of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170; 42 U.S.C. 
5191) on or after October 30, 2012. 
(b) WAIVER AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding section 
3716(e) of title 31, United States Code, the Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency— 
(1) subject to paragraph (2), may waive a debt 
owed to the United States related to covered assist-
ance provided to an individual or household if— 
(A) the covered assistance was distributed 
based on an error by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency; 
(B) there was no fault on behalf of the 
debtor; and 
(C) the collection of the debt would be 
against equity and good conscience; and 
(2) may not waive a debt under paragraph (1) 
if the debt involves fraud, the presentation of a false 
claim, or misrepresentation by the debtor or any 
party having an interest in the claim. 
(c) MONITORING OF COVERED ASSISTANCE DISTRIB-
UTED BASED ON ERROR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General shall 
monitor the distribution of covered assistance to in-
dividuals and households to determine the percent-
age of such assistance distributed based on an error. 
(2) REMOVAL OF WAIVER AUTHORITY BASED 
ON EXCESSIVE ERROR RATE.—If the Inspector Gen-
eral determines, with respect to any 12-month pe-
riod, that the amount of covered assistance distrib-
uted based on an error by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency exceeds 4 percent of the total 
amount of covered assistance distributed— 
(A) the Inspector General shall notify the 
Administrator and publish the determination in 
the Federal Register; and 
(B) with respect to any major disaster de-
clared by the President under section 401 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) 
after the date of the determination, the author-
ity of the Administrator to waive debt under 
subsection (b) shall no longer be effective. 
SEC. 307. STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR DEBTS OWED TO 
THE UNITED STATES RELATED TO DISASTER 
ASSISTANCE. 
Notwithstanding section 3716(g) of title 31, United 
States Code, and unless there is evidence of civil or crimi-
nal fraud, the Administrator, on behalf of the President,
shall not initiate new administrative action in any forum 
to recover— 
(1) payments made to an individual or house-
hold under section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 5174) more than 3 years after the last date 
on which such payments were made; or 
(2) funds owed by an individual or household 
for assistance provided under section 408 of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) more than 3 years 
after the last date on which such funds were deter-
mined to be owed. 
SEC. 308. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND RECOMMENDA-
TIONS. 
(a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall provide 
technical assistance to a common interest community that 
provides essential services of a governmental nature on ac-
tions that a common interest community may take in 
order to be eligible to receive reimbursement from a grant-
ee that receives funds from the Agency for certain activi-
ties performed after an event that results in a disaster 
declaration.
(b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall provide recommendations to the House Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Senate 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs on how common areas of condominiums and housing 
cooperatives may be eligible for assistance, including any 
progress the Agency has made in its explorations of this 
issue and the potential challenges identified since the 
Agency issued its report on May 22, 2014. 
SEC. 309. LOCAL IMPACT. 
In making recommendations to the President regard-
ing a major disaster declaration, the Administrator shall 
give greater weight and consideration to severe localized 
impact. Further, the Administrator shall make cor-
responding adjustments to the Agency’s policies and regu-
lations. Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this section, the Administrator shall report to the Com-
mittees on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Home-
land Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate on 
the changes made to regulations and policies and the num-
ber of declarations that have been declared based on the 
new criteria.
SEC. 310. PROOF OF INSURANCE. 
A State shall be deemed to have proven that an appli-
cant has satisfied the purchase of insurance requirements 
under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et. seq.) when an 
encumbrance requiring the purchase and maintenance of 
insurance has been placed on the title of the property re-
ceiving the benefit of the grant or assistance. This section 
in no way removes or reduces the insurance requirements 
on an applicant under the Act and in no way limits the 
requirement that assistance provided under the Stafford 
Act be reduced or eliminated when the requirements are 
not met. 
SEC. 311. AUTHORITIES. 
The Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 
not, pursuant to consultation with another Federal agency 
or otherwise, expand its statutory authorities as they re-
late to floodplain management or floodplain mapping un-
less the requirement to do so is explicitly and specifically 
stated in statute, nor shall the Agency’s authorities be 
construed to impute the privately-funded actions of private 
parties on private land to such Agency for the purpose 
of extending the requirements of any Federal law applica-
ble to Federal agencies to such actions.
SEC. 312. RESPONSIBILITIES. 
The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency shall be responsible for the Nation’s ef-
forts to reduce the loss of life and property and to protect 
the Nation from an earthquake, tsunami, or a combined 
earthquake and tsunami event by developing the ability 
to prepare and plan for, mitigate against, respond to, re-
cover from, and more successfully adapt to such an event. 
SEC. 313. EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI INTERAGENCY TASK 
FORCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall establish a 
Federal Interagency Task Force for the purpose of devel-
oping a comprehensive strategy and recommendations on 
how the Nation should prepare and plan for, mitigate 
against, respond to, recover from, and more successfully 
adapt to an earthquake, tsunami, or a combined earth-
quake and tsunami event in the Cascadia Subduction 
Zone, including identifying potential administrative or leg-
islative changes required to implement the strategy, the 
funding required to implement the strategy and rec-
ommendations, and the priority in which the strategy 
should be implemented. 
(b) CHAIRPERSON.—The Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency, or his designee, 
shall serve as the chairperson of the Task Force.
(c) MEMBERSHIP.—The membership of the Task 
Force shall include a cross section of subject matter ex-
perts representing the following: 
(1) Relevant Federal agencies. 
(2) The States of Oregon, Washington, and 
California. 
(3) Indian tribes, local governments, and pri-
vate sector representatives that may be impacted by 
a mega-thrust earthquake, tsunami, or a combined 
earthquake and tsunami event in the Cascadia 
Subduction Zone. 
(4) Universities, academia, and research institu-
tions with expertise in topics relevant to the work of 
the Task Force. 
