[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4900 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4900

  To establish a National Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience 
                    Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 2002

Mr. Watts of Oklahoma introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                      to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a National Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience 
                    Program, 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 ``Weather Safety Act''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND RESILIENCE PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce shall establish a 
National Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience Program (in this 
section referred to as the ``Program'') for evaluating and making 
recommendations with respect to local, regional, and national 
vulnerability and resilience to impacts related to both longer term 
climatic changes and shorter term climatic variations, including 
changes and variations resulting from human activities.
    (b) Consultation.--In designing the Program, the Secretary of 
Commerce shall consult with Federal agencies participating in the 
United States Global Change Research Program and any other appropriate 
Federal, State, or local agency.
    (c) Office of Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience 
Research.--The Secretary of Commerce shall establish an Office of 
Climate Change Vulnerability and Resilience Research (in this section 
referred to as the ``Office'') within the Department of Commerce, which 
shall be responsible for managing the Program and shall, in accordance 
with the design of the Program, coordinate climatic change and climatic 
variation vulnerability and resilience research in the United States.
    (d) Vulnerability Assessments.--The Program shall include--
            (1) evaluations, based on historical data, current 
        observational data, and, where appropriate, available 
        predictions, of local, State, regional, and national 
        vulnerability to phenomena associated with climatic change and 
        climatic variation, including--
                    (A) severe weather events, such as severe 
                thunderstorms, tornadoes, and hurricanes;
                    (B) annual and interannual climate events, such as 
                the El Nino Southern Oscillation and the North Atlantic 
                Oscillation;
                    (C) changes in sea level and shifts in the 
                hydrological cycle;
                    (D) natural hazards, including tsunamis, droughts, 
                floods, and wildfires; and
                    (E) alterations of ecological communities as a 
                result of climatic change and climatic variation; and
            (2) the production of a Vulnerability Scorecard, in 
        cooperation with State and local institutions including 
        university researchers and programs, that assesses each State's 
        vulnerability and capacity to respond to climatic change and 
        climatic variation hazards.
    (e) Preparedness Recommendations.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Office shall transmit to the 
Congress a report that--
            (1) includes the Vulnerability Scorecards produced under 
        subsection (d)(2); and
            (2) identifies, and recommends implementation and funding 
        strategies for, short-term and long-term actions that may be 
        taken at the local, State, regional, or national level--
                    (A) to minimize climatic change and climatic 
                variation threats to human life and property;
                    (B) to minimize negative economic impacts of 
                climatic change and climatic variation; and
                    (C) to improve resilience to climatic change and 
                climatic variation hazards.
    (f) Vulnerability Research.--In addition to its other 
responsibilities under this section, the Office shall--
            (1) apply the results of available vulnerability research 
        to develop and improve criteria that measure resilience to 
        climatic change and climatic variation hazards at the local, 
        State, regional, and national levels;
            (2) coordinate the implementation of short-term and long-
        term research programs based on the recommendations made under 
        subsection (e)(2);
            (3) measure progress in increasing each State's capacity to 
        respond to climatic change and climatic variation hazards, 
        using the Vulnerability Scorecards produced under subsection 
        (d)(2) as a benchmark; and
            (4) review not less than annually and, when additional 
        information becomes available making it appropriate, update the 
        Vulnerability Scorecards and the recommendations made under 
        subsection (e)(2).
    (g) Information and Technology Dissemination.--The Secretary of 
Commerce shall make widely available appropriate information, 
technologies, and products to assist local, State, regional, and 
national efforts to reduce loss of life and property due to climatic 
change and climatic variation, and shall coordinate the dissemination 
of such information, technologies, and products through all appropriate 
channels.
    (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce $10,000,000 for carrying out 
this section.
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