I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6207 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act to improve recovery and hazard mitigation activities with respect 
to major disasters, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 23, 2010 
Ms. HERSETH SANDLIN (for herself and Mr. PETERSON) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act to improve recovery and hazard 
mitigation activities with respect to major disasters, 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 ‘‘Rural Flood Mitigation 
and Recovery Act of 2010’’. 
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SEC. 2. CORPS OF ENGINEERS FLOOD DAMAGE REDUCTION 
PROJECTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a study for a flood 
damage reduction project to be carried out for a flood 
prone disaster area, the Secretary of the Army may deter-
mine that the project is justified and recommend the 
project solely on the basis that the non-Federal interest 
for the project has demonstrated that the project is appro-
priate and needed to protect the long-term economic via-
bility of the area. 
(b) FLOOD PRONE DISASTER AREA DEFINED.—In 
this section, the term ‘‘flood prone disaster area’’ means 
an area determined by the President at any time to be 
a flood prone disaster area under section 428 of the Rob-
ert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (as added by section 3 of this Act). 
SEC. 3. FLOOD PRONE DISASTER AREAS. 
Title IV of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating the second section 425 (42 
U.S.C. 5189e; relating to essential service providers) 
as section 427; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 428. FLOOD PRONE DISASTER AREAS. 
‘‘(a) DETERMINATION OF FLOOD PRONE DISASTER 
AREAS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—If the President declares 
under section 401 that a major disaster exists in an 
area due to flooding, the President shall determine 
at the time of the declaration whether the area 
qualifies as a flood prone disaster area for the pur-
poses of this section. 
‘‘(2) CRITERIA.—The President shall determine 
an area to be a flood prone disaster area under 
paragraph (1) if the area has experienced at least 2 
other major disasters due to flooding during the 5- 
year period preceding the date of the declaration re-
ferred to in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(3) APPLICABILITY.—The determination that 
an area is a flood prone disaster area in connection 
with a major disaster shall apply to assistance made 
available under this Act with respect to that dis-
aster. 
‘‘(b) SPECIAL RULES FOR FLOOD PRONE DISASTER 
AREAS.— 
‘‘(1) CONTRIBUTIONS FOR HAZARD MITIGATION 
MEASURES.— 
‘‘(A) FEDERAL SHARE.—In making con-
tributions for hazard mitigation measures under 
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section 404 for the benefit of a flood prone dis-
aster area, the President shall treat the ‘75 per-
cent’ specified in the first sentence of sub-
section (a) of that section as— 
‘‘(i) 90 percent; or 
‘‘(ii) 100 percent, if the President de-
termines that the measures would not be 
carried out without additional Federal 
funding and are necessary to protect the 
long-term economic viability of the area. 
‘‘(B) TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS.—In making 
contributions for hazard mitigation measures 
under section 404 for the benefit of a flood 
prone disaster area, the President shall— 
‘‘(i) treat the ‘15 percent’ specified in 
the last sentence of subsection (a) of that 
section as 20 percent; and 
‘‘(ii) treat the ‘20 percent’ specified in 
section 322(e)(1) as 25 percent. 
‘‘(2) REPAIR, RESTORATION, AND
REPLACE-
MENT OF DAMAGED FACILITIES.—In making con-
tributions for the repair, restoration, reconstruction, 
or replacement of facilities under section 406 for the 
benefit of a flood prone disaster area, the President 
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shall treat the ‘75 percent’ specified in subsection 
(b)(1) of that section as— 
‘‘(A) 90 percent; or 
‘‘(B) 100 percent, if the President deter-
mines that the activity would not be carried out 
without additional Federal funding and is nec-
essary to protect the long-term economic viabil-
ity of the area. 
‘‘(c) 
FLOOD
PRONE
DISASTER
AREA
TASK 
FORCES.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In each State that in-
cludes a flood prone disaster area, the President 
shall establish a task force to ensure that activities 
in response to the major disaster in that area are co-
ordinated and carried out appropriately. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The President shall en-
sure, to the extent practicable, that each task force 
established under paragraph (1) is composed of the 
heads of all Federal and State agencies relevant to 
disaster response activities in the flood prone dis-
aster area.’’. 
SEC. 4. HAZARD MITIGATION. 
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: 
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