[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 34 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 H. R. 34

 To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, 
     research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 6, 2015

 Ms. Bonamici (for herself, Mr. Rohrabacher, Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson 
    of Texas, Mr. Smith of Texas, Mr. Sablan, Mr. DeFazio, and Mr. 
  Schrader) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize and strengthen the tsunami detection, forecast, warning, 
     research, and mitigation program of the National Oceanic and 
          Atmospheric Administration, 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 ``Tsunami Warning, Education, and 
Research Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. REFERENCES TO THE TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    Except as otherwise expressly provided, whenever in this Act an 
amendment or repeal is expressed in terms of an amendment to, or repeal 
of, a section or other provision, the reference shall be considered to 
be made to a section or other provision of the Tsunami Warning and 
Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.).

SEC. 3. EXPANSION OF PURPOSES OF TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    Section 3 (33 U.S.C. 3202) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``research,'' after 
        ``warnings,'';
            (2) by amending paragraph (2) to read as follows:
            ``(2) to enhance and modernize the existing United States 
        Tsunami Warning System to increase the accuracy of forecasts 
        and warnings, to maintain full coverage of tsunami detection 
        assets, and to reduce false alarms;'';
            (3) by amending paragraph (3) to read as follows:
            ``(3) to improve and develop standards and guidelines for 
        mapping, modeling, and assessment efforts to improve tsunami 
        detection, forecasting, warnings, notification, mitigation, 
        resiliency, response, outreach, and recovery;'';
            (4) by redesignating paragraphs (4), (5), and (6) as 
        paragraphs (5), (6), and (8), respectively;
            (5) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) to improve research efforts related to improving 
        tsunami detection, forecasting, warnings, notification, 
        mitigation, resiliency, response, outreach, and recovery;'';
            (6) in paragraph (5), as so redesignated--
                    (A) by striking ``and increase'' and inserting ``, 
                increase, and develop uniform standards and guidelines 
                for''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``, including the warning signs of 
                locally generated tsunami'' after ``approaching'';
            (7) in paragraph (6), as so redesignated, by striking ``, 
        including the Indian Ocean; and'' and inserting a semicolon; 
        and
            (8) by inserting after paragraph (6), as so redesignated, 
        the following:
            ``(7) to foster resilient communities in the face of 
        tsunami and other coastal hazards; and''.

