[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7242 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7242

To require the President to develop and maintain products that show the 
    risk of natural hazards across the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 28, 2022

    Ms. Davids of Kansas (for herself and Mr. Graves of Louisiana) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the President to develop and maintain products that show the 
    risk of natural hazards across the United States, 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 ``Community Disaster Resilience Zones 
Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Section 101(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (6), by adding ``; and'' at the end; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) identifying and improving the climate and natural 
        hazard resilience of vulnerable communities.''.

SEC. 3. NATURAL DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT.

    (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 by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 206. NATURAL DISASTER RISK ASSESSMENT.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Community disaster resilience zone.--The term 
        `community disaster resilience zone' means a census tract 
        designated by the President under subsection (d)(1).
            ``(2) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) a State;
                    ``(B) an Indian tribal government; or
                    ``(C) a local government.
    ``(b) Products.--The President shall continue to maintain a natural 
disaster hazard assessment program that develops and maintains products 
that--
            ``(1) are available to the public; and
            ``(2) show the risk of natural hazards across the United 
        States, such as--
                    ``(A) the National Risk Index or a successor 
                product; or
                    ``(B) a natural disaster hazard risk assessment and 
                mapping tool that is complementary to the National Risk 
                Index.
    ``(c) Features.--The products maintained under subsection (b) 
shall, for lands within States and areas under the jurisdiction of 
Indian tribal governments--
            ``(1) show the risk of natural hazards; and
            ``(2) include ratings and data for--
                    ``(A) loss exposure, including population 
                equivalence, buildings, and agriculture;
                    ``(B) social vulnerability;
                    ``(C) community resilience; and
                    ``(D) any other element determined by the 
                President.
    ``(d) Community Disaster Resilience Zones Designation.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 30 days after the date on 
        which the President makes the update and enhancement required 
        under subsection (e)(4), and not less frequently than every 5 
        years thereafter, the President shall identify and designate 
        community disaster resilience zones, which shall be--
                    ``(A) the 50 census tracts assigned the highest 
                individual hazard risk ratings under paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) subject to paragraph (3), in each State, not 
                less than 1 percent of census tracts that are assigned 
                a high risk rating under paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Risk ratings.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        President shall use census tract risk ratings that, with 
        respect to a product maintained under subsection (b)--
                    ``(A) are derived from the product;
                    ``(B) reflect whether a census tract has been 
                assigned, under the product--
                            ``(i) high levels of individual hazard risk 
                        ratings based on an assessment of the 
                        intersection of--
                                    ``(I) loss to population 
                                equivalence;
                                    ``(II) buildings value; and
                                    ``(III) agriculture value; and
                            ``(ii) high social vulnerability ratings 
                        and low community resilience ratings; and
                    ``(C) reflect the principal natural hazard risks 
                identified for the census tract under the product.
            ``(3) Geographic balance.--In identifying and designating 
        the community disaster resilience zones described in paragraph 
        (1)(B)--
                    ``(A) for the purpose of achieving geographic 
                balance, when applicable, the President shall consider 
                making designations in coastal, inland, urban, 
                suburban, and rural areas; and
                    ``(B) the President shall include census tracts on 
                Tribal lands located within a State.
    ``(e) Review and Update.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of the Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022, and 
not less frequently than every 5 years thereafter, the President 
shall--
            ``(1) review the underlying methodology of any product that 
        is a natural disaster hazard risk assessment;
            ``(2) consider including additional data in any product 
        that is a natural disaster hazard risk assessment, such as--
                    ``(A) the most recent census tract data;
                    ``(B) data from the American Community Survey of 
                the Bureau of the Census, a successor survey, a similar 
                survey, or another data source, including data by 
                census tract on housing characteristics and income;
                    ``(C) information relating to development, 
                improvements, and hazard mitigation measures;
                    ``(D) natural disaster hazard risk assessment 
                insights on climate change and past and future natural 
                hazard risk; and
