Climate Resilient Communities Act
Bill: H.R.1936 | Sponsor: Rep. Neguse, Joe (D-CO)
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Climate Resilient Communities Act
This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to evaluate and issue a report on the structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Specifically, GAO, within one year of this bill's enactment and every five years thereafter, must evaluate and report to Congress on the economic benefits, including avoided impacts on property and life, of the use of model, consensus-based building codes, standards, and provisions that support resilience to climate risks and impacts.
The report shall include

To require the Comptroller General to evaluate and issue a report on 
   the structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the 
 Federal Emergency Management Agency, including recommendations on how 
  to improve the building codes and standards that the Agency uses to 
 prepare for climate change and address resiliency in housing, public 
        buildings, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

    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 ``Climate Resilient Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. CLIMATE RESILIENCY REPORT BY GAO.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the Comptroller General shall 
evaluate and issue a report to Congress on the economic benefits, 
including avoided impacts on property and life, of the use of model, 
consensus-based building codes, standards, and provisions that support 
resilience to climate risks and impacts, including--
            (1) flooding;
            (2) wildfires;
            (3) hurricanes;
            (4) heat waves;
            (5) droughts;
            (6) rises in sea level; and
            (7) extreme weather.
    (b) Report Issues.--The report required under subsection (a) shall 
include the following:
            (1) Assesses the status of adoption of building codes, 
        standards, and provisions within the States, territories, and 
        tribes at the State or jurisdictional level; including whether 
        the adopted codes meet or exceed the most recent published 
        edition of a national, consensus-based model code.
            (2) Analysis of the extent to which pre-disaster mitigation 
        measures provide benefits to the nation and individual States, 
        territories and tribes, including--
                    (A) an economic analysis of the benefits to the 
                design and construction of new resilient 
                infrastructure;
                    (B) losses avoided, including economic losses, 
                number of structures (buildings, roads, bridges), and 
                injuries and deaths by utilizing building codes and 
                standards that prioritize resiliency; and
                    (C) an economic analysis of the benefits to using 
                hazard resistant building codes in rebuilding and 
                repairing infrastructure following a disaster.
            (3) An assessment of the building codes and standards 
        referenced or otherwise currently incorporated into Federal 
        policies and programs, including but not limited to grants, 
        incentive programs, technical assistance and design and 
        construction criteria, administered by the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency (FEMA), and--
                    (A) the extent to which such codes and standards 
                contribute to increasing climate resiliency;
                    (B) recommendations for how FEMA could improve 
                their use of codes and standards to prepare for climate 
                change and address resiliency in housing, public 
                buildings, and infrastructure such as roads and 
                bridges; and
                    (C) how FEMA could increase efforts to support the 
                adoption of hazard resistant codes by the States, 
                territories, and tribes.
            (4) Recommendations for FEMA on how to better incorporate 
        climate resiliency into efforts to rebuild after natural 
        disasters.
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