Title: National Flood Research and Education Center Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
National Flood Research and Education Center Act
This bill establishes within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) a National Flood Research and Education Center (NFREC), which shall consist of: (1) an office within NOAA; (2) one public university or college selected by the NOAA Administrator, which shall serve as the lead partner institution with NOAA; and (3) a consortium of other public universities or colleges selected by the Administrator and such lead partner institution based on their ability to fulfill specific purposes of NFREC.
The purposes of NFREC are listed, including to plan, conduct, and arrange for competent public research, data, education, and recommendations within the following categories as they relate to flooding issues nationwide, regionally, and locally: (1) physical sciences, social science, and economic, policy, and risk analysis; (2) risk management; and (3) improvement of existing, and testing of new, risk assessment tools and methods, monitoring and predicting strategies and techniques, and flood management and prevention strategies and techniques.
The bill sets forth criteria for selection of a lead partner institution and consortium members.
NFREC must: (1) partner with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Army Corps of Engineers; (2) collaborate on federal flood-related issues with specified federal agencies; and (3) collaborate and share best practices on regional, state, and locally specific flooding and flood-related issues with state and local governments and with watershed, agriculture, environmental, and business and development organizations.
Review and reporting requirements are set forth. NFREC must establish and make information available on a website.
NFREC may provide technical assistance and demonstration project grant assistance to state and local governments on a competitive basis to assist with implementing recommendations of NFREC or testing new or improved strategies or technologies.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3604 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3604

To establish a National Flood Research and Education Center to provide 
    research, data, and recommendations on physical science, social 
science, economic analysis, policy analysis, risk analysis, monitoring, 
 predicting, and planning as they relate to flooding and flood-related 
                                issues.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

 Mr. Loebsack introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
  Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 
  Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be 
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To establish a National Flood Research and Education Center to provide 
    research, data, and recommendations on physical science, social 
science, economic analysis, policy analysis, risk analysis, monitoring, 
 predicting, and planning as they relate to flooding and flood-related 
                                issues.

    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 ``National Flood Research and 
Education Center Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL FLOOD RESEARCH AND EDUCATION CENTER ESTABLISHMENT AND 
              PURPOSE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established within the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration a National Flood Research and 
Education Center (in this Act referred to as ``NFREC'') which shall 
consist of--
            (1) an office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration;
            (2) one public university or college selected by the 
        Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration (in this Act referred to as the 
        ``Administrator''), which shall serve as the lead partner 
        institution with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration; and
            (3) a consortium of other public universities or colleges 
        selected by the Administrator and the lead partner institution 
        based on their ability to fulfill specific purposes of NFREC.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of NFREC are as follows:
            (1) To plan, conduct, and arrange for competent public 
        research, data, education, and recommendations within the 
        following categories as they relate to flooding issues 
        nationwide, regionally, and locally:
                    (A) Physical sciences, including engineering, 
                hydrology, environmental, and atmospheric sciences, of 
                flooding and flood-related events.
                    (B) Social science of flooding and flood-related 
                events focused on increasing community resilience.
                    (C) Economic analysis of flooding and flood-related 
                events in addition to analysis of a variety of existing 
                and new strategies and techniques to reduce, manage, 
                and prevent flooding and flood-related events.
                    (D) Policy analysis and recommendations on 
                flooding-related policy on a Federal, State, and local 
                governmental basis.
                    (E) Risk analysis and risk management of flooding 
                and flood-related events.
                    (F) Improvement of existing, and testing of new, 
                risk assessment tools, methods, and models for flooding 
                and flood risks used by Federal, State, and local 
                governments and other interested organizations.
                    (G) Improvement of existing, and testing of new, 
                monitoring and predicting strategies and techniques of 
                flooding and flood-related events.
                    (H) Improvement of existing, and testing of new, 
                flood management and prevention strategies and 
                techniques.
            (2) To carry out this Act within a variety of regions in 
        the United States which are identified and categorized by NFREC 
        based on their specific flooding and flood-related issues, 
        hydrology, weather, and related issues so that diverse flood 
        situations are represented and examined through NFREC's work.
            (3) To identify opportunities for increased efficiency in 
        allocation of resources, coordination, cooperation, and 
        consolidation of efforts as they relate to local, statewide, 
        regional, and Federal flood-related efforts with respect to 
        NFREC's purposes.
            (4) To develop or improve undergraduate and graduate degree 
        programs and other programs at the consortium-member public 
        universities and colleges to advance the entry of new talent 
        into flooding-related fields.
            (5) To collaborate with other colleges and universities in 
        the region that have demonstrated capability for research, 
        information dissemination, and graduate training in order to 
        develop regional networks that are knowledgeable on regional 
        flooding issues.

