[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3027 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3027

     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
  Assistance Act to establish a grant program for predisaster hazard 
            mitigation enhancement, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2009

 Mr. Thompson of Mississippi introduced the following bill; which was 
     referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
     To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
  Assistance Act to establish a grant program for predisaster hazard 
            mitigation enhancement, 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 ``Predisaster Hazard Mitigation 
Enhancement Program Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION ENHANCEMENT.

    (a) In General.--Title II of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5131 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 204 as section 205; and
            (2) by inserting after section 203 the following:

``SEC. 204. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION ENHANCEMENT.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to provide grants to 
eligible entities to assist hazard mitigation strategies that save 
lives, improve the structural integrity of property affected by natural 
disasters, and provide hazard mitigation cost savings to the Federal 
Government and States.
    ``(b) Grants Authorized.--The President may make grants, on a 
competitive basis, to eligible entities in accordance with this 
section.
    ``(c) Application.--To be eligible for a grant under this section, 
an eligible entity shall submit an application to the President in 
accordance with regulations issued by the President not later than 180 
days after the date of enactment of the Predisaster Hazard Mitigation 
Enhancement Program Act of 2009.
    ``(d) Grant Uses.--A grant made under this section may be used only 
for the following:
            ``(1) To assist predisaster hazard mitigation improvements 
        to residential property that is valued at an amount not 
        exceeding $250,000.
            ``(2) To assist predisaster hazard mitigation improvements 
        to business property that is owned or leased and operated by a 
        small business concern and that is valued at an amount not 
        exceeding $500,000.
            ``(3) To assist predisaster hazard mitigation improvements 
        to residential rental property that is valued at an amount not 
        exceeding the product of the total number of residential rental 
        dwelling units in such property and $250,000.
    ``(e) Annual Adjustment of Amounts.--The President shall adjust 
annually the amounts under subsection (d) to account for changes 
occurring in the preceding 12-month period in the Consumer Price Index 
for All Urban Consumers (United States City Average) published by the 
Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor.
    ``(f) Minimum Standards.--An eligible entity that receives a grant 
under this section shall carry out any repair, construction, 
renovation, or retrofit assisted by such grant in accordance with the 
following:
            ``(1) Applicable standards of safety and sanitation.
            ``(2) Applicable codes, specifications, and standards of 
        the International Building Code of the International Code 
        Council or the NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety Code 
        of the National Fire Protection Association.
            ``(3) Safe land use and construction practice standards 
        that may be issued by the President after consultation with 
        appropriate State officials.
    ``(g) Federal Share.--The Federal share of the cost of mitigation 
activities carried out using amounts from a grant made under this 
section shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the activities. If 
prior approval by the President is received, the value of in-kind 
contributions may be credited toward the non-Federal share of the cost 
of the activities.
    ``(h) Allocation of Amounts.--Of the amounts appropriated for 
making grants under this section in a fiscal year, the President 
shall--
            ``(1) require eligible entities to allocate--
                    ``(A) 50 percent of grant amounts to programs that 
                address the mitigation needs of single family housing 
                units;
                    ``(B) 30 percent of grant amounts to programs that 
                address the mitigation needs of multi-family housing 
                units and residential rental dwelling units; and
                    ``(C) 20 percent of grant amounts to programs that 
                address the mitigation needs of small businesses; and
            ``(2) allocate not less than 60 percent of all such amounts 
        to mitigation programs relating to hurricanes.
    ``(i) Coastal Barrier Resources System.--Grants made under this 
section may not be used for projects located in the Coastal Barrier 
Resources System established under section 4 of the Coastal Barrier 
Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503).
    ``(j) Definitions.--In this section, the following definitions 
apply:
            ``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means 
        any of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, any federally 
        recognized Indian tribe, and any territory or possession of the 
        United States that--
                    ``(A) has an approved mitigation plan under section 
                322;
                    ``(B) implements public awareness campaigns to 
                encourage improvements to structures to mitigate 
                hazards relating to natural disasters;
                    ``(C) takes steps to encourage mitigation actions 
                with respect to repetitive loss structures within the 
                jurisdiction of such entity; and
                    ``(D) if such entity has a State residual market, 
                excludes from such State residual market any property 
                located in the Coastal Barrier Resources System 
                established under section 4 of the Coastal Barrier 
                Resources Act (16 U.S.C. 3503).
            ``(2) Natural disaster.--The term `natural disaster' has 
        the meaning given such term under section 602.
            ``(3) President.--The term `President' means the President, 
        acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency.
            ``(4) Repetitive loss structure.--The term `repetitive loss 
        structure' has the meaning given such term under section 1370 
        of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4121).
            ``(5) State residual market.--The term `State residual 
        market' means a State plan that has established a reinsurance 
        fund or has authorized the operation of a State residual 
        insurance market entity or any State-sponsored provider of 
        natural catastrophe insurance.
    ``(k) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2010 through 2014.''.
    (b) State Homeowner Mitigation Program Support.--Section 
203(e)(1)(B) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(e)(1)(B)) is amended--
            (1) at the end of clause (ii) by striking ``or'';
            (2) at the end of clause (iii) by striking the period and 
        inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                            ``(iv) to support State programs that 
                        provide grants or loans to low income 
                        homeowners for use with respect to a primary 
                        residence for wind and flood inspections and 
                        for implementation of hazard mitigation 
                        improvements.''.
    (c) Cooperative Storm Buffer Improvement Study.--The Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall enter into appropriate 
arrangements with the National Academy of Sciences, or a similar 
organization, to examine methods to coordinate the functions of man-
made storm buffers and natural storm buffers. The study shall include 
an examination of large coastal communities and smaller, high-priority, 
natural storm buffer communities.
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