Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act
Bill: H.R.6138 | Sponsor: Rep. Swalwell, Eric (D-CA)
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act
This bill modifies the pre-disaster mitigation grant program of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Specifically, the bill
FEMA must

To enhance predisaster mitigation to prevent future natural disasters, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 203(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(a)) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) High hazard risk.--The term `high hazard risk' means 
        high rating of a natural hazard risk according to a tool such 
        as the National Risk Index or another tool developed by the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency.
            ``(2) Environmental justice community.--The term 
        `environmental justice community' means a community primarily 
        composed of communities of color, low-income communities, or 
        Tribal and indigenous communities, that experiences, or is at 
        risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or 
        environmental effects than most communities.
            ``(3) Small impoverished community.--The term `small 
        impoverished community' means a community that is comprised of 
        50,000 or fewer individuals and that is economically 
        disadvantaged, as determined by the State in which the 
        community is located and based on criteria established by the 
        President.''.

SEC. 3. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

    Section 203(e) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(e)) is amended by adding at 
the end the following:
            ``(3) Guidance.--The Administrator may develop guidance 
        regarding how to incorporate climate change into--
                    ``(A) the National Risk Index;
                    ``(B) cost-benefit analyses; and
                    ``(C) adopting improved relevant consensus-based 
                codes, specifications, and standards to address natural 
                hazards.
            ``(4) Building, restoration, or rehabilitation.--The 
        Administrator may issue guidance to ensure that funds provided 
        under this section are used to support the building, 
        restoration, or rehabilitation of hazard mitigation projects 
        that are--
                    ``(A) planned and designed around the future 
                projections of climate change over the life cycle of 
                the project; and
                    ``(B) built to withstand future flooding.''.

SEC. 4. CRITERIA FOR ASSISTANCE AWARDS.

    Section 203(g) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(g)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (11);
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (12) as paragraph (13); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (11) the following:
            ``(12) and prioritize communities that are in high hazard 
        risk communities, environmental justice communities, 
        communities with low tax revenue base per capita, and 
        communities with a low rate of code adoption and enforcement 
        and infrastructure maintenance expenditures (the Administrator 
        of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall establish 
        guidelines to develop measurable criteria to determine such 
        priority for high hazard risk communities and integrate the 
        data into a tool such as the National Risk Index and use the 
        Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool to help target the 
        communities with the greatest need of assistance); and''.

SEC. 5. FEDERAL SHARE.

    Section 203(h)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(h)(2) is amended to read as 
follows:
            ``(2) Small impoverished communities and environment 
        justice communities.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the 
        President may contribute up to 90 percent of the total cost of 
        a mitigation activity carried out in a small impoverished 
        community or an environmental justice community.''.

SEC. 6. NATIONAL PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE PREDISASTER MITIGATION 
              ASSISTANCE.

    Section 203(i)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(i)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``6 percent'' and inserting ``15 percent''; 
        and
            (2) by adding at the end the following: ``From such total 
        amount made available from the Disaster Relief Fund, with 
        respect to each major disaster, the President may set aside 2 
        percent of the estimated aggregate amount of the grants to be 
        made pursuant to sections 403, 406, 407, 408, 410, 416, and 428 
        for the major disaster for community planning and capacity 
        building assistance.''.

SEC. 7. COMMUNITY OUTREACH.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(n) Community Outreach Assistance.--The Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency, in collaboration with 
organizations, such as the United States Cooperative Extension System 
and the Extension Disaster Education Network, shall provide community 
outreach to communities under this section, with a goal of increasing 
applications from communities with high hazard risk, environmental 
justice communities, communities with low tax revenue base per capita, 
and communities with a low rate of code adoption and enforcement and 
infrastructure maintenance expenditures, regarding how to plan and 
prioritize projects based on current climate conditions, future hazard 
risk, and social vulnerability assessments as well as how to 
successfully develop, submit, and administer a grant under this 
section.''.

SEC. 8. IMPROVED DATA COLLECTION.

    Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 
establish a central Federal database at the Agency, in coordination 
with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environment 
Protection Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the Small 
Business Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and any other 
relevant agencies the Administrator chooses to include, to consolidate 
funding data collected by all local, State, and Federal agencies 
involved in post-disaster response and predisaster mitigation spending 
and categorize the data by type of project, funding source, and hazard 
types using an user friendly database and interactive map. Such 
database shall also include--
            (1) the collection and posting of census track data and 
        post aggregate demographic data, pursuant to the Paperwork 
        Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) as well as any future 
        guidance by such office on data equity on the impact of natural 
        disaster and Federal recovery efforts to better allocate and 
        trace funds; and
            (2) post-project evaluations by the Agency to analyze 
        disaster spending and report findings on what may have been 
        saved by proper predisaster mitigation.
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