SEC. 4. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI FORECASTING AND WARNING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 4 (33 U.S.C. 3203) is 
amended by striking ``Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico 
region'' and inserting ``Atlantic Ocean region, including the Caribbean 
Sea and the Gulf of Mexico''.
    (b) Components.--Subsection (b) of such section 4 is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``established'' and 
        inserting ``supported or maintained'';
            (2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``and safeguarding port 
        and harbor operations'' after ``communities'';
            (3) in paragraph (7)--
                    (A) by inserting ``, including graphical warning 
                products,'' after ``warnings'';
                    (B) by inserting ``, territories,'' after 
                ``States''; and
                    (C) by inserting ``and Wireless Emergency Alerts'' 
                after ``Hazards Program''; and
            (4) in paragraph (8), by inserting ``and commercial and 
        Federal undersea communications cables'' after ``observing 
        technologies''.
    (c) Tsunami Warning System.--Subsection (c) of such section 4 is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(c) Tsunami Warning System.--The program under this section shall 
operate a tsunami warning system that--
            ``(1) is capable of forecasting tsunami, including 
        forecasting tsunami arrival time and inundation estimates, 
        anywhere in the Pacific and Arctic Ocean regions and providing 
        adequate warnings;
            ``(2) is capable of forecasting and providing adequate 
        warnings in areas of the Atlantic Ocean, including the 
        Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, that are determined--
                    ``(A) to be geologically active, or to have 
                significant potential for geological activity; and
                    ``(B) to pose significant risks of tsunami for 
                States along the coastal areas of the Atlantic Ocean, 
                Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico; and
            ``(3) supports other international tsunami forecasting and 
        warning efforts.''.
    (d) Tsunami Warning Centers.--Subsection (d) of such section 4 is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(d) Tsunami Warning Centers.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall support or 
        maintain centers to support the tsunami warning system required 
        by subsection (c). The Centers shall include--
                    ``(A) the National Tsunami Warning Center, located 
                in Alaska, which is primarily responsible for Alaska 
                and the continental United States;
                    ``(B) the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, located 
                in Hawaii, which is primarily responsible for Hawaii, 
                the Caribbean, and other areas of the Pacific not 
                covered by the National Center; and
                    ``(C) any additional forecast and warning centers 
                determined by the National Weather Service to be 
                necessary.
            ``(2) Responsibilities.--The responsibilities of the 
        centers supported or maintained pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 
        include the following:
                    ``(A) Continuously monitoring data from 
                seismological, deep ocean, coastal sea level, and tidal 
                monitoring stations and other data sources as may be 
                developed and deployed.
                    ``(B) Evaluating earthquakes, landslides, and 
                volcanic eruptions that have the potential to generate 
                tsunami.
                    ``(C) Evaluating deep ocean buoy data and tidal 
                monitoring stations for indications of tsunami 
                resulting from earthquakes and other sources.
                    ``(D) To the extent practicable, utilizing a range 
                of models to predict tsunami arrival times and flooding 
                estimates.
                    ``(E) Disseminating forecasts and tsunami warning 
                bulletins to Federal, State, and local government 
                officials and the public.
                    ``(F) Coordinating with the tsunami hazard 
                mitigation program conducted under section 5 to ensure 
                ongoing sharing of information between forecasters and 
                emergency management officials.
                    ``(G) Making data gathered under this Act and post-
                warning analyses conducted by the National Weather 
                Service or other relevant Administration offices 
                available to researchers.
            ``(3) Fail-safe warning capability.--The tsunami warning 
        centers supported or maintained pursuant to paragraph (1) shall 
        maintain a fail-safe warning capability and ability to perform 
        back-up duties for each other.
            ``(4) Coordination with national weather service.--The 
        National Weather Service shall coordinate with the centers 
        supported or maintained pursuant to paragraph (1) to ensure 
        that regional and local forecast offices--
                    ``(A) have the technical knowledge and capability 
                to disseminate tsunami warnings for the communities 
                they serve; and
                    ``(B) leverage connections with local emergency 
                management officials for optimally disseminating 
                tsunami warnings and forecasts.
            ``(5) Uniform operating procedures.--The Administrator 
        shall--
                    ``(A) develop uniform operational procedures for 
                the centers supported or maintained pursuant to 
                paragraph (1), including the use of software 
                applications, checklists, decision support tools, and 
                tsunami warning products that have been standardized 
                across the program supported under this section;
                    ``(B) ensure that processes and products of the 
                warning system operated pursuant to subsection (c)--
                            ``(i) reflect industry best practices;
                            ``(ii) conform to the maximum extent 
                        practicable with internationally recognized 
                        standards for information technology; and
                            ``(iii) conform to the maximum extent 
                        practicable with other warning products and 
                        practices of the National Weather Service;
                    ``(C) ensure that future adjustments to operational 
                protocols, processes, and warning products--
                            ``(i) are made consistently across the 
                        warning system operated pursuant to subsection 
                        (c); and
                            ``(ii) are applied in a uniform manner 
                        across such warning system; and
                    ``(D) disseminate guidelines and metrics for 
                evaluating and improving tsunami forecast models.
            ``(6) Available resources.--The Administrator, through the 
        National Weather Service, shall ensure that resources are 
        available to fulfill the obligations of this Act. This includes 
        ensuring supercomputing resources are available to run such 
        computer models as are needed for purposes of the tsunami 
        warning system operated pursuant to subsection (c).''.
    (e) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--Subsection 
(e) of such section 4 is amended to read as follows:
    ``(e) Transfer of Technology; Maintenance and Upgrades.--In 
carrying out this section, the Administrator shall--
            ``(1) develop requirements for the equipment used to 
        forecast tsunami, including--
                    ``(A) provisions for multipurpose detection 
                platforms;
                    ``(B) reliability and performance metrics; and
                    ``(C) to the maximum extent practicable, 
                requirements for the integration of equipment with 
                other United States and global ocean and coastal 
                observation systems, the global Earth observing system 
                of systems, the global seismic networks, and the 
                Advanced National Seismic System;
            ``(2) develop and execute a plan for the transfer of 
        technology from ongoing research conducted as part of the 
        program supported or maintained under section 6 into the 
        program under this section; and
            ``(3) ensure that the Administration's operational tsunami 
        detection equipment is properly maintained.''.
    (f) Federal Cooperation.--Subsection (f) of such section 4 is 
amended to read as follows:
    ``(f) Federal Cooperation.--When deploying and maintaining tsunami 
detection technologies under the program under this section, the 
Administrator shall--
            ``(1) identify which assets of other Federal agencies are 
        necessary to support such program; and
            ``(2) work with each agency identified under paragraph 
        (1)--
                    ``(A) to acquire the agency's assistance; and
                    ``(B) to prioritize the necessary assets.''.
    (g) Unnecessary Provisions.--Such section 4 is further amended by 
striking subsections (g) through (k).

