I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3980
To establish a National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 17, 2004
Mr. NEUGEBAUER (for himself and Mr. MOORE) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in addition to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be sub-
sequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 
such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish a National Windstorm Impact Reduction 
Program.
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 ‘‘National Windstorm 
Impact Reduction Act of 2004’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) Hurricanes, tropical storms, tornadoes, and 
thunderstorms can cause significant loss of life, in-
jury, destruction of property, and economic and so-
cial disruption. All States and regions are vulnerable 
to these hazards. 
(2) The United States currently sustains sev-
eral billion dollars in economic damages each year 
due to these windstorms. In recent decades, rapid 
development and population growth in high-risk 
areas has greatly increased overall vulnerability to 
windstorms. 
(3) Improved windstorm impact reduction 
measures have the potential to reduce these losses 
through—
(A) cost-effective and affordable design 
and construction methods and practices; 
(B) effective mitigation programs at the 
local, State, and national level; 
(C) improved data collection and analysis 
and impact prediction methodologies; 
(D) engineering research on improving new 
structures and retrofitting existing ones to bet-
ter withstand windstorms, atmospheric-related 
research to better understand the behavior and 
impact of windstorms on the built environment, 
and subsequent application of those research re-
sults; and
(E) public education and outreach. 
(4) There is an appropriate role for the Federal 
Government in supporting windstorm impact reduc-
tion. An effective Federal program in windstorm im-
pact reduction will require interagency coordination, 
and input from individuals, academia, the private 
sector, and other interested non-Federal entities. 
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 IMPACT REDUCTION PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established the Na-
tional Windstorm Impact Reduction Program (in this Act 
referred to as the ‘‘Program’’). 
(b) OBJECTIVE.—The objective of the Program is the 
achievement of major measurable reductions in losses of 
life and property from windstorms. The objective is to be 
achieved through a coordinated Federal effort, in coopera-
tion with other levels of government, academia, and the 
private sector, aimed at improving the understanding of 
windstorms and their impacts and developing and encour-
aging implementation of mitigation measures to reduce 
those impacts. 
(c) INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—Not later than 
90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Direc-
tor shall establish an Interagency Working Group con-
sisting of representatives of the National Science Founda-
tion, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administra-
tion, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and other 
Federal agencies as appropriate. The Director shall des-
ignate an agency to serve as Chair of the Working Group 
and be responsible for the planning, management, and co-
ordination of the Program, including budget coordination. 
Specific agency roles and responsibilities under the Pro-
gram shall be defined in the implementation plan required 
under subsection (e). General agency responsibilities shall 
include the following: 
(1) The National Institute of Standards and 
Technology shall support research and development 
to improve building codes and standards and prac-
tices for buildings, structures, and lifelines. 
(2) The National Science Foundation shall sup-
port research in engineering and the atmospheric 
sciences to improve the understanding of the behav-
ior of windstorms and their impact on buildings, 
structures, and lifelines. 
(3) The National Oceanographic and Atmos-
pheric Administration shall support atmospheric 
sciences research to improve the understanding of 
the behavior of windstorms and their impact on 
buildings, structures, and lifelines. 
(4) The Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy shall support windstorm-related data collection 
and analysis, public outreach, and information dis-
semination. 
(d) PROGRAM COMPONENTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Program shall consist 
of three primary mitigation components: improved 
understanding of windstorms, windstorm impact as-
sessment, and windstorm impact reduction. The 
components shall be implemented through activities 
such as data collection and analysis, outreach, tech-
nology transfer, and research and development. To 
the extent practicable, research activities authorized 
under this Act shall be peer-reviewed, and the com-
ponents shall be designed to be complementary to, 
and avoid duplication of, other public and private 
hazard reduction efforts. 
(2) UNDERSTANDING OF WINDSTORMS.—Activi-
ties to enhance the understanding of windstorms 
shall include research to improve knowledge of and 
data collection on the impact of severe wind on 
buildings, structures, and infrastructure. 
