386 
(d) REVIEW BY AFFECTED AUTHORITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—When the Board has com-
pleted the findings and recommendations or other 
products as a result of a review under this title, the 
Board shall provide all affected States, Tribal gov-
ernments, and units of local government, or their 
designees, an opportunity to review and comment 
not later than 30 days before the publication of the 
findings or recommendations. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—The Board shall make 
every reasonable effort, within its discretion, to re-
spond to requests for additional information and 
context that an affected jurisdiction may make and 
to edit their findings and recommendations with any 
useful additional information or context provided by 
any affected jurisdiction in its comments without af-
fecting the integrity or independence of the review 
and its findings and recommendations, as the Board 
shall determine. 
(e) 
DISPROPORTIONATELY
IMPACTED
COMMU-
NITIES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a review of 
an incident under this section, including in deter-
mining whether to launch a review, the Board shall 
ensure the potential development of findings that
387 
would benefit the prevention of loss of life and 
human or economic injury to populations that are 
socially, medically, or economically vulnerable, as de-
cided by the Board. 
(2) DATA
REQUIREMENT.—To forward the 
analysis and identification of trends of fatalities and 
injuries as a result of incidents, the Board shall pub-
lish information regarding the number of fatalities 
and injuries, and the facts and circumstances sur-
rounding them, disaggregated by race, color or eth-
nicity, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, 
English proficiency, occupation, or economic status, 
and other demographic characteristics that the 
Board may determine appropriate. 
(f) COORDINATION WITH OTHER REVIEWS AND IN-
VESTIGATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the requirements 
of this section, a review of a natural hazard incident 
by the Board under subsection (a)(1) shall have pri-
ority over any investigation by another department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the Federal Govern-
ment or a State, Tribal, or local government. 
(2) PARTICIPATION BY OTHER AGENCIES.—The 
Board shall provide for appropriate participation by 
other departments, agencies, or instrumentalities in
388 
a review conducted by the Board, except that an-
other department, agency, or instrumentality may 
not influence the final findings of the Board. 
(3) COORDINATION.—The Board shall coordi-
nate with all other Federal, State, Tribal, or local le-
gally mandated investigations or reviews and may 
share information with those entities, according to 
policies and procedures that the Board will provide, 
to ensure that appropriate findings and recommen-
dations to reduce loss of life, injury, and economic 
injury caused by future incidents are produced as ef-
ficiently as possible. 
(4) MEMORANDA
OF
UNDERSTANDING.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this 
Act, and biennially thereafter, the Chairman of the 
Board shall enter into memoranda of understanding 
with the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology, the Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency, the Chairman 
of the Chemical Safety Board, and the Chairman of 
the National Transportation Safety Board, respec-
tively, and may enter into additional memoranda of 
understanding with any other Federal entity that re-
quests such due to the relationship that the require-
389 
ments of the Federal entity may have with the re-
quirements with the Board, in order to— 
(A) determine the appropriate roles and re-
sponsibilities of the Board with respect to the 
other agency or board; 
(B) avoid any duplication of effort; and 
(C) ensure that appropriate findings and 
recommendations to reduce loss of life, injury, 
and economic injury caused by future incidents 
are provided. 
(g) PARTICIPATION IN SUPPORT OF ANOTHER AGEN-
CY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) INVESTIGATION
OF
ACTS
OF
VIO-
LENCE.—The Board may participate in an in-
vestigation of an act of violence in support of 
another Federal department or agency, or other 
Federal investigative body with statutory au-
thority to lead such an investigation, if the head 
of the lead investigative agency determines that 
the participation of the Board would be bene-
ficial to reduce the likelihood of the loss of life 
and human or economic injury, for future simi-
lar incidents.
390 
(B) INVESTIGATION
OF
TECHNOLOGICAL 
INCIDENTS.— 
(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Board may 
participate in an investigation of a techno-
logical incident— 
(I) in support of another Federal 
department or agency, or other Fed-
eral investigative body with statutory 
authority to lead such an investiga-
tion, if the head of the lead investiga-
tive agency determines that the par-
ticipation of the Board would be bene-
ficial to reduce the likelihood of the 
loss of life and human or economic in-
jury, for future similar incidents; or 
(II) in the case of no statutory 
authority for another Federal depart-
ment or agency, or other Federal in-
vestigative body, to lead such an in-
vestigation, as the lead investigative 
entity. 
(ii) 
MEMORANDA
OF
UNDER-
STANDING.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and bi-
ennially thereafter, the Chairman of the
391 
Board shall enter into memoranda of un-
derstanding with the heads of appropriate 
Federal agencies in order to— 
(I) determine the appropriate 
roles and responsibilities of the Board 
in investigating technological incidents 
with respect to the other agency; 
(II) avoid any duplication of ef-
fort; and 
(III) ensure that appropriate 
findings and recommendations to re-
duce loss of life, injury, and economic 
injury caused by future incidents are 
provided. 
(2) FINDINGS.—If the Board participates in an 
act of violence or technological incident investigation 
under subparagraph (A), the Board may issue inde-
pendent findings and recommendations notwith-
standing the outcome of any investigation conducted 
by another Federal agency or other Federal inves-
tigative body. 
(3) CRIMINAL CIRCUMSTANCES.—If the Attor-
ney General, in consultation with the Chairperson, 
determines and notifies the Board that circum-
stances reasonably indicate that the act of violence
392 
or technological incident described in subparagraph 
(A) may have been caused by an intentional criminal 
act, the Board shall relinquish investigative priority 
to the responsible Federal law enforcement entity. 
(4) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—This section 
shall not be construed to affect the authority of an-
other department, agency, or instrumentality of the 
Federal Government to investigate an incident under 
applicable law or to obtain information directly from 
the parties involved in, and witnesses to, the inci-
dent. The Board and other departments, agencies, 
and instrumentalities shall ensure that appropriate 
information developed about the incident is ex-
changed in a timely manner. 
(h) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Board may make 
the following types of technical assistance available to 
Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies and 
to private entities as designated by a Federal, State, Trib-
al, or local government agency: 
(1) INDEPENDENT REVIEW.—The Board shall 
disseminate best practices to develop disaster inves-
tigation and review capacity within State, Tribal, 
and local governments. 
(2) 
IMPLEMENTATION
OF
RECOMMENDA-
TIONS.—The Board—
393 
(A) may provide technical assistance to 
any entity identified as responsible for imple-
menting 
a 
recommendation 
under 
section 
203(a)(1) to assist the entity in implementing 
the recommendation; and 
(B) to the extent possible, shall provide the 
technical assistance described in subparagraph 
(A) in coordination with technical assistance of-
fered by another Federal department or agency. 
(3) PRIORITIZATION.—In offering technical as-
sistance under this subsection, the Board shall use 
a risk-based method of prioritization, as the Board 
determines appropriate. 
(i) FINDINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), not later than 1 year after the date on 
which the Board initiates a review conducted under 
this section, the Board shall make the findings and 
relevant underlying data of the review available to 
the public. 
(2) EXTENSION
OF
DEADLINE.—The Chair-
person of the Board may extend the 1-year period 
described in paragraph (1) if the Chairperson, before 
the end of such 1-year period—
394 
(A) provides an explanation for the exten-
sion; and 
(B) makes available to the public all avail-
able interim findings and underlying data. 
SEC. 203. RECOMMENDATIONS AND RESPONSES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—If the Board issues a recommen-
dation about an incident, the Board shall— 
(1) explain the relationship between any rec-
ommendation and the results of a fact-finding re-
view; 
(2) identify each relevant entity responsible for 
making the change called for in the recommenda-
tion, including State, local, or private entities, as ap-
propriate; 
(3) publish any responses to the recommenda-
tion publicly; and 
(4) assess whether the responses adequately 
lower the likelihood that a future similar incident 
will result in loss of life, or human or economic in-
jury in the view of the Board. 
(b) FEDERAL RESPONSES TO RECOMMENDATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—All Federal departments and 
agencies identified in a recommendation made by the 
Board shall reply to the recommendations not later
395 
than 90 days after the date on which the rec-
ommendation is published by the Board. 
(2) RESPONSE DESCRIBED.—A response under 
paragraph (1) made by a Federal department or 
agency shall include— 
(A) whether the department or agency in-
tends to adopt the recommendation in whole, in 
part, or not at all; 
(B) an explanation of the reasons for only 
adopting the recommendation in part or not at 
all; and 
(C) a proposed timetable for completing 
the action the Federal department or agency 
has agreed to. 
(3) PROGRESS
UPDATES.—A Federal depart-
ment or agency that agrees to adopt a recommenda-
tion of the Board shall— 
(A) track the progress of the department 
or agency toward completion; and 
(B) provide an update to the Board, to be 
published publicly, periodically, and not less fre-
quently than annually. 
(c) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date on which a final determination is made on
396 
a recommendation under this section, the Board 
shall make a copy of the recommendation and re-
sponse to the recommendation available to the pub-
lic. 