                    ``(E) other information relevant to prioritizing 
                areas that have--
                            ``(i) high risk levels of--
                                    ``(I) natural hazard loss exposure, 
                                including population equivalence, 
                                buildings, infrastructure, and 
                                agriculture; and
                                    ``(II) social vulnerability; and
                            ``(ii) low levels of community resilience;
            ``(3) make publicly available any changes in methodology or 
        data used to inform an update to a product maintained under 
        subsection (b); and
            ``(4) update and enhance the products maintained under 
        subsection (b), as necessary.
    ``(f) Natural Disaster Hazard Risk Assessment Insights.--In 
determining the information to be included in the natural disaster 
hazard risk assessment insights described in subsection (e)(2)(D), the 
President shall consult with, at a minimum--
            ``(1) the Secretary of Homeland Security and the 
        Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
            ``(2) the Secretary of Agriculture and the Chief of the 
        Forest Service;
            ``(3) the Secretary of Commerce, the Administrator of the 
        National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Director 
        of the Bureau of the Census, and the Director of the National 
        Institute of Standards and Technology;
            ``(4) the Secretary of Defense and the Commanding Officer 
        of the United States Army Corps of Engineers;
            ``(5) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency;
            ``(6) the Secretary of the Interior and the Director of the 
        United States Geological Survey;
            ``(7) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; and
            ``(8) the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
    ``(g) Community Disaster Resilience Zone.--With respect to 
financial assistance provided under section 203(i) to perform a 
resilience or mitigation project within, or that primarily benefits, a 
community disaster resilience zone, the President may increase the 
amount of the Federal share described under section 203(h).
    ``(h) Resilience or Mitigation Project Planning Assistance.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President may provide financial, 
        technical, or other assistance under this title to an eligible 
        entity that plans to perform a resilience or mitigation project 
        within, or that primarily benefits, a community disaster 
        resilience zone.
            ``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of assistance provided under 
        paragraph (1) shall be to carry out activities in preparation 
        for a resilience or mitigation project, or seek an evaluation 
        and certification under subsection (i)(2) for a resilience or 
        mitigation project, before the date on which permanent work of 
        the resilience or mitigation project begins.
            ``(3) Application.--If required by the President, an 
        eligible entity seeking assistance under paragraph (1) shall 
        submit an application in accordance with subsection (i)(1).
    ``(i) Community Disaster Resilience Zone Project Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--If required by the President or other 
        Federal law, an eligible entity shall submit to the President 
        an application at such time, in such manner, and containing or 
        accompanied by such information as the President may reasonably 
        require.
            ``(2) Evaluation and certification.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Not later than 120 days after 
                the date on which an eligible entity submits an 
                application under paragraph (1), the President shall 
                evaluate the application to determine whether the 
                resilience or mitigation project that the entity plans 
                to perform within, or that primarily benefits, a 
                community disaster resilience zone--
                            ``(i) meets or exceeds consensus-based 
                        codes, specifications, and standards;
                            ``(ii) is designed to reduce injuries, loss 
                        of life, and damage and destruction of 
                        property, such as damage to critical services 
                        and facilities; and
                            ``(iii) substantially reduces the risk of, 
                        or increases resilience to, future damage, 
                        hardship, loss, or suffering.
                    ``(B) Certification.--If the President determines 
                that an application submitted under paragraph (1) meets 
                the criteria described in subparagraph (A), the 
                President shall certify the proposed resilience or 
                mitigation project.
            ``(3) Projects causing displacement.--With respect to a 
        resilience or mitigation project certified under paragraph 
        (2)(B) that involves the displacement of a resident from any 
        habitable housing unit, the entity performing the resilience or 
        mitigation project shall, to the extent practicable as 
        determined by the President, provide the resident the option to 
        have a suitable and comparable housing unit in the same local 
        community under terms that are similar to the terms of the 
        habitable housing unit from which the resident is displaced.
            ``(4) Flood protection projects.--With respect to a 
        resilience or mitigation project certified under paragraph 
        (2)(B) that is a flood protection project under the 
        jurisdiction of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the 
        flood protection project shall meet or exceed flood protection 
        standards of the Army Corps of Engineers.''.
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