[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2486 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 2486


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                July 12 (legislative day, July 10), 2002

    Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
   To authorize the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
through the United States Weather Research Program, to conduct research 
 and development, training, and outreach activities relating to inland 
         flood forecasting improvement, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Inland Flood Forecasting and Warning 
System Act of 2002''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, through the 
United States Weather Research Program, shall--
            (1) improve the capability to accurately forecast inland 
        flooding (including inland flooding influenced by coastal and 
        ocean storms) through research and modeling;
            (2) develop, test, and deploy a new flood warning index 
        that will give the public and emergency management officials 
        fuller, clearer, and more accurate information about the risks 
        and dangers posed by expected floods;
            (3) train emergency management officials, National Weather 
        Service personnel, meteorologists, and others as appropriate 
        regarding improved forecasting techniques for inland flooding, 
        risk management techniques, and use of the inland flood warning 
        index developed under paragraph (2);
            (4) conduct outreach and education activities for local 
        meteorologists and the public regarding the dangers and risks 
        associated with inland flooding and the use and understanding 
        of the inland flood warning index developed under paragraph 
        (2); and
            (5) assess, through research and analysis of previous 
        trends, among other activities--
                    (A) the long-term trends in frequency and severity 
                of inland flooding; and
                    (B) how shifts in climate, development, and erosion 
                patterns might make certain regions vulnerable to more 
                continual or escalating flood damage in the future.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration for carrying out this Act $1,250,000 for 
each of the fiscal years 2003 through 2005, of which $100,000 for each 
fiscal year shall be available for competitive merit-reviewed grants to 
institutions of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the 
Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) to carry out the 
activities described in section 2(5), and $1,150,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007. Of the amounts authorized under this 
section, $250,000 for each fiscal year shall be available for 
competitive merit-reviewed grants to institutions of higher education 
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001)) to develop models that can improve the ability to 
forecast the coastal and estuary-inland flooding that is influenced by 
tropical cyclones. The models should incorporate the interaction of 
such factors as storm surges, soil saturation, and other relevant 
phenomena.

SEC. 4. REPORT.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter through fiscal year 2007, the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Administration shall transmit to the Committee on 
Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report on its activities 
under this Act and the success and acceptance of the inland flood 
warning index developed under section 2(2) by the public and emergency 
management professionals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration shall also, not later than January 1, 2006, transmit to 
the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
report on the likely long-term trends in inland flooding, the results 
of which shall be used in outreach activities conducted under section 
2(4), especially to alert the public and builders to flood hazards.

            Passed the House of Representatives July 11, 2002.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.