(2) EXTENSION
OF
DEADLINE.—The Chair-
person of the Board may extend the 1-year period 
described in paragraph (1) if the Chairperson, before 
the end of such 1-year period— 
(A) provides an explanation for the exten-
sion; and 
(B) makes available to the public any 
available interim response to the recommenda-
tion and underlying data. 
(d) DISSEMINATION.—The Board shall propagate 
each recommendation issued under this section, including 
by— 
(1) incorporating the recommendation, and any 
related findings, into training material used by Fed-
eral, State, Tribal, and private training facilities 
specializing in building resilience to and responding 
to and recovering from natural hazards, as the 
Board deems appropriate; 
(2) coordinating with professional associations 
related to building resilience to and responding to 
and recovering from natural hazards;
397 
(3) collaborating with relevant Federal, State, 
and Tribal authorities and private organizations; 
and 
(4) coordinating with private and public institu-
tions of higher education and research institutions. 
SEC. 204. REPORTS AND STUDIES. 
(a) STUDIES AND OTHER REPORTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Board shall annually 
submit a report containing the information described 
in paragraph (2) to— 
(A) Congress; 
(B) any department, agency, or instrumen-
tality of the Federal Government concerned 
with natural hazards; 
(C) all State and Tribal governments; and 
(D) the general public. 
(2) INFORMATION
DESCRIBED.—The informa-
tion described in this paragraph is— 
(A) the results of special studies on how to 
reduce morbidity and mortality from incidents; 
(B) an examination of techniques and 
methods of evaluating measures to protect the 
public from incidents and periodically publish 
recommended procedures for reviews;
398 
(C) evaluation and examination of the ef-
fectiveness of the findings of the Board about 
the natural hazard resilience of other depart-
ments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the 
Federal Government and their effectiveness in 
preventing loss of life, or human or economic 
injury; and 
(D) recommend meaningful responses to 
reduce the likelihood of loss of life, or human 
or economic injury, according to the findings of 
the above-mentioned research, including na-
tional and regional policies and programs. 
(b) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than June 1, 
2023, and once every 2 years thereafter, the Board shall 
submit a report to Congress, which shall include— 
(1) a statistical and analytical summary of the 
reviews conducted and reviewed by the Board during 
the prior 2 calendar years; 
(2) a survey and summary of the recommenda-
tions made by the Board and the observed response 
to each recommendation, including the classification, 
containing a written justification and explanation of 
each recommendation as— 
(A) open, if, in the determination of the 
Board, sufficient action to fulfill the intent of
399 
the recommendation has not been taken and 
still should be; 
(B) closed, if, in the determination of the 
Board, sufficient action to fulfill the intent of 
the recommendation has been taken and no fur-
ther action is necessary; and 
(C) outdated, if, in the determination of 
the Board, the recommendation is no longer rel-
evant because of any change in circumstances 
or actions by parties other than the intended 
recipient of the recommendation; 
(3) an assessment of efforts of Federal, State, 
Tribal, and local governments to respond to rec-
ommendations made by the Board, if such entities 
have voluntarily provided information to the Board 
on the progress of the entity; 
(4) a description of the training undertaken by 
the Board and its staff and persons sponsored by 
the Board; 
(5) a list of natural hazards that caused 10 or 
more fatalities that the Board did not review and a 
recommendation with justification by the Board of 
whether similar incidents should be reviewed in the 
future;
400 
(6) a recommendation on how, if at all, the 
thresholds and triggers for a review by the Board 
should change; 
(7) an assessment of the sufficiency of Federal 
resources provided to State, Tribal, and local gov-
ernments in aggregate relative to any vulnerabilities 
that the Board determines the governments have; 
(8) a list of all requests for review from Gov-
ernors of States and territories and chief executives 
of Tribal governments or recommended by the office 
established under section 205(f)(2) that the Board 
rejected, including comments and recommendations 
from the Board regarding whether similar incidents 
should be reviewed in the future; and 
(9) a list of ongoing reviews that have exceeded 
the expected time allotted for completion by Board 
order and an explanation for the additional time re-
quired to complete each such review. 
(c) DISSEMINATION.—The Board shall propagate the 
information described in subsection (a)(2), including by— 
(1) incorporating the information into training 
material used by Federal, State, Tribal, and private 
training facilities specializing in building resilience 
to and responding to and recovering from natural 
hazards, as the Board deems appropriate;
401 
(2) coordinating with professional associations 
related to building resilience to and responding to 
and recovering from natural hazards; 
(3) collaborating with relevant Federal, State, 
and Tribal authorities and private organizations; 
and 
(4) coordinating with private and public institu-
tions of higher education and research institutions. 
SEC. 205. APPOINTMENT AND ORGANIZATION. 
(a) APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Board shall be com-
posed of 7 members, who shall, in accordance with 
paragraph (2) and subject to paragraph (3), be ap-
pointed by the President, by and with the advice and 
consent of the Senate. 
(2) PROCEDURE.— 
(A) INITIAL APPOINTMENTS.—The Presi-
dent shall, in consultation with the National 
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi-
cine and relevant professional associations and 
leaders in the private sector, appoint the 7 
members of the Board from among a list of 14 
individuals provided by both houses of Con-
gress, of which—
402 
(i) the majority leader of the Senate 
shall provide the names of 4 individuals; 
(ii) the minority leader of the Senate 
shall provide the names of 3 individuals; 
(iii) the Speaker of the House of Rep-
resentatives shall provide the names of 4 
individuals; and 
(iv) the minority leader of the House 
of Representatives shall provide the names 
of 3 individuals. 
(B) SUBSEQUENT
APPOINTMENTS.—Any 
vacancy of the Board shall be filled in the same 
manner as the original appointment. 
(3) REQUIREMENTS.—Of the 7 members ap-
pointed under paragraph (1)— 
(A) not more than 4 members may be ap-
pointed from the same political party; 
(B) all members shall be appointed on the 
basis of technical qualification, professional 
standing, and demonstrated knowledge in emer-
gency management, fire management, emer-
gency medical services, public-health, physical 
sciences, social science, behavioral science, or 
architectural and engineering with post-disaster
403 
evaluation or building forensics expertise in 
their respective field; 
(C) a minimum of 2 members shall have 
experience working at the State or municipal 
level in 1 of the fields described in subpara-
graph (B); and 
(D) a minimum of 2 members shall have 
demonstrated professional experience working 
with populations that have historically been 
more vulnerable to incidents because of their 
race, color, nationality, sex, age, disability, 
English proficiency, or economic status. 
(b) TERMS OF OFFICE AND REMOVAL.— 
(1) TERM OF OFFICE.—Except as provided in 
paragraph (2), the term of office of each member 
shall be 5 years. 
(2) FILLING OF VACANCY.—An individual ap-
pointed to fill a vacancy occurring before the expira-
tion of the term for which the predecessor of that 
individual was appointed is appointed for the re-
mainder of that term. 
(3) CONTINUATION UNTIL SUCCESSOR IS AP-
POINTED.—When the term of office of a member 
ends, the member may continue to serve until a suc-
cessor is appointed and confirmed.
404 
(4) REMOVAL.—The President may remove a 
member only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or 
malfeasance in office. Immediately upon removing a 
member of the Board, the President shall issue a 
public statement that details how the actions of the 
removed member met the criteria of this paragraph. 
(c) CHAIRPERSON AND VICE CHAIRPERSON.— 
(1) CHAIRPERSON.—The President shall des-
ignate, by and with the advice and consent of the 
Senate, a member appointed under subsection (b) to 
serve as the Chairperson of the Board. 
(2) VICE CHAIRPERSON.—The President shall 
designate a member appointed under subsection (b) 
to serve as the Vice Chairperson of the Board and 
if the Chairperson is absent or unable to serve, or 
if the position of Chairperson is vacant, the Vice 
Chairperson shall act as the Chairperson. 
(3) TERM OF OFFICE.—The Chairperson and 
Vice Chairperson shall each serve in such position 
for a term of 3 years. 
(d) DUTIES AND POWERS OF CHAIRPERSON.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Chairperson shall be the 
chief executive and administrative officer of the 
Board.
405 
(2) POWERS.—Subject to the general policies 
and decisions of the Board, the Chairperson shall— 
(A) appoint and supervise officers and em-
ployees, other than regular and full-time em-
ployees in the immediate offices of another 
member, necessary to carry out this title; 
(B) fix the pay of officers and employees 
necessary to carry out this title; 
(C) distribute business among the officers, 
employees, and administrative units of the 
Board; and 
(D) supervise the expenditures of the 
Board. 
(e) QUORUM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 
and (3), 4 members of the Board shall constitute a 
quorum for purposes of carrying out the duties and 
powers of the Board, subject to the limitations in 
the remainder of this subsection. 
(2) PARTY LIMITATION.—Not less than 1 rep-
resentative from each party shall be present for a 
quorum to be established. 
(3) CHAIRPERSON.—Either the Chairperson or 
Vice Chairperson shall be present for a quorum to 
be established.
