[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5265 Introduced in House (IH)]







109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5265

      To provide grants to certain areas to prepare for a tsunami.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 2, 2006

  Ms. Hooley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
      To provide grants to certain areas to prepare for a tsunami.

    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 ``Community Hazard Assessment and 
Mitigation Program Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The earthquake and resulting tsunami of December 26, 
        2004, resulted in the deaths of over 230,000 people in 
        Southeast Asia.
            (2) The geological fault line along which the December 26th 
        tsunami occurred is mirrored by a fault line that runs along 
        the whole of the west coast of the United States.
            (3) Scientists predict that there is a 10 to 15 percent 
        chance of a major seismic event along this fault line, the 
        Cascadia Subduction Zone, occurring in the next 50 years.
            (4) Such an event would probably include both a large-scale 
        earthquake and a tsunami, causing incredible damage to both 
        infrastructure and emergency response services.
            (5) Numerous false alarms in the past year have 
        demonstrated that many coastal communities are not prepared if 
        such a geological event takes place.

SEC. 3. PURPOSE AND GOALS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of the Community Hazard Assessment and 
Mitigation Program (CHAMP) is to award one-year grants directly to 
emergency management departments to build and maintain infrastructure 
to warn people of an approaching tsunami and to address post-tsunami 
needs.
    (b) Goals.--The primary goal of this Act is to provide assistance 
to meet the needs of emergency management departments regarding tsunami 
hazard preparedness, mitigation, and response. In part, the program 
seeks to support departments that lack the tools and resources 
necessary to protect the health and safety of the public and emergency 
response personnel with respect to a tsunami and its aftermath. In 
addition, any improvement in warning systems for the coastal 
communities will improve all hazard capabilities.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Grant Authorization.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, 
acting through the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
Administration, may provide grants in accordance with this Act to 
certain areas to prepare for a tsunami.
    (b) Priority.--The Director shall give priority to areas in which 
the likelihood of a tsunami striking in the next 50 years is 10 percent 
or greater.
    (c) Competitive Awards.--In addition to the priority given pursuant 
to subsection (b), the Director shall award a grant under this Act to 
emergency management departments on a competitive basis considering 
financial need, benefit to the community and a demonstrated ability to 
cooperate with other providers of emergency services.

SEC. 5. USE OF FUNDS.

    An emergency management department that receives a grant under this 
Act may use grant funds--
            (1) to establish or improve warning systems, including the 
        purchase of--
                    (A) sirens;
                    (B) individual weather radios;
                    (C) public safety agency communications gear; and
                    (D) reverse 911 systems;
            (2) to purchase public safety agency rescue equipment;
            (3) to reinforce buildings and facilities in maintaining 
        continuity of critical services, including--
                    (A) police stations;
                    (B) fire stations;
                    (C) emergency management facilities;
                    (D) hospitals;
                    (E) shelters; and
                    (F) endangered sewer sanitation systems;
            (4) post-tsunami shelters and supplies; and
            (5) to develop outreach programs to educate both residents 
        and tourists of different types of tsunami (near shore and far 
        field) and how to react to each type.

SEC. 6. MATCHING FUNDS.

    (a) Population of More Than 50,000.--To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this Act, an emergency management department serving an 
area with a population over 50,000 shall provide, with non-Federal 
funds, 20 percent of the total cost of a project established with a 
grant provided under this Act.
    (b) Population Between 20,001 and 50,000.--To be eligible to 
receive a grant under this Act, an emergency management department 
serving an area with a population between 20,001 and 50,000 shall 
provide, with non-Federal funds, 10 percent of the total cost of a 
project established with a grant provided under this Act.
    (c) Population Under 20,000.--To be eligible to receive a grant 
under this Act, an emergency management department serving an area with 
a population under 20,000 shall provide, with non-Federal funds, 5 
percent of the total cost of a project established with a grant 
provided under this Act.
    (d) In-Kind Contributions.--In determining the non-Federal share of 
the total costs of a project, the Secretary shall consider in-kind 
contributions of an emergency management department, not to exceed 50 
percent of the amount that the department contributes in non-Federal 
funds.

SEC. 7. EVALUATION AND REPORT.

    (a) Evaluation.--Not later than 180 days after grants are awarded 
under this Act, the Director shall determine if emergency management 
departments that received a grant under this section meet the standards 
for certification by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration as being tsunami ready and evaluate the effectiveness 
and tsunami readiness of programs established pursuant to this Act.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the evaluation is 
completed under subsection (a), the Director shall report such findings 
to the appropriate Committees of Congress.

SEC. 8. DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of the 
Federal Emergency Management Administration.
    (b) Emergency Management Department.--The term ``emergency 
management department'' means an agency or organization that is part 
of, or has a formally recognized arrangement with, a State, territory, 
local, or tribal authority (city, county, parish, fire district, 
township, town, or other governing body) and is responsible for 
planning, preparing, and providing for the prevention, mitigation, and 
management of emergencies or disasters that present a threat to the 
lives and property of the citizens and visitors of the community.
    (c) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the 50 States and the 
District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Puerto 
Rico.

SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
$100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2007 through 2012 to the 
Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to carry out the 
activities of this Community hazard Assessment and Mitigation Program.
    (b) Reservation.--From the amount made available to carry out this 
Act, the Director may reserve 5 percent for administrative costs.
    (c) Availability.--Such funds shall remain available until 
expended.
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