Predisaster Hazard Mitigation Act of 2010
PL 111-351 (H.R.1746), enacted 01/04/2011

124 STAT. 3863 
PUBLIC LAW 111–351—JAN. 4, 2011 
Public Law 111–351 
111th Congress 
An Act 
To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
to reauthorize the pre-disaster mitigation program of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency. 
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 ‘‘Predisaster Hazard Mitigation 
Act of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The predisaster hazard mitigation program has been 
successful and cost-effective. Funding from the predisaster 
hazard mitigation program has successfully reduced loss of 
life, personal injuries, damage to and destruction of property, 
and disruption of communities from disasters. 
(2) The predisaster hazard mitigation program has saved 
Federal taxpayers from spending significant sums on disaster 
recovery and relief that would have been otherwise incurred 
had communities not successfully applied mitigation tech-
niques. 
(3) A 2007 Congressional Budget Office report found that 
the predisaster hazard mitigation program reduced losses by 
roughly $3 (measured in 2007 dollars) for each dollar invested 
in mitigation efforts funded under the predisaster hazard miti-
gation program. Moreover, the Congressional Budget Office 
found that projects funded under the predisaster hazard mitiga-
tion program could lower the need for post-disaster assistance 
from the Federal Government so that the predisaster hazard 
mitigation investment by the Federal Government would actu-
ally save taxpayer funds. 
(4) A 2005 report by the Multihazard Mitigation Council 
showed substantial benefits and cost savings from the hazard 
mitigation programs of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency generally. Looking at a range of hazard mitigation 
programs of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the 
study found that, on average, $1 invested by the Federal Emer-
gency Management Agency in hazard mitigation provided the 
Nation with roughly $4 in benefits. Moreover, the report pro-
jected that the mitigation grants awarded between 1993 and 
2003 would save more than 220 lives and prevent nearly 4,700 
injuries over approximately 50 years. 
42 USC 5133 
note. 
42 USC 5121 
note. 
Predisaster 
Hazard 
Mitigation Act of 
2010. 
Jan. 4, 2011 
[H.R. 1746] 
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124 STAT. 3864 
PUBLIC LAW 111–351—JAN. 4, 2011 
(5) Given the substantial savings generated from the 
predisaster hazard mitigation program in the years following 
the provision of assistance under the program, increasing funds 
appropriated for the program would be a wise investment. 
SEC. 3. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION. 
(a) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Section 203(f) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5133(f)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(f) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The President shall award financial 
assistance under this section on a competitive basis and in 
accordance with the criteria in subsection (g). 
‘‘(2) MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—In providing finan-
cial assistance under this section, the President shall ensure 
that the amount of financial assistance made available to a 
State (including amounts made available to local governments 
of the State) for a fiscal year— 
‘‘(A) is not less than the lesser of— 
‘‘(i) $575,000; or 
‘‘(ii) the amount that is equal to 1 percent of the 
total funds appropriated to carry out this section for 
the fiscal year; and 
‘‘(B) does not exceed the amount that is equal to 15 
percent of the total funds appropriated to carry out this 
section for the fiscal year.’’. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 203(m) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5133(m)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(m) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are author-
ized to be appropriated to carry out this section— 
‘‘(1) $180,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 
‘‘(2) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 
‘‘(3) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2013.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO REFERENCES.—The Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5121 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 602(a) (42 U.S.C. 5195a(a)), by striking para-
graph (7) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(7) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘Administrator’ means the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.’’; 
and 
(2) by striking ‘‘Director’’ each place it appears and 
inserting ‘‘Administrator’’, except— 
(A) in section 622 (42 U.S.C. 5197a)— 
(i) in the second and fourth places it appears in 
subsection (c); and 
(ii) in subsection (d); and 
(B) in section 626(b) (42 U.S.C. 5197e(b)). 
SEC. 4. PROHIBITION ON EARMARKS. 
Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer-
gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(n) PROHIBITION ON EARMARKS.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITION.—In this subsection, the term ‘congression-
ally directed spending’ means a statutory provision or report 
language included primarily at the request of a Senator or 
42 USC 5134, 
5144, 5165d, 
5170c, 5172, 
5195a, 5195b, 
5196–5196b, 
5196f, 
5197–5197c, 
5197h. 
Definition. 
President. 
Grants. 
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124 STAT. 3865 
PUBLIC LAW 111–351—JAN. 4, 2011 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—H.R. 1746: 
HOUSE REPORTS: No. 111–83 (Comm. on Transportation and Infrastructure). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD: 
Vol. 155 (2009): Apr. 27, considered and passed House. 
Vol. 156 (2010): Dec. 20, considered and passed Senate, amended. 
Dec. 21, House concurred in Senate amendment. 
a Member, Delegate or Resident Commissioner of the House 
of Representatives providing, authorizing, or recommending a 
specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit 
authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, 
loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure 
with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific State, locality, 
or Congressional district, other than through a statutory or 
administrative formula-driven or competitive award process. 
‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—None of the funds appropriated or other-
wise made available to carry out this section may be used 
for congressionally directed spending. 
‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION TO CONGRESS.—The Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall submit to 
Congress a certification regarding whether all financial assist-
ance under this section was awarded in accordance with this 
section.’’. 
Approved January 4, 2011. 
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