406 
(f) OFFICES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall establish 
such offices as are necessary to carry out this title, 
which may include offices responsible for— 
(A) operations; 
(B) science and methodology; 
(C) review and evaluation; 
(D) communications; 
(E) external coordination; or 
(F) technical assistance. 
(2) OFFICE
FOR
THE
PROTECTION
OF
DIS-
PROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED COMMUNITIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall estab-
lish an office to review and make recommenda-
tions to mitigate and prevent the loss of life, or 
human or economic injury for vulnerable popu-
lations, including populations that may be more 
vulnerable because of their race, color, religion, 
nationality, sex, age, disability, English pro-
ficiency, or economic status, or other demo-
graphic characteristics that the Board may de-
termine appropriate. 
(B) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The office estab-
lished under paragraph (1) shall—
407 
(i) provide recommendations to the 
Board for incidents to review in accordance 
with section 202(b)(4) that do not other-
wise meet the requirements of section 
202(b); 
(ii) determine and maintain a list spe-
cific demographic, economic, social, and 
health characteristics of populations that 
historically have shown to be disproportion-
ately impacted by incidents; 
(iii) during a review conducted by the 
Board, provide research and analysis on 
how the incident impacts populations that 
the Office determines to be disproportion-
ately impacted; 
(iv) provide recommendations for each 
review conducted by the Board and for 
each report developed under section 204 on 
actions that can be taken to reduce the im-
pact to populations that are found to be 
disproportionately impacted under clause 
(ii); and 
(v) provide training, and establish 
training requirements, for Board members 
and staff in the fields of diversity, inclu-
408 
sion, and equity in consultation with orga-
nizations specializing in those fields. 
(3) REGIONAL OFFICES.—In establishing offices 
under this subsection, the Board may establish re-
gional offices across the United States to facilitate 
collaboration, coordination, and the dissemination of 
findings, recommendations, and best practices to 
State, Tribal, and local governments and the private 
sector in such regions as the Board determines ap-
propriate. 
(4) PURPOSE.—Each office established under 
this subsection shall enable the Board to review, re-
port on, and issue recommendations to prevent the 
loss of life, human injury, and economic injury and 
deliver technical assistance to disseminate best prac-
tices in accordance with this title. 
(g) CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER.—The Chairperson 
shall designate an officer or employee of the Board to 
serve as the Chief Financial Officer, who shall— 
(1) report directly to the Chairperson on finan-
cial management and budget execution; 
(2) direct, manage, and provide policy guidance 
and oversight on financial management and property 
and inventory control; and
409 
(3) review the fees, rents, and other charges im-
posed by the Board for services and things of value 
it provides and suggest appropriate revisions to 
those charges to reflect costs incurred by the Board 
in providing those services and things of value. 
(h) BOARD MEMBER STAFF.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Each member of the Board 
shall appoint and supervise regular and full-time em-
ployees in the immediate office of the member as 
long as any such employee has been approved for 
employment by the designated agency ethics official 
under the same guidelines that apply to all employ-
ees of the Board. 
(2) DESIGNATION.—With respect to an indi-
vidual appointed under paragraph (1)— 
(A) the member of the Board making the 
appointment shall determine which grade of the 
General Schedule most closely corresponds with 
respect to the duties and functions of the posi-
tion to which the individual is appointed; and 
(B) during the period of the appoint-
ment— 
(i) the individual shall be compensated 
at the appropriate rate of pay for the 
grade of the General Schedule with respect
410 
to which the determination is made under 
subparagraph (A); and 
(ii) for the purposes of title 5, United 
States Code, and the rules issued under 
that title, the individual shall be considered 
to be an employee, as that term is defined 
in section 5331(a) of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(3) LIMITATION.—Except for the Chairperson, 
the appointment authority in paragraph (1) shall be 
limited to the number of full-time equivalent posi-
tions, in addition to 1 senior professional staff posi-
tion at a level not to exceed the GS–15 level of the 
General Schedule and 1 administrative staff posi-
tion, allocated to each member of the Board through 
the annual budget and allocation process of the 
Board. 
(i) DETAILED STAFF.— 
(1) FEDERAL EMPLOYEES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Upon request of the 
Board, the head of an agency described in sub-
paragraph (B), or any other Federal depart-
ment or agency that the Board may request, 
may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the 
personnel of that department or agency to the
411 
Board to assist the Board in carrying out the 
duties of the Board under this title. 
(B) RELEVANT AGENCIES.—For purposes 
of subparagraph (A), the following are agencies 
described in this subparagraph: 
(i) The Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency. 
(ii) The Cybersecurity and Infrastruc-
ture Security Agency of the Department of 
Homeland Security. 
(iii) The National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration, including the Na-
tional Weather Service. 
(iv) The Department of Defense, in-
cluding the Army Corps of Engineers. 
(v) The Department of Health and 
Human Services. 
(vi) 
The 
National 
Institutes 
of 
Health. 
(vii) The Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention. 
(viii) The Coast Guard. 
(ix) 
The 
National 
Transportation 
Safety Board.
412 
(x) The National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology. 
(xi) The Government Accountability 
Office. 
(xii) The Department of the Interior, 
including the United States Geological 
Survey. 
(xiii) Any Office of the Inspector Gen-
eral. 
(xiv) The Small Business Administra-
tion. 
(xv) The Chemical Safety and Hazard 
Investigation Board. 
(xvi) The Department of Housing and 
Urban Development. 
(xvii) The Department of Agriculture. 
(2) STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND
RESEARCH 
STAFF.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board may enter 
into agreements with State, local, and Tribal 
governments and relevant nonprofit institutions 
of higher education and research institutions to 
request staff, with specialized experience that 
the Board determines relevant, to be detailed to 
the Board, on a reimbursable basis, and shall
413 
consult with relevant associations and organiza-
tions of those entities in developing an efficient 
process for requesting and receiving detailed 
staff. 
(B) COMPENSATION.—The Board shall en-
sure that any staff members detailed to the 
Board under this paragraph are compensated 
equitably and shall pay differences in salaries 
based on the experience of said staff and in 
consultation with the Office of Personnel Man-
agement. 
(3) TERM OF DETAIL.—Any staff member de-
tailed to the Board under this section shall be de-
tailed for a term of 1 year and such detail may be 
extended for not more than two 1-year terms. 
(4) LIMITATIONS.—Under this subsection— 
(A) not more than 25 percent of the total 
number of staff members working for the 
Board at any time may be detailees or other-
wise nonpermanent staff; 
(B) a detailee shall serve as an adviser or 
supplemental professional staff in any office es-
tablished by the Board under subsection (g); 
and 
(C) a detailee may not—
414 
(i) determine any final findings or rec-
ommendations; and 
(ii) be the sole decisionmaker in re-
view or evaluation methodologies. 
(j) SEAL.—The Board shall have a seal that shall be 
judicially recognized. 
(k) OPEN MEETINGS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Board shall be considered an agency 
for purposes of section 552b of title 5, United States 
Code. 
(2) 
NONPUBLIC
COLLABORATIVE
DISCUS-
SIONS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding sec-
tion 552b of title 5, United States Code, a ma-
jority of the members may hold a meeting that 
is not open to public observation to discuss offi-
cial agency business, if— 
(i) no formal or informal vote or other 
official agency action is taken at the meet-
ing; 
(ii) each individual present at the 
meeting is a member or an employee of the 
Board;
415 
(iii) at least 1 member of the Board 
from each political party is present at the 
meeting, if applicable; 
(iv) the General Counsel of the Board 
is present at the meeting; and 
(v) the records of the meeting, includ-
ing the names of the individuals in attend-
ance, time, place, and summary to be as 
thorough as the Board determines to be 
prudent, are posted publicly and online. 
(B) DISCLOSURE OF NONPUBLIC COLLABO-
RATIVE
DISCUSSIONS.—Except 
as 
provided 
under subparagraphs (C) and (D), not later 
than 2 business days after the conclusion of a 
meeting under subparagraph (A), the Board 
shall make available to the public, in a place 
easily accessible to the public— 
(i) a list of the individuals present at 
the meeting; and 
(ii) a summary of the matters, includ-
ing key issues, discussed at the meeting, 
except for any matter the Board properly 
determines may be withheld from the pub-
lic under section 552b(c) of title 5, United 
States Code.
416 
(C) SUMMARY.—If the Board properly de-
termines a matter may be withheld from the 
public under section 552b(c) of title 5, United 
States Code, the Board shall provide a sum-
mary with as much general information as pos-
sible on each matter withheld from the public. 
(D) ACTIVE
REVIEWS.—If a discussion 
under subparagraph (A) directly relates to an 
active review, the Board shall make the disclo-
sure under subparagraph (B) on the date the 
Board adopts the final report. 
(E) PRESERVATION
OF
OPEN
MEETINGS 
REQUIREMENTS
FOR
AGENCY
ACTION.—Noth-
ing in this paragraph may be construed to limit 
the applicability of section 552b of title 5, 
United States Code, with respect to a meeting 
of the members other than that described in 
this paragraph. 