(d) DETAILED EMPLOYEES.—Members of the Task 
Force may detail employees to assist the Administrator, 
or his designee, in fulfilling the responsibilities of the Task 
Force. 
(e) CASCADIA
SUBDUCTION
ZONE.—The term 
‘‘Cascadia Subduction Zone’’ means the approximately 
684 miles long landward-dipping fault that separates the 
Juan de Fuca and North America plates and that 
stretches along a portion of the western coast of the 
United States beginning off Cape Mendocino, California,
along the State of Oregon, the State of Washington, to 
Northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 
(f) STRATEGY.—The comprehensive strategy, which 
may build upon existing plans, studies, or other resources, 
shall include the following: 
(1) Define how Federal agencies will coordinate 
to develop the ability to prepare and plan for, miti-
gate against, respond to, recover from, and more 
successfully adapt to the impacts of a mega-thrust 
earthquake, tsunami, or a combined earthquake and 
tsunami event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone. 
(2) Ensure collaboration between the Depart-
ment of Transportation, the Department of Energy, 
the United States Coast Guard, the United States 
Army Corps of Engineers, and other Federal agen-
cies as appropriate to complete a needs assessment 
of Federal facilities in need of hardening for an 
event and develop a strategic plan to mitigate and 
retrofit Federal, State, tribal, and local critical as-
sets for freight, energy, and transit purposes to 
withstand an event and to help save lives during and 
immediately after an event. 
(3) Assist State, tribal, and local governments 
in developing and implementing a coordinated and 
comprehensive plan to prioritize Federal, State, trib-
al, local, and private investments and activities to 
develop the ability to prepare and plan for, mitigate 
against, respond to, recover from, and more success-
fully adapt to the impacts of a mega-thrust earth-
quake, tsunami, or a combined earthquake and tsu-
nami event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone, and to 
link to any existing State-wide mitigation plan, in-
cluding examining the feasibility of the public and 
private sector and individuals to acquire earthquake 
insurance. 
(4) Identify existing funding opportunities 
across Federal agencies and other sources to imple-
ment the comprehensive strategy and any rec-
ommendations made by the Task Force and make 
recommendations for new funding opportunities. 
(5) Identify barriers to obtaining funding and 
implementing the comprehensive strategy and to de-
velop recommendations on how to remove such bar-
riers. 
(6) Collaborate with and assist State, tribal, 
and local governments in developing recommenda-
tions for cost-effective mitigation alternatives for 
aging State, tribal, or locally owned critical infra-
structure.
(7) Assist State, tribal, and local governments 
with developing a recovery plan prior to an earth-
quake, tsunami, or combined earthquake and tsu-
nami event in the Cascadia Subduction Zone as to 
how State, tribal, and local governments may want 
to rebuild after the event; 
(8) Identify steps taken to date to develop an 
onshore and offshore earthquake early warning sys-
tem and define the purpose and scope of an onshore 
and offshore earthquake early warning system. 
(9) Evaluate types of offshore earthquake early 
warning systems and provide recommendations and 
a cost estimate for an earthquake early warning sys-
tem appropriate for the Cascadia Subduction Zone. 
(10) Make recommendations about how an 
earthquake early warning system should operate, in-
cluding whether and how a system should interface 
with the private sector. 
(11) Define appropriate roles and responsibil-
ities for Federal, State, local, and tribal govern-
ments, including who should operate and maintain 
an earthquake early warning system, the cost of a 
system, and possible funding sources for a system. 
(12) Develop a plan on how to integrate an 
earthquake early warning system into existing and
new public alert warning systems and technologies, 
including mobile systems. 
(g) COLLABORATION.—The Task Force shall work si-
multaneously and collaboratively with the National Acad-
emies. 
(h) NATIONAL ACADEMIES.—The Task Force shall 
enter into an agreement with the National Academies 
under which the National Academies shall develop rec-
ommendations for a Federal research strategy to advance 
scientific understanding of a Cascadia Subduction Zone 
earthquake and resulting tsunami preparedness, including 
the following: 
(1) Geologic conditions, ground motions, and 
tsunami hazard. 
(2) Implications of an effective automated early 
warning system. 
(3) Effects of mega-earthquake and tsunami 
events on the built and natural environment. 
(4) Social and behavioral factors for effective 
disaster preparedness and response. 
(5) Cost-effective mitigation alternatives for leg-
acy and aging infrastructure. 
(6) Strategic planning for freight, energy, and 
transit network robustness.
(7) Tools that help communities invest its re-
sources for the greatest benefit. 
(8) Any other topics identified as necessary by 
the Task Force or the National Academies. 
(i) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall submit to 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate 
a report of the Task Force that provides the following: 
(1) The comprehensive strategy identified in 
subsection (f). 
(2) Recommendations on administrative actions 
that may be taken to further the strategy. 
(3) Recommendations for legislative changes 
that may be necessary to further the strategy. 
(4) Recommendations on funding necessary to 
carry out the strategy. 
SEC. 314. MITIGATION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 420 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5187) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub-
section (e); and
(2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) HAZARD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE.—Whether 
or not a major disaster is declared, the President may pro-
vide hazard mitigation assistance in accordance with sec-
tion 404 in any area affected by a fire for which assistance 
was provided under this section.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 404(a) (42 U.S.C. 5170c(a))— 
(A) by inserting before the first period ‘‘, 
or any area affected by a fire for which assist-
ance was provided under section 420’’; and 
(B) in the third sentence by inserting ‘‘or 
event under section 420’’ after ‘‘major disaster’’ 
each place it appears; and 
(2) in section 322(e)(1) (42 U.S.C. 5165(e)(1)), 
by inserting ‘‘or event under section 420’’ after 
‘‘major disaster’’ each place it appears. 
SEC. 315. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES. 
Section 404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: