[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 389 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 389

To amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to establish a program to 
provide grant assistance to States for the rehabilitation and repair of 
                            deficient dams.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 10, 2007

   Mr. Kuhl of New York (for himself and Mr. Ehlers) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the National Dam Safety Program Act to establish a program to 
provide grant assistance to States for the rehabilitation and repair of 
                            deficient dams.

    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 ``Dam Rehabilitation and Repair Act of 
2007''.

SEC. 2. REHABILITATION AND REPAIR OF DEFICIENT DAMS.

    (a) Definitions.--Section 2 of the National Dam Safety Program Act 
(33 U.S.C. 467) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), 
        (9), (10), (11), (12), and (13) as paragraphs (5), (6), (7), 
        (8), (9), (10), (12), (13), (14), and (15), respectively;
            (2) by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following:
            ``(3) Administrator.--The term `Administrator' means the 
        Administrator of FEMA.
            ``(4) Deficient dam.--The term `deficient dam' means a dam 
        that the State within the boundaries of which the dam is 
        located determines--
                    ``(A) fails to meet minimum dam safety standards of 
                the State; and
                    ``(B) poses an unacceptable risk to the public.''; 
                and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (10) (as redesignated by 
        paragraph (1)) the following:
            ``(11) Rehabilitation.--The term `rehabilitation' means the 
        repair, replacement, reconstruction, or removal of a dam that 
        is carried out to meet applicable State dam safety and security 
        standards.''.
    (b) Program for Rehabilitation and Repair of Deficient Dams.--The 
National Dam Safety Program Act is amended by inserting after section 8 
(33 U.S.C. 467f) the following:

``SEC. 8A. REHABILITATION AND REPAIR OF DEFICIENT DAMS.

    ``(a) Establishment of Program.--The Administrator shall establish, 
within FEMA, a program to provide grant assistance to States for use in 
rehabilitation of publicly-owned deficient dams.
    ``(b) Award of Grants.--
            ``(1) Application.--A State interested in receiving a grant 
        under this section may submit to the Administrator an 
        application for such grant. Applications submitted to the 
        Administrator under this section shall be submitted at such 
        times, be in such form, and contain such information, as the 
        Administrator may prescribe by regulation.
            ``(2) In general.--Subject to the provisions of this 
        section, the Administrator may make a grant for rehabilitation 
        of a deficient dam to a State that submits an application for 
        the grant in accordance with the regulations prescribed by the 
        Administrator. The Administrator shall enter into a project 
        grant agreement with the State to establish the terms of the 
        grant and the project, including the amount of the grant.
    ``(c) Priority System.--The Administrator, in consultation with the 
Board, shall develop a risk-based priority system for use in 
identifying deficient dams for which grants may be made under this 
section.
    ``(d) Allocation of Funds.--The total amount of funds appropriated 
pursuant to subsection (f)(1) for a fiscal year shall be allocated for 
making grants under this section to States applying for such grants for 
that fiscal year as follows:
            ``(1) One-third divided equally among applying States.
            ``(2) Two-thirds among applying States based on the ratio 
        that--
                    ``(A) the number of non-Federal publicly-owned dams 
                that the Secretary of the Army identifies in the 
                national inventory of dams maintained under section 6 
                as constituting a danger to human health and that are 
                located within the boundaries of the State; bears to
                    ``(B) the number of non-Federal publicly-owned dams 
                that are so identified and that are located within the 
                boundaries of all applying States.
    ``(e) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of 
rehabilitation of a deficient dam for which a grant is made under this 
section may not exceed 65 percent of the cost of such rehabilitation.
    ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
                    ``(B) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 
                through 2010.
            ``(2) Staff.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
        provide for the employment of such additional staff of FEMA as 
        are necessary to carry out this section $400,000 for each of 
        fiscal years 2007 through 2009.
            ``(3) Period of availability.--Sums appropriated pursuant 
        to this section shall remain available until expended.''.
    (c) Conforming Amendment.--Such Act (other than section 2) is 
further amended by striking ``Director'' each place it appears and 
inserting ``Administrator''.

SEC. 3. RULEMAKING.

    (a) Proposed Rulemaking.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall issue a notice of proposed rulemaking regarding 
the amendments made by section 2 of this Act.
    (b) Final Rule.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue a final rule 
regarding such amendments.
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