(F) STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in this paragraph may be construed— 
(i) to limit the applicability of section 
552b of title 5, United States Code, with 
respect to any information which is pro-
posed to be withheld from the public under 
subparagraph (B)(ii); or
417 
(ii) to authorize the Board to withhold 
from any individual any record that is ac-
cessible to that individual under section 
552a of title 5, United States Code. 
SEC. 206. METHODOLOGY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Board shall conduct each re-
view, issue each recommendation, develop each report, and 
deliver all technical assistance authorized under this title 
using the methods that are in accordance with relevant 
professional best practices, including those by analogous 
review organizations, academia, and government and pri-
vate organizations. 
(b) REQUIRED REVIEW.—The Board shall— 
(1) review, on a regular basis, the methodolo-
gies of the Board; and 
(2) update the methodologies of the Board in 
accordance with the findings of each review con-
ducted under paragraph (1). 
(c) REQUIREMENT.—In establishing the methodolo-
gies of the Board under this section, the Board shall incor-
porate all relevant information from relevant Federal, 
State, and local entities, including past experience with 
similar incidents, exercises, risk assessments, and all other 
past research and analysis.
418 
(d) TRANSPARENCY.—The Chairperson shall include 
with each review report in which a recommendation is 
issued by the Board a methodology section detailing the 
process and information underlying the selection of each 
recommendation. 
(e) ELEMENTS.—Except as provided in subsection 
(f), the methodology section under subsection (a) shall in-
clude, for each recommendation— 
(1) a brief summary of the Board’s collection 
and analysis of the specific information most rel-
evant to the recommendation; 
(2) a description of the Board’s use of external 
information, including studies, reports, and experts, 
other than the findings of a specific review, if any 
were used to inform or support the recommendation, 
including a brief summary of the specific resilience 
benefits and other effects identified by each study, 
report, or expert; and 
(3) a brief summary of actions, including im-
portant examples, taken by regulated entities before 
the publication of the recommendation, to the extent 
such actions are known to the Board, that were con-
sistent with the recommendation. 
(f) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—
419 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this section may 
be construed— 
(A) to delay publication of the findings, 
cause, or probable cause of a Board review; 
(B) to delay the issuance of an urgent rec-
ommendation that the Board has determined 
must be issued to avoid immediate death, or 
human or economic injury; or 
(C) to limit the number of examples the 
Board may consider before issuing a rec-
ommendation. 
(2) LIMITATION.—Notwithstanding paragraph 
(1), the Board shall publish the methodology re-
quired under this section not later than 30 days 
after the date on which the review is initially pub-
lished. 
SEC. 207. ADMINISTRATIVE. 
(a) AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board, and when au-
thorized by the Board, a member of the Board, an 
administrative law judge employed by or assigned to 
the Board, or an officer or employee designated by 
the Chairperson, may conduct hearings to carry out 
this title, administer oaths, and require, by subpoena 
or otherwise, necessary witnesses and evidence.
420 
(2) SUBPOENA AUTHORITY.—A witness or evi-
dence in a hearing under paragraph (1) of this sub-
section may be summoned or required to be pro-
duced from any place in the United States to the 
designated place of the hearing. A witness sum-
moned under this subsection is entitled to the same 
fee and mileage the witness would have been paid in 
a court of the United States. 
(3) REQUIREMENT.—A subpoena shall be 
issued under the signature of the Chairperson or the 
Chairperson’s designee, but may be served by any 
person designated by the Chairperson. 
(4) ENFORCEMENT.—If a person disobeys a 
subpoena, order, or inspection notice of the Board, 
the Board may bring a civil action in a district court 
of the United States to enforce the subpoena, order, 
or notice. An action under this paragraph may be 
brought in the judicial district in which the person 
against whom the action is brought resides, is found, 
or does business. The court may punish a failure to 
obey an order of the court to comply with the sub-
poena, order, or notice as a contempt of court. 
(b) ADDITIONAL POWERS.—The Board may—
421 
(1) procure the temporary or intermittent serv-
ices of experts or consultants under section 3109 of 
title 5, United States Code; 
(2) make agreements and other transactions 
necessary to carry out this title without regard to 
subsections (b), (c), and (d) of section 6101 of title 
41, United States Code; 
(3) use, when appropriate, available services, 
equipment, personnel, and facilities of a department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the United States Gov-
ernment on a reimbursable or other basis; 
(4) confer with employees and use services, 
records, and facilities of State and local govern-
mental authorities; 
(5) appoint advisory committees composed of 
qualified private citizens and officials of the Govern-
ment and State and local governments as appro-
priate; 
(6) accept voluntary and uncompensated serv-
ices notwithstanding another law; 
(7) make contracts with private entities to carry 
out studies related to duties and powers of the 
Board; and 
(8) negotiate and enter into agreements with 
individuals and private entities and departments,
422 
agencies, and instrumentalities of the Federal Gov-
ernment, State, Tribal, and local governments, and 
governments of foreign countries for the provision of 
facilities, technical services, or training in research 
theory and techniques, and require that such entities 
provide appropriate consideration for the reasonable 
costs of any facilities, goods, services, or training 
provided by the Board. 
(c) COLLECTION OF FUNDS.—The Board shall de-
posit in the Treasury of the United States amounts re-
ceived under subsection (b)(8) of this subsection to be 
credited as discretionary offsetting collections to the ap-
propriation of the Board, and shall be available only to 
the extent and in the amounts provided in advance in ap-
propriations Acts. The Board shall maintain an annual 
record of collections received under subsection (b)(8). 
(d) SUBMISSION
OF CERTAIN COPIES
TO CON-
GRESS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—When the Board submits to 
the President or the Director of the Office of Man-
agement and Budget a budget estimate, budget re-
quest, supplemental budget estimate, other budget 
information, a legislative recommendation, prepared 
testimony for congressional hearings, or comments
423 
on legislation, the Board must submit a copy to 
Congress at the same time. 
(2) 
LIMITATION.—An 
officer, 
department, 
agency, or instrumentality of the Government may 
not require the Board to submit the estimate, re-
quest, information, recommendation, testimony, or 
comments to another officer, department, agency, or 
instrumentality of the Government for approval, 
comment, or review before being submitted to Con-
gress. 
(3) BUDGET PROCESS.—The Board shall de-
velop and approve a process for the Board’s review 
and comment or approval of documents submitted to 
the President, Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget, or Congress under this subsection. 
(e) LIAISON COMMITTEES.—The Chairperson may 
determine the number of committees that are appropriate 
to maintain effective liaison with other departments, agen-
cies, and instrumentalities of the Federal Government, 
State and local governmental authorities, and independent 
standard-setting authorities that carry out programs and 
activities related to its work. The Board may designate 
representatives to serve on or assist those committees. 
(f) INQUIRIES.—The Board, or an officer or employee 
of the Board designated by the Chairperson, may conduct
424 
an inquiry to obtain information related to natural hazard 
safety after publishing notice of the inquiry in the Federal 
Register. The Board or designated officer or employee 
may require by order a department, agency, or instrumen-
tality of the Federal Government, a State, Tribal, or local 
governmental authority, or a person transporting individ-
uals or property in commerce to submit to the Board a 
written report and answers to requests and questions re-
lated to a duty or power of the Board. The Board may 
prescribe the time within which the report and answers 
must be given to the Board or to the designated officer 
or employee. Copies of the report and answers shall be 
made available for public inspection. 
(g) REGULATIONS.—The Board may prescribe regu-
lations to carry out this title. 
(h) OVERTIME PAY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to the requirements 
of this section and notwithstanding paragraphs (1) 
and (2) of section 5542(a) of title 5, United States 
Code, for an employee of the Board whose basic pay 
is at a rate which equals or exceeds the minimum 
rate of basic pay for GS–10 of the General Schedule, 
the Board may establish an overtime hourly rate of 
pay for the employee with respect to work performed 
in the field (including travel to or from) and other
425 
work that is critical to a review in an amount equal 
to one and one-half times the hourly rate of basic 
pay of the employee. All of such amount shall be 
considered to be premium pay. 
(2) LIMITATION ON OVERTIME PAY TO AN EM-
PLOYEE.—An employee of the Board may not re-
ceive overtime pay under paragraph (1), for work 
performed in a calendar year, in an amount that ex-
ceeds 25 percent of the annual rate of basic pay of 
the employee for such calendar year. 
(3) BASIC PAY DEFINED.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘‘basic pay’’ includes any applicable local-
ity-based comparability payment under section 5304 
of title 5, United States Code (or similar provision 
of law) and any special rate of pay under section 
5305 of such title 5 (or similar provision of law). 
(4) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than January 
31, 2022, and annually thereafter, the Board shall 
transmit to Congress a report identifying the total 
amount of overtime payments made under this sub-
section in the preceding fiscal year, and the number 
of employees whose overtime pay under this sub-
section was limited in that fiscal year as a result of 
the 25 percent limit established by paragraph (2). 