SEC. 5. MODIFICATION OF NATIONAL TSUNAMI HAZARD MITIGATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--Section 5 (33 U.S.C. 3204) is amended by striking 
subsections (a) through (d) and inserting the following:
    ``(a) Program Required.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 
heads of such other agencies as the Administrator considers relevant, 
shall conduct a community-based tsunami hazard mitigation program to 
improve tsunami preparedness and resiliency of at-risk areas in the 
United States and the territories of the United States.
    ``(b) Program Components.--The Program conducted pursuant to 
subsection (a) shall include the following:
            ``(1) Technical and financial assistance to coastal States, 
        territories, tribes, and local governments to develop and 
        implement activities under this section.
            ``(2) Integration of tsunami preparedness and mitigation 
        programs into ongoing State-based hazard warning, resilience 
        planning, and risk management activities, including predisaster 
        planning, emergency response, evacuation planning, disaster 
        recovery, hazard mitigation, and community development and 
        redevelopment programs in affected areas.
            ``(3) Activities to promote the adoption of tsunami 
        resilience, preparedness, warning, and mitigation measures by 
        Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local governments and 
        nongovernmental entities, including educational and risk 
        communication programs to discourage development in high-risk 
        areas.
            ``(4) Activities to support the development of regional 
        tsunami hazard and risk assessments, using inundation models 
        that meet programmatic standards for accuracy. Such regional 
        risk assessments may include the following:
                    ``(A) The sources, sizes, and histories of tsunami 
                in that region.
                    ``(B) Inundation models and maps of critical 
                infrastructure and socioeconomic vulnerability in areas 
                subject to tsunami inundation.
                    ``(C) Maps of evacuation areas and evacuation 
                routes.
                    ``(D) Evaluations of the size of populations that 
                will require evacuation, including populations with 
                special evacuation needs.
            ``(5) Activities to support the development of community-
        based outreach and education programs to ensure community 
        readiness and resilience, including the following:
                    ``(A) The development, implementation, and 
                assessment of technical training and public education 
                programs, including education programs that address 
                unique characteristics of distant and near-field 
                tsunami.
                    ``(B) The development of decision support tools.
                    ``(C) The incorporation of social science research 
                into community readiness and resilience efforts.
                    ``(D) The development of evidence-based education 
                guidelines.
            ``(6) Dissemination of guidelines and standards for 
        community planning, education, and training products, programs, 
        and tools, including standards for--
                    ``(A) mapping products;
                    ``(B) inundation models; and
                    ``(C) effective emergency exercises.
    ``(c) Authorized Activities.--In addition to activities conducted 
under subsection (b), the program conducted pursuant to subsection (a) 
may include the following:
            ``(1) Multidisciplinary vulnerability assessment research, 
        education, and training to help integrate risk management and 
        resilience objectives with community development planning and 
        policies.
            ``(2) Risk management training for local officials and 
        community organizations to enhance understanding and 
        preparedness.
            ``(3) Development of practical applications for existing or 
        emerging technologies, such as modeling, remote sensing, 
        geospatial technology, engineering, and observing systems.
            ``(4) Risk management, risk assessment, and resilience data 
        and information services, including--
                    ``(A) access to data and products derived from 
                observing and detection systems; and
                    ``(B) development and maintenance of new integrated 
                data products to support risk management, risk 
                assessment, and resilience programs.
            ``(5) Risk notification systems that coordinate with and 
        build upon existing systems and actively engage decisionmakers, 
        local and State government agencies, business communities, 
        nongovernmental organizations, and the media.
    ``(d) No Preemption.--
            ``(1) Designation of at-risk areas.--The establishment of 
        national standards for inundation models under this section 
        shall not prevent States, territories, tribes, and local 
        governments from designating additional areas as being at risk 
        based on knowledge of local conditions.
            ``(2) No new regulatory authority.--Nothing in this Act may 
        be construed as establishing new regulatory authority for any 
        Federal agency.''.
    (b) Report on Accreditation of TsunamiReady Program.--Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 
shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives a report on which authorities and 
activities would be needed to have the TsunamiReady program of the 
National Weather Service accredited by the Emergency Management 
Accreditation Program.

SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF TSUNAMI RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    Section 6 (33 U.S.C. 3205) is amended--
            (1) in the matter before paragraph (1), by striking ``The 
        Administrator shall'' and all that follows through ``establish 
        or maintain'' and inserting the following:
    ``(a) In General.--The Administrator shall, in consultation with 
such other Federal agencies, State and territorial governments, and 
academic institutions as the Administrator considers appropriate, the 
coordinating committee under section 11(b), and the panel under section 
8(a), support or maintain'';
            (2) by striking ``and assessment for tsunami tracking and 
        numerical forecast modeling. Such research program shall--'' 
        and inserting the following: ``assessment for tsunami tracking 
        and numerical forecast modeling, and standards development.
    ``(b) Responsibilities.--The research program supported or 
maintained pursuant to subsection (a) shall--'';
            (3) in subsection (b), as designated by paragraph (2)--
                    (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) consider other appropriate research to mitigate the 
        impact of tsunami, including the improvement of near-field 
        tsunami detection and forecasting capabilities, which may 
        include use of new generation Deep-ocean Assessment and 
        Reporting of Tsunamis and National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
        Administration supercomputer capacity to develop a rapid 
        tsunami forecast for all United States coastlines;'';
                    (B) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) by striking ``include'' and inserting 
                        ``conduct''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``and'' at the end;
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (5); and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following:
            ``(4) develop the technical basis for validation of tsunami 
        maps, numerical tsunami models, digital elevation models, and 
        forecasts; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Pilot Project.--The Administrator may, pursuant to subsection 
(b), develop a pilot project for near-field tsunami forecast 
development for the Cascadia region along the west coast of the United 
States using new generation Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of 
Tsunamis, upcoming and existing cable networks, and new National 
Centers for Environmental Protection modeling capability.''.

SEC. 7. GLOBAL TSUNAMI WARNING AND MITIGATION NETWORK.

    Section 7 (33 U.S.C. 3206) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Support for Development of International Tsunami Warning 
System.--The Administrator shall, in coordination with the Secretary of 
State and in consultation with such other agencies as the Administrator 
considers relevant, provide technical assistance and training to the 
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations 
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, the World 
Meteorological Organization of the United Nations, and such other 
international entities as the Administrator considers appropriate, as 
part of the international efforts to develop a fully functional global 
tsunami forecast and warning system comprised of regional tsunami 
warning networks.'';
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``shall'' and inserting 
        ``may''; and
            (3) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``establishing'' 
                and inserting ``supporting''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``establish'' and inserting 
                        ``support''; and
                            (ii) by striking ``establishing'' and 
                        inserting ``supporting''.

SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY PANEL.

    (a) In General.--The Act is further amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 8 (33 U.S.C. 3207) as section 
        9; and
            (2) by inserting after section 7 (33 U.S.C. 3206) the 
        following:

``SEC. 8. TSUNAMI SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY PANEL.

    ``(a) Designation.--The Administrator shall designate an existing 
working group within the Science Advisory Board of the Administration 
to serve as the Tsunami Science and Technology Advisory Panel to 
provide advice to the Administrator on matters regarding tsunami 
science, technology, and regional preparedness.
    ``(b) Membership.--
            ``(1) Composition.--The working group designated under 
        subsection (a) shall be composed of no fewer than 7 members 
        selected by the Administrator from among individuals from 
        academia or State agencies who have academic or practical 
        expertise in physical sciences, social sciences, information 
        technology, coastal resilience, emergency management, or such 
        other disciplines as the Administrator considers appropriate.
            ``(2) Federal employment.--No member of the working group 
        designated pursuant to subsection (a) may be a Federal 
        employee.
    ``(c) Responsibilities.--Not less frequently than once every 4 
years, the working group designated under subsection (a) shall--
            ``(1) review the activities of the Administration, and 
        other Federal activities as appropriate, relating to tsunami 
        research, detection, forecasting, warning, mitigation, 
        resiliency, and preparation; and
            ``(2) submit to the Administrator and such others as the 
        Administrator considers appropriate--
                    ``(A) the findings of the working group with 
                respect to the most recent review conducted pursuant to 
                paragraph (1); and
                    ``(B) such recommendations for legislative or 
                administrative action as the working group considers 
                appropriate to improve Federal tsunami research, 
                detection, forecasting, warning, mitigation, 
                resiliency, and preparation.
    ``(d) Reports to Congress.--Not less frequently than once every 4 
years, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation of the Senate, and the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives a report 
on the findings and recommendations received by the Administrator under 
subsection (c)(2).''.