SEC. 3. CONSORTIUM SELECTION AND COLLABORATION.

    (a) Selection of the Lead Partner Institution.--The Administrator, 
within 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, shall select 
the lead partner institution described in section 2(a)(2). The 
Administrator shall select a public university or college which--
            (1) has demonstrated and proven expertise in physical and 
        environmental science, flooding, hydraulic research, 
        hydroscience, engineering, and meteorological issues;
            (2) is located in a State which frequently experiences 
        inland flooding;
            (3) has previously partnered with, or received funds from, 
        Federal and international agencies for flooding, hydrology, and 
        watershed issues, including the Army Corps of Engineers, the 
        United States Geological Survey, the National Oceanic and 
        Atmospheric Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Science 
        Foundation, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
        and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural 
        Organization;
            (4) has the capacity to develop and submit a plan on how it 
        will operate as the lead partner institution, the type of 
        research, activities, and collaboration it would undertake, and 
        how it would incorporate its previous work on issues related to 
        the purposes of NFREC into its new mission as the lead partner 
        institution;
            (5) can demonstrate an ability to take the leading role of 
        coordinating and fulfilling the purposes of NFREC;
            (6) can demonstrate an ability to provide technical 
        assistance and demonstration project management and oversight 
        both of grantees demonstration projects and of demonstration 
        projects initiated through consortium members;
            (7) can demonstrate an ability to incorporate NFREC work 
        into undergraduate and graduate educational programs within the 
        public university or college; and
            (8) can demonstrate an ability to contribute the required 
        non-Federal matching funding to maintain a lead partner 
        institution center.
    (b) Selection of Consortium Members.--The Administrator, in 
partnership with the lead partner institution, shall select, within 90 
days after the selection of the lead partner institution, additional 
universities and colleges to participate in a consortium through 
criteria as determined by the Administrator and the lead partner 
institution which shall, among other criteria determined by the 
Administrator and lead partner institution, prioritize institutions 
that--
            (1) have a focus or expertise in at least one of the 
        categories described in section 2(b)(1);
            (2) have the ability to plan, conduct, and arrange for 
        competent public research, data, education, and recommendations 
        as they relate to flooding in diverse regions of the United 
        States identified and in the categories described in section 
        2(b)(1) and meet the purposes of NFREC;
            (3) can demonstrate an ability to provide technical 
        assistance and demonstration project management and oversight;
            (4) can demonstrate an ability to incorporate NFREC work 
        into undergraduate and graduate educational programs within the 
        university or college; and
            (5) can demonstrate an ability to contribute the required 
        non-Federal matching funding to maintain a consortium member 
        center.
    (c) Consortium Partnerships.--The member institutions of NFREC 
shall partner for the purposes of this Act in the following ways:
            (1) NOAA partnership.--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration shall partner directly with the lead partner 
        institution for the purposes of NFREC.
            (2) Lead partner institution partnership.--The lead partner 
        institution shall partner directly with the National Oceanic 
        and Atmospheric Administration and the consortium members for 
        the purposes of NFREC.
            (3) Consortium member partnership.--The consortium members 
        shall partner with the lead partner institution for the 
        purposes of NFREC.

SEC. 4. PARTNERSHIPS AND COLLABORATION WITH FEDERAL, REGIONAL, STATE, 
              AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Partnerships.--NFREC shall partner with the United States 
Geological Survey and the Army Corps of Engineers for the purposes of 
this Act.
    (b) Collaboration.--NFREC shall--
            (1) collaborate on Federal flood-related issues with 
        Federal agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National 
        Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Science 
        Foundation, and the Department of Agriculture;
            (2) collaborate and share best practices on regional, 
        State, and locally specific flooding and flood-related issues 
        with--
                    (A) State, county, and local governments;
                    (B) local councils of governments or regional 
                planning organizations;
                    (C) State agriculture, natural resource, 
                environment, economic development, and water agencies;
                    (D) floodplain managers;
                    (E) State Homeland Security personnel, county 
                disaster recovery coordinators, emergency management 
                personnel, and first responders;
                    (F) resource conservation and development councils;
                    (G) watershed organizations and boards;
                    (H) agriculture and commodity organizations and 
                farmers;
                    (I) environmental organizations; and
                    (J) business and development organizations; and
            (3) explore opportunities to collaborate, when appropriate, 
        on Federal flood-related issues with other Federal agencies 
        such as the Bureau of Reclamation, the Tennessee Valley 
        Authority, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park 
        Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Public Health 
        Administration, the National Science Foundation, the Department 
        of Defense, the Department of the Interior, the Department of 
        Housing and Urban Development, and various national 
        laboratories.