(i) ENTRY AND INSPECTION.—
426 
(1) IN GENERAL.—An officer or employee of 
the Board— 
(A) on display of appropriate credentials 
and written notice of authority, may— 
(i) enter an area where an incident 
has occurred; 
(ii) take such actions as are necessary 
to conduct a review under this section, so 
long as the actions do not interfere with 
ongoing lifesaving and life-sustaining oper-
ations; and 
(iii) during reasonable hours, inspect 
any record, including an electronic record, 
process, control, or facility related to an in-
cident under this title. 
(2) REQUIREMENT.—The Board shall use ut-
most discretion to prevent interference with ongoing 
response efforts, including by developing review pro-
cedures with input from relevant authorities nation-
wide. 
SEC. 208. DISCLOSURE, AVAILABILITY, AND USE OF INFOR-
MATION. 
(a) DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
sections (b), (c), (d), and (f) of this section, a copy
427 
of a record, information, or review submitted or re-
ceived by the National Disaster Safety Board, or a 
member or employee of the Board, shall be posted 
publicly. 
(2) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection shall be construed to require the release 
of information described in section 552(b) of title 5, 
United States Code, or protected from disclosure by 
another law of the United States. 
(b) TRADE SECRETS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Board may disclose in-
formation related to a trade secret referred to in sec-
tion 1905 of title 18, United States Code, only— 
(A) to another department, agency, or in-
strumentality of the United States Government 
when requested for official use; 
(B) to a committee of Congress having ju-
risdiction over the subject matter to which the 
information is related, when requested by that 
committee; 
(C) in a judicial proceeding under a court 
order that preserves the confidentiality of the 
information without impairing the proceeding; 
and
428 
(D) to the public to protect health and 
safety after giving notice to any interested per-
son to whom the information is related and an 
opportunity for that person to comment in writ-
ing, or orally in closed session, on the proposed 
disclosure, if the delay resulting from notice 
and opportunity for comment would not be det-
rimental to health and safety. 
(2) 
REQUIREMENT.—Information 
disclosed 
under paragraph (1) of this subsection may be dis-
closed only in a way designed to preserve its con-
fidentiality. 
(3) PROTECTION OF VOLUNTARY SUBMISSION 
OF INFORMATION.—Notwithstanding any other pro-
vision of law, neither the Board, nor any agency re-
ceiving information from the Board, shall disclose 
voluntarily provided safety-related information if 
that information is not related to the exercise of the 
Board’s review authority under this title and if the 
Board finds that the disclosure of the information 
would inhibit the voluntary provision of that type of 
information. 
(c) RECORDINGS AND TRANSCRIPTS.— 
(1) CONFIDENTIALITY
OF
RECORDINGS.—Ex-
cept as provided in paragraph (2), the Board may
429 
not disclose publicly any part of an original record-
ing or transcript of oral communications or original 
and contemporary written communications between 
Federal, State, Tribal, or local officials responding 
to an incident under review by the Board. 
(2) EXCEPTION.—Subject to subsections (b) 
and (g), the Board shall make public any part of a 
transcript, any written depiction of visual informa-
tion obtained from an audio or video recording, or 
any still image obtained from a recording the Board 
decides is relevant to the incident— 
(A) if the Board holds a public hearing on 
the incident at the time of the hearing; or 
(B) if the Board does not hold a public 
hearing, at the time a majority of the other fac-
tual reports on the incident are placed in the 
public docket. 
(3) REFERENCES TO INFORMATION IN MAKING 
SAFETY RECOMMENDATIONS.—This subsection does 
not prevent the Board from referring at any time to 
recorded or written information in making safety 
recommendations. 
(d) FOREIGN REVIEWS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, neither the Board, nor any agency
430 
receiving information from the Board, shall disclose 
records or information relating to its participation in 
foreign incident review, except that— 
(A) the Board shall release records per-
taining to such a review when the country con-
ducting the review issues its final report or 2 
years following the date of the incident, which-
ever occurs first; and 
(B) the Board may disclose records and in-
formation when authorized to do so by the 
country conducting the review. 
(2) SAFETY
RECOMMENDATIONS.—Nothing in 
this subsection shall restrict the Board at any time 
from referring to foreign review information in mak-
ing safety recommendations. 
(e) PRIVACY PROTECTIONS.—Before making public 
any still image obtained from a video recorder under sub-
section (c)(2) or subsection (d)(2), the Board shall take 
such action as appropriate to protect from public disclo-
sure any information that readily identifies an individual, 
including a decedent. 
SEC. 209. TRAINING. 
(a) USE OF TRAINING FACILITIES.—The Board may 
use, on a reimbursable basis, the services of any training 
facility in the Federal Government, including those oper-
431 
ated by the Department of Homeland Security, Depart-
ment of Health and Human Services, and Department of 
Commerce. The responsible department or agency shall 
make such training facility and any relevant training 
course available to— 
(1) the Board for safety training of employees 
of the Board in carrying out their duties and pow-
ers; and 
(2) other relevant personnel of the United 
States Government, State and local governments, 
governments of foreign countries, interstate authori-
ties, and private organizations the Board designates 
in consultation with the relevant departments and 
agencies. 
(b) FEES.—Training shall be provided at a reason-
able fee established periodically by the Board in consulta-
tion with the relevant departments and agencies. The fee 
shall be paid directly to the relevant departments and 
agencies, and shall be deposited in the Treasury. 
(c) TRAINING
OF BOARD EMPLOYEES
AND OTH-
ERS.—The Board may conduct training of its employees 
in those subjects necessary for proper performance. The 
Board may also authorize attendance at courses given 
under this subsection by other government personnel, per-
sonnel of foreign governments, and personnel from indus-
432 
try or otherwise who have a requirement for training. The 
Board may require non-Board personnel to reimburse 
some or all of the training costs, and amounts so reim-
bursed shall be credited to the appropriation of the Board 
as discretionary offsetting collections, and shall be avail-
able only to the extent and in the amounts provided in 
advance in appropriations Acts. 
SEC. 210. FUNDING. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The following amounts are au-
thorized to be appropriated to the Board to carry out this 
title: 
(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2022. 
(2) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 
(3) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024. 
(4) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2025. 
(b) EMERGENCY FUND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be established in 
the Treasury of the United States an Emergency 
Fund for the Board, which shall be available to the 
Board for necessary expenses of the Board, not oth-
erwise provided for, for reviews. 
(2) APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to 
be appropriated to the Emergency Fund— 
(A) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
433 
(B) such sums as are necessary to main-
tain the Emergency Fund at a level not to ex-
ceed $4,000,000 for each fiscal year thereafter; 
and 
(C) such other sums as Congress deter-
mines necessary. 
SEC. 211. AUTHORITY OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Inspector General of the De-
partment of Homeland Security, in accordance with the 
mission of the Inspector General to prevent and detect 
fraud and abuse, shall have authority to review only the 
financial management, property management, and busi-
ness operations of the Board, including internal account-
ing and administrative control systems, to determine com-
pliance with applicable Federal laws, rules, and regula-
tions. 
(b) DUTIES.—In carrying out this section, the In-
spector General shall— 
(1) keep the Chairperson of the Board and 
Congress fully and currently informed about prob-
lems relating to administration of the internal ac-
counting and administrative control systems of the 
Board; 
(2) issue findings and recommendations for ac-
tions to address such problems; and
434 
(3) report periodically to Congress on any 
progress made in implementing actions to address 
such problems. 
(c) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—In carrying out this 
section, the Inspector General may exercise authorities 
granted to the Inspector General under subsections (a) 
and (b) of section 6 of the Inspector General Act of 1978 
(5 U.S.C. App.). 
(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Office of the In-
spector General of the Department of Homeland Security 
such sums as may be necessary to cover expenses associ-
ated with activities pursuant to the authority exercised 
under this section. 
SEC. 212. EVALUATION AND AUDIT OF NATIONAL DISASTER 
SAFETY BOARD. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As determined necessary by the 
Comptroller General of the United States or the appro-
priate congressional committees, but not less frequently 
than once every 2 years, the Comptroller General of the 
United States shall evaluate and audit the programs and 
expenditures of the Board in order to promote economy, 
efficiency, and effectiveness in the administration of the 
programs, operations, and activities of the Board.
435 
(b) RESPONSIBILITY OF COMPTROLLER GENERAL.— 
In carrying out subsection (a), the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall evaluate and audit the pro-
grams, operations, and activities of the Board, including— 
(1) information management and security, in-
cluding privacy protection of personally identifiable 
information; 
(2) the resource levels of the Board and man-
agement of such resources relative to the mission of 
the Board; 
(3) workforce development; 
(4) procurement and contracting planning, 
practices, and policies; 
(5) the process and procedures to select an inci-
dent to review; 
(6) the extent to which the Board follows lead-
ing practices in selected management areas; 
(7) the extent to which the Board addresses 
management challenges in completing reviews; 
(8) the extent to which the evaluation, review, 
and recommendation-issuing methodologies of the 
Board are consistent with established best practice, 
as determined by the Comptroller General; and 
(9) an impact evaluation of the work of the 
Board, using the purposes and intent described in
436 
this title and by the Board, against the realized re-
sults of the Board, according to a methodology de-
termined by the Comptroller General, conducted in 
a manner that is not overly disruptive to the work 
of the Board. 