SEC. 9. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF TSUNAMI WARNING AND EDUCATION ACT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a 
report on the implementation of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act 
(33 U.S.C. 3201 et seq.).
    (b) Elements.--The report required by subsection (a) shall include 
the following:
            (1) A detailed description of the progress made in 
        implementing sections 4(d)(6), 5(b)(6), and 6(b)(4) of the 
        Tsunami Warning and Education Act.
            (2) A description of the ways that tsunami warnings and 
        warning products issued by the Tsunami Forecasting and Warning 
        Program established under section 4 of the Tsunami Warning and 
        Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3203) can be standardized and 
        streamlined with warnings and warning products for hurricanes, 
        coastal storms, and other coastal flooding events.

SEC. 10. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Section 9 of the Act, as redesignated by section 8(a)(1) of this 
Act, is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 9. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 
carry out this Act $27,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2015 through 
2017, of which--
            ``(1) not less than 27 percent of the amount appropriated 
        for each fiscal year shall be for activities under the National 
        Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program under section 5; and
            ``(2) not less than 8 percent of the amount appropriated 
        for each fiscal year shall be for the Tsunami Research Program 
        under section 6.''.

SEC. 11. OUTREACH RESPONSIBILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, in coordination with State and local 
emergency managers, shall develop and carry out formal outreach 
activities to improve tsunami education and awareness and foster the 
development of resilient communities. Outreach activities may include--
            (1) the development of outreach plans to ensure the close 
        integration of tsunami warning centers supported or maintained 
        pursuant to section 4(d) of the Tsunami Warning and Education 
        Act (33 U.S.C. 3203(d)) with local Weather Forecast Offices of 
        the National Weather Service and emergency managers;
            (2) working with appropriate local Weather Forecast Offices 
        to ensure they have the technical knowledge and capability to 
        disseminate tsunami warnings to the communities they serve; and
            (3) evaluating the effectiveness of warnings and of 
        coordination with local Weather Forecast Offices after 
        significant tsunami events.
    (b) Coordinating Committee of the National Tsunami Hazard 
Mitigation Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall convene a 
        coordinating committee to assist the Administrator in the 
        conduct of the program required by section 5(a) of the Tsunami 
        Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)).
            (2) Composition.--The coordinating committee shall be 
        composed of members from each of the States at risk from 
        tsunami, and any other such representatives as the 
        Administrator considers appropriate to represent Federal, 
        State, tribal, territorial, and local governments.
            (3) Subcommittees.--The Administrator may approve the 
        formation of subcommittees to address specific program 
        components or regional issues.
            (4) Responsibilities.--The coordinating committee shall--
                    (A) provide feedback on how funds should be 
                prioritized to carry out the program required by 
                section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and Education Act 
                (33 U.S.C. 3204(a));
                    (B) ensure that areas described in section 4(c) of 
                the Tsunami Warning and Education Act (33 U.S.C. 
                3203(c)) in the United States and its territories have 
                the opportunity to participate in the program;
                    (C) provide recommendations to the Administrator on 
                how to improve and continuously advance the 
                TsunamiReady program, particularly on ways to make 
                communities more tsunami resilient through the use of 
                inundation maps and models and other hazard mitigation 
                practices; and
                    (D) ensure that all components of the program 
                required by section 5(a) of the Tsunami Warning and 
                Education Act (33 U.S.C. 3204(a)) are integrated with 
                ongoing State-based hazard warning, risk management, 
                and resilience activities, including--
                            (i) integrating activities with emergency 
                        response plans, disaster recovery, hazard 
                        mitigation, and community development programs 
                        in affected areas; and
                            (ii) integrating information to assist in 
                        tsunami evacuation route planning.
                                 <all>