SEC. 5. INFORMATION COLLECTION AND DISSEMINATION.

    (a) NOAA.--
            (1) Annual report.--The Administrator shall publish 
        annually a report containing the activities, partnerships and 
        collaborations, Federal policy recommendations, previous and 
        continuing budgets, findings, and any other applicable 
        information from the consortium members, and shall provide each 
        report to Congress and the President and make it available to 
        the public in an easily accessible electronic format on the 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's website.
            (2) Review of reports from consortium members.--The 
        Administrator shall review the reports from the consortium 
        members to ensure that funds are being spent properly according 
        to the purposes of this Act and that the consortium members are 
        producing competent public research, data, education, and 
        recommendations in regard to flooding and flood-related issues.
            (3) Review of consortium operations.--The Administrator 
        shall periodically review the operation of consortium members 
        to ensure that funds are being spent properly according to the 
        purposes of this Act and that the consortium members are 
        producing competent public research, data, education, and 
        recommendations in regard to flooding and flood-related issues.
    (b) Lead Partner Institution.--
            (1) Compilation of annual consortium member reports.--The 
        lead partner institution shall compile annually reports from 
        consortium members, along with its own report, containing the 
        activities, partnerships and collaborations, Federal policy 
        recommendations, previous and continuing budgets, findings, and 
        any other applicable information from consortium members, and 
        shall provide this information to the Administrator annually by 
        a date determined by the Administrator.
            (2) Annual lead partner institution report.--In addition, 
        the lead partner institution shall publish annually a report 
        specific to its activities, partnerships and collaborations, 
        State and local policy recommendations, previous and continuing 
        budgets, findings, and other applicable information by a date 
        determined by the Administrator which shall also be made 
        available to the public in an easily accessible electronic 
        format on the lead partner institution's website.
    (c) Consortium Members.--The consortium members shall each publish 
annually a report containing the activities, partnerships and 
collaborations, State and local policy recommendations, previous and 
continuing budgets, findings, and other applicable information by a 
date determined by the lead partner institution which shall also be 
made available to the public in an easily accessible electronic format 
on the consortium members' websites.
    (d) National Flood Research and Education Center Website.--NFREC 
shall establish a website which shall contain at least the following 
information:
            (1) Key findings and best practices.
            (2) Collaborations and partnerships.
            (3) Annual reports and other pertinent information on its 
        purposes.
            (4) The location and contact information for the consortium 
        members.
            (5) Federal, State, local, and regionally specific public 
        research, data, education, and policy recommendations which 
        shall be updated in a timely manner with new information.
            (6) The variety of regions in the United States which are 
        identified and categorized by NFREC, based on their specific 
        flooding and flood-related issues, hydrology, weather, and 
        related issues.
            (7) Approved demonstration projects and their progress in 
        addition to information on applying for demonstration project 
        assistance.
            (8) Tools for monitoring, predicting, and modeling flooding 
        as they become available.

SEC. 6. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.