SEC. 213. DEFINITIONS. 
In this title: 
(1) ACT OF VIOLENCE.—The term ‘‘act of vio-
lence’’ means an offense described in section 16(a) 
of title 18, United States Code. 
(2) BOARD.—The term ‘‘Board’’ means the Na-
tional Disaster Safety Board established under sec-
tion 202. 
(3) CHAIRPERSON.—The term ‘‘Chairperson’’ 
means the Chairperson of the Board designated 
under section 205. 
(4) ECONOMIC INJURY.—The term ‘‘economic 
injury’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘substantial 
economic injury’’ in section 7(b) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)). 
(5) INCIDENT.—The term ‘‘incident’’ means a 
natural hazard or other circumstance that the Board 
decides to review.
437 
(6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND 
RESEARCH INSTITUTION.—The term ‘‘institution of 
higher education and research institution’’ means— 
(A) an institution of higher education (as 
defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 
Act (20 U.S.C. 1001)); 
(B) a National Laboratory (as defined in 
section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 
U.S.C. 15801)); 
(C) a laboratory described in section 
308(c)(2) of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 188(c)(2)); 
(D) the National Domestic Preparedness 
Consortium established under section 1204 of 
the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1102) and 
the members of such Consortium; and 
(E) a research institution associated with 
an institution of higher education. 
(7) NATURAL
HAZARD.—The term ‘‘natural 
hazard’’— 
(A) means a major disaster, as defined in 
paragraph (2) of section 102 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
438 
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122), that is naturally oc-
curring, regardless of— 
(i) whether the President makes a de-
termination with respect to severity and 
magnitude of the disaster under such para-
graph; or 
(ii) the result of such a determination; 
(B) includes any naturally occurring heat 
wave, wind storm, wildfire, wildland urban 
interface fire, urban conflagration fire, or dust 
storm; 
(C) includes any combination of events 
covered by subparagraphs (A) and (B) that 
causes or threatens to cause loss of human life, 
or human or economic injury, as determined by 
the Board; and 
(D) does not include a technological dis-
aster. 
(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 102 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5122). 
(9) TECHNOLOGICAL
DISASTER.—The term 
‘‘technological disaster’’ means an incident that—
439 
(A) is caused by human error or malfunc-
tion in technology, including a dam or struc-
tural failure, a fire (other than a naturally oc-
curring wildfire, wildland urban interface fire, 
urban conflagration fire, or arson), a hazardous 
material incident, a nuclear accident, and a 
power and telecommunications failure; and 
(B) causes loss of human life, or human or 
economic injury, as determined by the Board. 
(10) TERRORISM.—The term ‘‘terrorism’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 2 of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101). 
(11) TRIBAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘‘Tribal 
government’’ means the governing body of any In-
dian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, 
village, or community that the Secretary of the Inte-
rior acknowledges to exist as an Indian tribe under 
the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 
1994 (25 U.S.C. 5130 et seq.).
440 
TITLE III—NATIONAL WILDLAND 
FIRE RISK REDUCTION PRO-
GRAM 
SEC. 301. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL WILDLAND FIRE 
RISK REDUCTION PROGRAM. 
The President shall establish a National Wildland 
Fire Risk Reduction Program with the purpose of achiev-
ing major measurable reductions in the losses of life and 
property from wildland fires through a coordinated Fed-
eral effort to— 
(1) improve the assessment of fire environments 
and the understanding and prediction of wildland 
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts, includ-
ing— 
(A) at the wildland-urban interface; 
(B) on communities, buildings and other 
infrastructure; 
(C) on ecosystem services; and 
(D) social and economic impacts; 
(2) develop and encourage the adoption of 
science-based and cost-effective measures to enhance 
resilience to wildland fires and prevent and mitigate 
negative impacts of wildland fires and associated 
smoke; and
441 
(3) improve the understanding and mitigation 
of the impacts of climate change and variability on 
wildland fire risk, frequency, and severity, and to in-
form paragraphs (1) and (2). 
SEC. 302. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES. 
The Program shall consist of the activities described 
in section 306, which shall be designed— 
(1) to support research and development, in-
cluding interdisciplinary research, related to fire en-
vironments, wildland fires, associated smoke, and 
their impacts, in furtherance of a coordinated inter-
agency effort to address wildland fire risk reduction; 
(2) to support data management and steward-
ship, the development and coordination of data sys-
tems and computational tools, and the creation of a 
centralized, integrated data collaboration environ-
ment for Program agency data, to accelerate the un-
derstanding of fire environments, wildland fires, as-
sociated smoke, and their impacts, and the benefits 
of wildland fire risk mitigation measures; 
(3) to support the development of tools and 
technologies, including decision support tools and 
risk and hazard maps, to improve understanding, 
monitoring, prediction, and mitigation of wildland 
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts;
442 
(4) to support research and development activi-
ties to improve data, tools, and technologies that di-
rectly inform, support, and complement active land 
management, forest and habitat restoration, and 
healthy ecosystem practices executed by the Forest 
Service, State, local, and Tribal entities; 
(5) to support education and training to expand 
the number of students and researchers in areas of 
study and research related to wildland fires; 
(6) to accelerate the translation of research re-
lated to wildland fires and associated smoke into op-
erations to reduce risk to communities, buildings, 
other infrastructure, and ecosystem services; 
(7) to conduct communication and outreach re-
garding wildland fire science and wildland fire risk 
mitigation, to communities, energy utilities and op-
erators of other critical infrastructure, and other rel-
evant stakeholders; 
(8) to support research and development 
projects funded under joint solicitations or through 
memoranda of understanding between no fewer than 
two agencies participating in the Program; and 
(9) to disseminate, to the extent practicable, 
scientific data and related products and services in 
formats meeting shared standards to enhance the
443 
interoperability, usability, and accessibility of Pro-
gram Agency data, including data as part of para-
graph (2) in order to better meet the needs of Pro-
gram agencies, other Federal agencies, and relevant 
stakeholders. 
SEC. 303. INTERAGENCY COORDINATING COMMITTEE ON 
WILDLAND FIRE RISK REDUCTION. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Of-
fice of Science and Technology Policy shall establish an 
Interagency Coordinating Committee on Wildland Fire 
Risk Reduction (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Com-
mittee’’), to be co-chaired by the Director and the Director 
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—In addition to the co-chairs, the 
Committee shall be composed of— 
(1) the Director of the National Science Foun-
dation; 
(2) the Administrator of the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration; 
(3) the Administrator of the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency; 
(4) the United States Fire Administrator; 
(5) the Chief of the Forest Service;
444 
(6) the Administrator of the National Aero-
nautics and Space Administration; 
(7) the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency; 
(8) the Secretary of Energy; 
(9) the Director of the Office of Management 
and Budget; 
(10) the Secretary of the Interior; 
(11) the Director of United States Geological 
Survey; 
(12) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv-
ices; 
(13) the Secretary of Defense; 
(14) the Secretary of Housing and Urban De-
velopment; and 
(15) the head of any other Federal agency that 
the Director considers appropriate. 
(c) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet not less 
than twice a year for the first 2 years and then not less 
than once a year at the call of the Director. 
(d) GENERAL PURPOSE AND DUTIES.—The Com-
mittee shall oversee the planning, management, and co-
ordination of the Program, and solicit stakeholder input 
on Program goals.
445 
(e) STRATEGIC PLAN.—The Committee shall develop 
and submit to Congress, not later than one year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, and update every 4 
years thereafter, a Strategic Plan for the Program that 
includes— 
(1) prioritized goals for the Program, consistent 
with the purposes of the Program as described in 
section 301; 
(2) short-term, mid-term, and long-term re-
search and development objectives to achieve those 
goals; 
(3) a description of the role of each Program 
agency in achieving the prioritized goals; 
(4) a description of how the Committee will fos-
ter collaboration between and among the Program 
agencies and other Federal agencies to help meet the 
goals of the Program; 
(5) the methods by which progress toward the 
goals will be assessed; 
(6) an explanation of how the Program will fos-
ter the translation of research into measurable re-
ductions in the losses of life, property, and eco-
system services from wildland fires, including rec-
ommended outcomes and metrics for each program 
goal and how operational Program agencies will
446 
transition demonstrated technologies and research 
findings into decision support tools and operations; 
(7) a description of the research infrastructure, 
including databases and computational tools, needed 
to accomplish the research and development objec-
tives outlined in paragraph (2), a description of how 
research infrastructure in existence at the time of 
the development of the plan will be used to meet the 
objectives, an explanation of how new research infra-
structure will be developed to meet the objectives, 
and a description of how the program will implement 
the integrated data collaboration environment per 
section 302(2); 
(8) a description of how Program agencies will 
collaborate with stakeholders and take into account 
stakeholder needs and recommendations in devel-
oping research and development objectives; 
(9) recommendations on the most effective 
means to integrate the research results into wildland 
fire preparedness and response actions across Fed-
eral, State, local, Tribal, and territorial levels; 
(10) guidance on how the Committee’s rec-
ommendations are best used in climate adaptation 
planning for Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri-
torial entities;
447 
(11) a nationally recognized, consensus-based 
definition of wildland-urban interface and other key 
terms and definitions relating to wildland fire, devel-
oped in consideration of the meaning given such 
term in section 4(11) of the Federal Fire Prevention 
and Control Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 2203(11)); and 
(12) a description of opportunities to support 
new areas of research and development and new 
types of collaborations that seek to optimize building 
and landscape design across multiple resilience 
goals, including resilience to wildland fires and other 
natural hazards, energy efficiency, and environ-
mental sustainability. 