(3) WINDSTORM IMPACT ASSESSMENT.—Activi-
ties to improve windstorm impact assessment shall 
include—
(A) development of mechanisms for col-
lecting and inventorying information on the per-
formance of buildings, structures, and infra-
structure in windstorms and improved collection 
of pertinent information from sources, including 
the design and construction industry, insurance 
companies, and building officials;
(B) research and development to improve 
loss estimation and risk assessment systems; 
and 
(C) research and development to improve 
simulation and computational modeling of wind-
storm impacts. 
(4) WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION.—Activi-
ties to reduce windstorm impacts shall include—
(A) development of improved outreach and 
implementation mechanisms to translate exist-
ing information and research findings into cost-
effective and affordable practices for design and 
construction professionals, and State and local 
officials; 
(B) development of cost-effective and af-
fordable windstorm-resistant systems, struc-
tures, and materials for use in new construction 
and retrofit of existing construction; and 
(C) outreach and information dissemina-
tion related to cost-effective and affordable con-
struction techniques, loss estimation and risk 
assessment methodologies, and other pertinent 
information regarding windstorm phenomena to 
Federal, State, and local officials, the construc-
tion industry, and the general public.
(e) IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.—Not later than 1 year 
after date of enactment of this Act, the Interagency Work-
ing Group shall develop and transmit to the Congress an 
implementation plan for achieving the objectives of the 
Program. The plan shall include—
(1) an assessment of past and current public 
and private efforts to reduce windstorm impacts, in-
cluding a comprehensive review and analysis of 
windstorm mitigation activities supported by the 
Federal Government; 
(2) a statement of strategic goals and priorities 
for each Program component area; 
(3) a description of how the Program will 
achieve such goals, including detailed responsibilities 
for each agency; and 
(4) a description of plans for cooperation and 
coordination with interested public and private sec-
tor entities in each program component area. 
(f) BIENNIAL REPORT.—The Interagency Working 
Group shall, on a biennial basis, transmit a report to the 
Congress describing the status of the windstorm impact 
reduction program, including progress achieved during the 
preceding two fiscal years. Each such report shall include 
any recommendations for legislative and other action the 
Interagency Working Group considers necessary and ap-
propriate. In developing the biennial report, the Inter-
agency Working Group shall consider the recommenda-
tions of the Advisory Committee established under section 
5. 
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM 
IMPACT REDUCTION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director shall establish a 
National Advisory Committee on Windstorm Impact Re-
duction, consisting of not less than 11 and not more than 
15 non-Federal members representing a broad cross sec-
tion of interests such as the research, technology transfer, 
design and construction, and financial communities; mate-
rials and systems suppliers; State, county, and local gov-
ernments; the insurance industry; and other representa-
tives as designated by the Director. 
(b) ASSESSMENT.—The Advisory Committee shall as-
sess—
(1) trends and developments in the science and 
engineering of windstorm impact reduction; 
(2) the effectiveness of the Program in carrying 
out the activities under section 3(d); 
(3) the need to revise the Program; and 
(4) the management, coordination, implementa-
tion, and activities of the Program.
(c) BIENNIAL REPORT.—At least once every two 
years, the Advisory Committee shall report to Congress 
and the Interagency Working Group on the assessment 
carried out under subsection (b). 
(d) SUNSET EXEMPTION.—Section 14 of the Federal 
Advisory Committee Act shall not apply to the Advisory 
Committee established under this section. 
SEC. 6. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
Nothing in this Act supersedes any provision of the 
National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety 
Standards Act of 1974. No design, 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 sec-
tion 616 of the National Manufactured Housing Construc-
tion 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. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN-
CY.—From sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency for carrying out this 
Act—
(1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(2) $8,700,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 
(3) $9,400,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—From sums 
otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there are author-
ized to be appropriated to the National Science Founda-
tion for carrying out this Act—
(1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(2) $8,700,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 
(3) $9,400,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(c) NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF
STANDARDS
AND 
TECHNOLOGY.—From sums otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated to 
the National Institute of Standards and Technology for 
carrying out this Act—
(1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(2) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2006; and 
(3) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2007. 
(d) NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 
ADMINISTRATION.—From sums otherwise authorized to 
be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated 
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
for carrying out this Act—
(1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2005; 
(2) $2,100,000 for fiscal year 2006; and