    (a) Technical Assistance and Demonstration Projects.--NFREC may 
provide technical assistance and demonstration project grant assistance 
to eligible entities on a competitive basis to assist with implementing 
recommendations of NFREC or testing new or improved strategies or 
technologies for the categories described in section 2(b)(1).
    (b) Eligible Entities.--The following are eligible entities for 
purposes of this section:
            (1) State governments.
            (2) County governments.
            (3) Local governments.
    (c) Technical Assistance.--Consortium members may provide technical 
assistance at their discretion to eligible entities that have limited 
capacity for developing an application for demonstration project 
grants. Consortium members may also provide technical assistance at 
their discretion in implementing demonstration projects approved by the 
Administrator.
    (d) Competitive Criteria.--The Administrator, in partnership with 
the lead partner institution, shall develop criteria required for 
submitting a competitive demonstration project grant application and 
for the approval of such an application.
    (e) Eligible Activities.--Grantees may use funds only for flooding-
related projects which implement recommendations of NFREC or for 
testing of--
            (1) improved existing and or new risk analysis and risk 
        management of flooding and flood-related events;
            (2) improved existing and or new risk assessment tools, 
        methods, and models for flooding and flood risks used by 
        Federal, State, and local governments and other interested 
        organizations;
            (3) improved existing and or new monitoring and predicting 
        strategies and techniques of flooding and flood-related events; 
        or
            (4) improved existing and or new flood management and 
        prevention strategies and techniques.
    (f) Subcontracting.--Eligible entities may subcontract a portion of 
grant funds received for necessary construction-related costs to pursue 
an eligible activity.
    (g) Applications.--
            (1) Consortium review and approval.--Within 60 days of 
        receiving a completed application, the consortium member in 
        whose region the project will take place and the lead partner 
        institution shall review and approve or disapprove the 
        application.
            (2) Administrator approval.--Within 30 days of receiving an 
        application that has been approved by the applicable consortium 
        members, the Administrator shall determine whether to provide 
        the project final approval.
    (h) Grant Size.--
            (1) In general.--Demonstration project grant awards under 
        this section shall not exceed $250,000 per project.
            (2) Waiver of grant size limitation.--The Administrator may 
        waive such grant size limitation if--
                    (A) all consortium members approve of such a 
                waiver;
                    (B) the eligible entity has the expertise, or will 
                work with partners that have the expertise, to manage 
                the proposed project; and
                    (C) the eligible entity can show that a project 
                involves multiple watersheds or jurisdictions, benefits 
                multiple communities, has broad community support, and 
                incorporates multiple aspects of NFREC's work in the 
                project.
    (i) Matching Funds.--Entities receiving a demonstration project 
grant under this section shall be required to provide a 30-percent non-
Federal cost share.
    (j) Total Demonstration Project Grant Amount Available.--There 
shall be not more than $2,000,000 available annually for demonstration 
project grants under this section nationwide.
    (k) Monitoring and Reporting.--For a demonstration project that 
receives a grant under this section, the applicable regional consortium 
member shall monitor the effectiveness, efficiency, and progress of the 
project and report on these factors and their involvement periodically 
to the lead partner institution. The applicable regional consortium 
member shall make this information available through its website and 
additionally provide this information in its annual reports.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--For each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2023, 
there are authorized for NFREC, $10,000,000, of which--
            (1) not more than $2,000,000 each fiscal year shall be for 
        the operation of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration's center; and
            (2) not more than $3,000,000 each fiscal year shall be for 
        the operation of the lead partner institution's center, matched 
        by a 20-percent non-Federal cost share.
    (b) Additional Authorization.--
            (1) Lead partner institution.--There are authorized such 
        sums as may be necessary for the lead partner institution to 
        improve its facilities to a level that meets the requirements 
        of the role of lead partner institution.
            (2) Plan.--Before the lead partner institution receives any 
        funding under this subsection, a plan detailing what type of 
        facility construction or improvements will take place must 
        first be approved by the Administrator. Such plan shall include 
        any land acquisition, engineering, design, and staffing and 
        equipment needs, in addition to other information as required 
        by the Administrator.
            (3) Non-federal cost share.--There shall be a non-Federal 
        cost share of 20 percent for facility improvement or 
        construction projects pursued by the lead partner institution.
            (4) Wage rate requirements.--Any authorized and funded 
        construction activity shall meet Federal prevailing wage 
        requirements as determined by the Secretary of Labor in 
        accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A of 
        subtitle II of title 40, United States Code (commonly referred 
        to as the ``Davis-Bacon Act'').
    (c) Consortium Member Centers.--
            (1) In general.--Not more than $3,000,000 each fiscal year 
        shall be for the operation of all consortium members' centers, 
        matched by a 20-percent non-Federal cost share.
            (2) Limitation.--Any one consortium member shall not 
        receive more than $500,000 in Federal funds in one fiscal year.
    (d) Grants.--Not more than $2,000,000 each fiscal year shall be 
made available for demonstration project grants nationwide.
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