(f) COORDINATION WITH OTHER FEDERAL EF-
FORTS.—The Director shall ensure that the activities of 
the Program are coordinated with other relevant Federal 
initiatives as appropriate. 
(g) NATIONAL ACADEMIES STUDY.—The Committee 
shall assess the need for a study, or a series of studies, 
to be conducted by the National Academies of Sciences, 
Engineering, and Medicine, and how such a study, or se-
ries of studies, could help identify research areas for fur-
ther study and inform research objectives, including fur-
ther research into the interactions between climate change 
and wildland fires. The Committee shall brief the Com-
448 
mittee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on its assess-
ment under this subsection not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act. 
(h) PROGRESS REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the transmission of the first Strategic 
Plan under subsection (e) to Congress and not less fre-
quently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Committee 
shall submit to the Congress a report on the progress of 
the Program that includes— 
(1) a description of the activities funded under 
the Program, a description of how those activities 
align with the prioritized goals and research objec-
tives established in the Strategic Plan, and the 
budgets, per agency, for these activities; and 
(2) the outcomes achieved by the Program for 
each of the goals identified in the Strategic Plan. 
SEC. 304. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WILDLAND 
FIRE RISK REDUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish a Na-
tional Advisory Committee on Wildland Fire Risk Reduc-
tion, consisting of not fewer than 7 and not more than 
15 members who are qualified to provide advice on 
wildland fire risk reduction and represent related sci-
449 
entific, architectural, and engineering disciplines, none of 
whom may be employees of the Federal Government, in-
cluding— 
(1) representatives of research and academic in-
stitutions; 
(2) standards development organizations; 
(3) emergency management agencies; 
(4) State, local, and Tribal governments; 
(5) business communities, including the insur-
ance industry; and 
(6) other representatives as designated by the 
Director. 
(b) ASSESSMENT.—The Advisory Committee shall 
offer assessments and recommendations on— 
(1) trends and developments in the natural, en-
gineering, and social sciences and practices of 
wildland fire risk mitigation; 
(2) the priorities of the Program’s Strategic 
Plan; 
(3) the management, coordination, implementa-
tion, and activities of the Program; 
(4) the effectiveness of the Program in meeting 
its purposes; and 
(5) the need to revise the Program.
450 
(c) COMPENSATION.—The members of the Advisory 
Committee established under this section shall serve with-
out compensation. 
(d) REPORTS.—At least every 2 years, the Advisory 
Committee shall report to the Director on the assessments 
carried out under subsection (b) and its recommendations 
for ways to improve the Program. 
(e) CHARTER.—Notwithstanding section 14(b)(2) of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), the 
Advisory Committee shall not be required to file a charter 
subsequent to its initial charter, filed under section 9(c) 
of such Act, before the termination date specified in sub-
section (f) of this section. 
(f) TERMINATION.—The Advisory Committee shall 
terminate on September 30, 2026. 
(g) CONFLICT
OF INTEREST.—An Advisory Com-
mittee member shall recuse himself from any Advisory 
Committee activity in which he has an actual pecuniary 
interest. 
SEC. 305. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE REVIEW. 
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit a report to Congress that— 
(1) evaluates the progress and performance of 
the Program in establishing and making progress to-
451 
ward the goals of the Program as set forth in this 
Act; and 
(2) includes such recommendations as the 
Comptroller General determines are appropriate to 
improve the Program. 
SEC. 306. RESPONSIBILITIES OF PROGRAM AGENCIES. 
(a) NATIONAL
INSTITUTE
OF
STANDARDS
AND 
TECHNOLOGY.—The responsibilities of the Director of the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology with re-
spect to the Program are as follows: 
(1) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
ACTIVI-
TIES.—The Director of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology shall— 
(A) carry out research on the impact of 
wildland fires on communities, buildings, and 
other infrastructure, including structure-to- 
structure transmission of fire and spread within 
communities; 
(B) carry out research on the generation of 
firebrands from wildland fires and on methods 
and materials to prevent or reduce firebrand ig-
nition of communities, buildings, and other in-
frastructure; 
(C) carry out research on novel materials, 
systems, structures, and construction designs to
452 
harden structures, parcels, and communities to 
the impact of wildland fires; 
(D) carry out research on the impact of 
environmental factors on wildland fire behavior, 
including wind, terrain, and moisture; 
(E) support the development of perform-
ance-based tools to mitigate the impact of 
wildland fires, and work with appropriate 
groups to promote and assist in the use of such 
tools, including through model building codes 
and fire codes, standard test methods, vol-
untary consensus standards, and construction 
and retrofit best practices; 
(F) in collaboration with the United States 
Fire Administration, carry out research and de-
velopment of decontamination methods and 
technologies for firefighting gear on and off the 
field. 
(G) develop and execute a research plan on 
public 
safety 
communication 
coordination 
standards among Federal, State, local, and 
Tribal wildland firefighters, fire management 
response officials and the National Interagency 
Fire Center;
453 
(H) carry out research to improve and in-
tegrate existing communications systems to 
transmit secure real-time data, alters, and accu-
rate advisories to wildland firefighters; 
(I) carry out both live and virtual field 
testing and measurement of equipment, soft-
ware, and other technologies to determine cur-
rent effectiveness and times of information dis-
semination and develop standards and best 
practices for the delivery of useful and secure 
real-time data to wildland firefighters; and 
(J) develop and publish recommendations 
to improve public safety communication coordi-
nation standards among wildland firefighters 
and member agencies of the National Inter-
agency Fire Center, including providing such 
recommendations to the Office of Management 
and Budget and the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy. 
(2) WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE FIRE POST- 
INVESTIGATIONS.—The Director of the National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology shall— 
(A) coordinate Federal post-wildland fire 
investigations of fires at the wildland-urban 
interface; and
454 
(B) develop methodologies, in collaboration 
with the Administrator of FEMA and in con-
sultation with relevant stakeholders, to charac-
terize the impact of wildland fires on commu-
nities and the impact of changes in building 
and fire codes, including methodologies— 
(i) for collecting, inventorying, and 
analyzing information on the performance 
of communities, buildings, and other infra-
structure in wildland fires; and 
(ii) for improved collection of perti-
nent information from different sources, 
including first responders, the design and 
construction industry, insurance compa-
nies, and building officials. 
(b) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—As a part of 
the Program, the Director of the National Science Foun-
dation shall support— 
(1) research, including large-scale convergent 
research, to improve the understanding and pre-
diction of wildland fire risks, including the condi-
tions that increase the likelihood of a wildland fire, 
the behavior of wildland fires, and their impacts on 
buildings, communities, infrastructure, ecosystems 
and living systems;
455 
(2) development and improvement of tools and 
technologies, including databases and computational 
models, to enable and accelerate the understanding 
and prediction of wildland fires and their impacts; 
(3) development of research infrastructure, as 
appropriate, to enable and accelerate the under-
standing and prediction of wildland fires and their 
impacts, including upgrades or additions to the Na-
tional Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure; 
(4) research to improve the understanding of— 
(A) the response to wildland fire risk and 
response messages by individuals, communities, 
and policymakers; 
(B) social and economic factors influencing 
the implementation and adoption of wildland 
fire risk reduction and response measures by in-
dividuals, communities, and policymakers; and 
(C) decision-making and emergency re-
sponse to wildland fires; 
(5) undergraduate and graduate research op-
portunities and graduate and postdoctoral fellow-
ships and traineeships in fields of study relevant to 
wildland fires and their impacts; and 
(6) research to improve the understanding of 
the impacts of climate change and climate variability
456 
on wildland fires, including wildland fire risk, fre-
quency, and severity, and wildland fire prediction, 
mitigation, and resilience strategies. 
(c) NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMIN-
ISTRATION.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator of the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
(in this subsection referred to as the ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’) shall conduct research, observations, mod-
eling, forecasting, prediction, and historical analysis 
of wildland fires to improve understanding of the 
connections between fire weather and modes of cli-
mate variability, impacts on hydrology, and wildland 
fires, and associated fire weather and smoke, air 
quality, for the protection of life and property and 
for the enhancement of the national economy. 
