A bill to require the Secretary of Transportation to develop best practices for incorporating resilience into emergency relief projects, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-s-2129
Sponsor: full_name: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2019-07-16
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance

Government information and archives

Natural disasters

Roads and highways

State and local government operations

Transportation programs funding
Latest action: action_date: 2019-07-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Summaries:
action_date: 2019-07-16
action_desc: Introduced in Senate
text: <p>This bill requires the Department of Transportation to (1) revise the emergency relief manual of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), including by incorporating resilience into its emergency relief program; (2) develop best practices for improving the use of resilience in the program; (3) provide information on such best practices to the FHWA and states; and (4) develop and implement a process to track the consideration of resilience as part of emergency relief efforts and the costs of emergency relief products. (The emergency relief program provides funds for emergency and permanent repairs on federal-aid highways and roads that have suffered serious damage because of a natural disaster or catastrophic failure from an external cause.)</p>

tv_txt: II 116th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 2129 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 16, 2019 Ms. Baldwin (for herself, Mr. Braun , and Mr. Cardin ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works A BILL To require the Secretary of Transportation to develop best practices for incorporating resilience into emergency relief projects, and for other purposes.

1. Emergency relief program (a) Definitions In this Act: (1) Emergency relief project The term emergency relief project means a project carried out under the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code. (2) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Transportation. (b) Improving the emergency relief program Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (1) revise the emergency relief manual of the Federal Highway Administration— (A) to include and reflect a definition of the term resilience ; (B) to identify procedures that States may use to incorporate resilience into emergency relief projects; and (C) to encourage the use of Complete Streets design principles and consideration of access for moderate- and low-income families impacted by a declared disaster; (2) develop best practices for improving the use of resilience in— (A) the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code; and (B) emergency relief efforts; (3) provide to division offices of the Federal Highway Administration and State departments of transportation information on the best practices developed under paragraph (2); and (4) develop and implement a process to track— (A) the consideration of resilience as part of the emergency relief program under section 125 of title 23, United States Code; and (B) the costs of emergency relief projects.