C) the functionality of the levee system with regard 
to higher precipitation levels, including due to changing 
climatic conditions and extreme weather events; 
(D) the potential costs and benefits (including environ-
mental benefits and implications for levee-protected 
communities) from modifying the applicable levee system 
to restore connections with adjacent floodplains; and 
(E) available studies, information, literature, or data 
from relevant Federal, State, or local entities. 
(2) PRIORITIZATION.—In conducting an assessment under 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent 
practicable, prioritize levee systems— 
(A) associated with an area that has been subject to 
flooding in two or more events in any 10-year period; and 
(B) for which the non-Federal interest has received 
emergency flood-fighting or repair assistance under section