(2) WEATHER
FORECASTING
AND
DECISION 
SUPPORT
FOR
WILDLAND
FIRES.—The Adminis-
trator shall— 
(A) develop and provide in consultation 
with the relevant Federal Agencies, as the Ad-
ministrator determines appropriate, accurate, 
timely, and effective warnings and forecasts of 
wildland fires and fire weather events that en-
danger life and property, which may include red
457 
flag warnings, operational fire weather alerts, 
real-time notification of ignitions, and any other 
warnings or alerts the Administrator deems ap-
propriate; 
(B) provide stakeholders and the public 
with impact-based decision support services, 
seasonal climate predictions, air quality prod-
ucts, and smoke forecasts; and 
(C) provide on-site weather forecasts, sea-
sonal climate predictions, and other decision 
support to wildland fire incident command 
posts, including by deploying incident mete-
orologists for the duration of an extreme event. 
(3) WILDLAND FIRE DATA.—The Administrator 
shall contribute to and support the centralized, inte-
grated data collaboration environment in accordance 
with section 302(2) and any other relevant Federal 
data systems by ensuring— 
(A) interoperability, usability, and accessi-
bility of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad-
ministration data and tools related to wildland 
fires, associated smoke, and their impacts; 
(B) inclusion of historical wildland fire in-
cident and fire weather data, and identifying 
potential gaps in such data; and
458 
(C) the acquisition or collection of addi-
tional data that is needed to advance wildland 
fire science. 
(4) WILDLAND FIRE AND FIRE WEATHER SUR-
VEILLANCE
AND
OBSERVATIONS.—The Adminis-
trator, in coordination with Administrator of the Na-
tional Aeronautics and Space Administration and in 
consultation with relevant stakeholders— 
(A) shall leverage existing observations, 
technologies and assets and develop or acquire 
new technologies and data to sustain and en-
hance environmental observations used for 
wildland fire prediction and detection, fire 
weather and smoke forecasting and monitoring, 
and post-wildland fire recovery, with a focus 
on— 
(i) collecting data for high-risk pre-ig-
nition analysis, such as drought, fuel and 
vegetation conditions, and soil moisture, 
that will help predict severe wildland fire 
conditions on all timescales; 
(ii) supporting identification and clas-
sification of fire environments at the small-
est practical scale to determine vulner-
459 
ability to wildland fires and rapid wildland 
fire growth; 
(iii) detecting, observing, and moni-
toring wildland fires and smoke; 
(iv) supporting research on the inter-
action of weather and wildland fire behav-
ior; 
(v) supporting post-fire assessments 
conducted by Program agencies and rel-
evant stakeholders; 
(vi) conditions that influence fire be-
havior and spread including those condi-
tions that suppress active fire events; and 
(vii) fire risk values; 
(B) shall prioritize the ability to detect, ob-
serve, and monitor wildland fire and smoke in 
its requirements for its current and future ob-
serving systems and commercial data purchases; 
and 
(C) not later than 12 months after the 
date of the enactment of this Act— 
(i) may offer to enter into contracts, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Agri-
culture and the Secretary of the Interior, 
with one or more entities to obtain addi-
460 
tional airborne and space-based data and 
observations that may enhance or supple-
ment the understanding, monitoring, pre-
diction, and mitigation of wildland fire 
risks, and the relevant Program activities 
under section 302; and 
(ii) in carrying out clause (i), shall 
consult with private sector entities through 
the advisory committee established pursu-
ant to section 304 to identify needed tools 
and data that can be best provided by the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin-
istration satellites and are most beneficial 
to wildfire and smoke detection and moni-
toring. 
(5) FIRE WEATHER TESTBED.—In collaboration 
with Program agencies and other relevant stake-
holders, the Administrator shall establish a Fire 
Weather Testbed to evaluate physical and social 
science, technology, and other research to develop 
fire weather products and services for implementa-
tion by relevant stakeholders. 
(6) WILDLAND FIRE AND FIRE WEATHER RE-
SEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT.—The Administrator 
shall support a wildland fire and smoke research and
461 
development program that includes both physical 
and social science with the goals of— 
(A) improving the understanding, pre-
diction, detection, forecasting, monitoring, and 
assessments of wildland fires and associated fire 
weather, smoke, and air quality; 
(B) developing products and services to 
meet stakeholder needs; 
(C) 
transitioning 
physical 
and 
social 
science research into operations; 
(D) improving modeling and technology, 
including coupled fire-atmosphere fire behavior 
modeling, in consultation with relevant Federal 
agencies; 
(E) better understanding of links between 
fire weather events and subseasonal-to-climate 
impacts; 
(F) improving the forecasting and under-
standing of the impacts of prescribed fires and 
how those impacts differ from impacts of 
wildland fires; and 
(G) pursuing high-priority fire science re-
search needs applicable to the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration as identified 
by any other relevant Federal program.
462 
(7) EXTRAMURAL
RESEARCH.—The Adminis-
trator shall collaborate with and support the non- 
Federal wildland fire research community, which in-
cludes institutions of higher education, private enti-
ties, nongovernmental organizations, and other rel-
evant stakeholders, by making funds available 
through competitive grants, contracts, and coopera-
tive agreements. In carrying out the program under 
this paragraph, the Administrator, in collaboration 
with other relevant Federal agencies, may establish 
one or more national centers for prescribed fire and 
wildfire sciences that leverage Federal research and 
development with university and nongovernmental 
partnerships. 
(8) HIGH
PERFORMANCE
COMPUTING.—The 
Administrator, in consultation with relevant Federal 
agencies, such as the Secretary of Energy, shall ac-
quire high performance computing technologies and 
supercomputing technologies, leveraging existing re-
sources and facilities, as practicable, to conduct re-
search and development activities, support research 
to operations under this section, and host oper-
ational fire and smoke forecast models. 
(9) INCIDENT METEOROLOGIST WORKFORCE AS-
SESSMENT.—Not later than 6 months after the date
463 
of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall 
submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor-
tation of the Senate the results of an assessment of 
National Weather Service workforce and training 
challenges for Incident Meteorologists and a road-
map for overcoming the challenges identified. Such 
assessment shall take into consideration information 
technology support, logistical and administrative op-
erations, anticipated weather and climate conditions, 
and feedback from relevant stakeholders, and shall 
include, to the maximum extent practicable, an iden-
tification by the National Weather Service of— 
(A) the expected number of Incident Mete-
orologists needed over the next 5 years; 
(B) potential hiring authorities necessary 
to overcome the identified workforce and train-
ing challenges; and 
(C) alternative services or assistance op-
tions the National Weather Service could pro-
vide to meet operational needs. 
(10) FIRE
WEATHER
SURVEYS
AND
ASSESS-
MENTS.—
464 
(A) ANNUAL POST-FIRE WEATHER SEASON 
SURVEY AND ASSESSMENT.—Not later than 24 
months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, and each year thereafter, the Adminis-
trator shall conduct a post-fire-weather season 
survey and assessment. After conducting a 
post-fire-weather season survey and assessment, 
the Administrator shall— 
(i) investigate any data collection gaps 
during the assessment; 
(ii) identify and implement systems, 
processes, strategies, and procedures need-
ed to enhance the efficiency and reliability 
of data obtained and to improve program 
services and information dissemination; 
(iii) evaluate the accuracy and effi-
ciency of physical fire weather forecasting 
information for each incident; and 
(iv) assess and refine performance 
measures, as needed. 
(B) COORDINATION.—In conducting any 
survey or assessment under this section, the 
Administrator shall coordinate with stake-
holders and such entities as the Administrator 
considers relevant in order to—
465 
(i) improve operations and collabora-
tion; and 
(ii) optimize data collection, sharing, 
integration, assimilation, and dissemina-
tion. 
(C) ANNUAL
BRIEFING.—Not less fre-
quently than once each year, the Administrator 
shall provide a briefing to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology in the House 
and Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation in the Senate that provides— 
(i) an overview of the previous fire 
season; and 
(ii) an outlook for the fire season for 
the coming year. 
(D) SERVICE
IMPROVEMENTS.—The Ad-
ministrator shall make best efforts to incor-
porate the results and recommendations of each 
assessment conducted into the research and de-
velopment plan and operations of the Adminis-
tration. 
(d) FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGEN-
CY.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency, acting through the United States Fire 
Administration, shall—
466 
(1) support— 
(A) the development of community risk as-
sessment tools and effective mitigation tech-
niques for preventing and responding to 
wildland fires, including at the wildland-urban 
interface; 
(B) wildland and wildland-urban interface 
fire and operational response-related data col-
lection and analysis; 
(C) public outreach, education, and infor-
mation dissemination related to wildland fires 
and wildland fire risk; and 
(D) promotion of wildland and wildland- 
urban interface fire preparedness and commu-
nity risk reduction, to include hardening the 
wildland-urban interface through proper con-
struction materials, land use practices, sprin-
klers, assessment of State and local emergency 
response capacity and capabilities, and other 
tools and approaches as appropriate; 
(2) in collaboration with the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology, and other program 
agencies, as appropriate, promote and assist in the 
implementation of research results and promote fire- 
resistant buildings, retrofit, and land use practices