National Earthquake Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Act

Bill: 109-hr-4205
Sponsor: Rep. Ford, Harold E., Jr. [D-TN-9]
Introduced: 2005-11-02 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Accounting
Building laws
Colleges
Commerce
Department of Homeland Security
Depreciation and amortization
Disaster relief
Earth movements and building
Earthquakes
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Emergency communication systems
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Federal officials
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government trust funds
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Home repair and improvement
Hospitals
Housing and Community Development
Housing finance
Income tax
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Labor and Employment
Land use
Local laws
Losses
Mortgage guaranty insurance
Mortgages
Partnerships
Presidential appointments
Public utilities
Rental housing
Risk
School buildings
Science, Technology, Communications
Seismology
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Tax-exempt securities
Taxation
Transportation and Public Works
Zoning and zoning law

Summary:
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: 
National Earthquake Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response and the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to meet the qualification requirements for their position by virtue of their emergency management experience, educational background, training, and professional contributions.
 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable personal credit of 50% of up to $6,000 of qualified seismic retrofit expenses (principal residence earthquake retrofit expenses). Authorizes the issuance of qualified seismic retrofitting bonds. Provides an exemption from passive activity loss restrictions for seismic retrofitting activity.
 
Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to authorize the FEMA Director to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to certain local governments, public or nonprofit private hospitals, or public institutions of higher education for earthquake disaster mitigation and recovery planning measures (including retrofitting and disaster recovery plans) with respect to critical facilities and public infrastructures. Establishes the Loss Reduction Trust Fund for grant payments.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the Advanced National Seismic System should be funded at its authorization level in order to achieve the goal of deploying a nationwide network of over 7,000 earthquake sensor systems serving the entire United States and providing dense coverage in 26 at-risk urban areas. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-01-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
action_date: 2005-11-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Research.
action_date: 2005-11-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Technology, and Standards.
action_date: 2005-11-03
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, and Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, and Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, and Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, and Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, and Financial Services, 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.
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-11-02
text: Introduced in House