[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4774 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4774

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
 to issue guidance on extreme temperature events and resilience goals, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 20, 2023

  Mr. Blumenauer (for himself and Mrs. Gonzalez-Colon) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
                           and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
 to issue guidance on extreme temperature events and resilience goals, 
                        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 ``Empowering Resilient Communities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:
    ``(a) Definition of High Need Community.--In this section, the term 
`high need community' means a community, or a neighborhood within a 
community, that is comprised of--
            ``(1) one or more areas with high individual hazard risk 
        rating, as defined in section 206 (d) (2), as amended by the 
        Community Disaster Resilience Zones Act of 2022 (PL 117-255).
            ``(2) not more than 10,000 individuals; or
            ``(3) is otherwise determined by the President; and
            ``(4) is not already covered by section 206, as amended by 
        Public Law 117-255.'';
            (2) in subsection (g)(9) by striking ``small impoverished 
        communities'' and inserting ``high need communities''; and
            (3) in subsection (h)(2)--
                    (A) in the heading by striking ``Small impoverished 
                communities'' and inserting ``High need communities'';
                    (B) by adding ``or benefiting'' after ``carried out 
                in''; and
                    (C) by striking ``small impoverished community'' 
                and inserting ``high need community''.

SEC. 3. GUIDANCE ON EXTREME TEMPERATURE EVENTS.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Administration shall 
issue guidance related to extreme temperature events, including heat 
waves and freezes, and publish such guidance in the Federal Emergency 
Management Administration Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide.

SEC. 4. HAZARD MITIGATION PLANS.

    Section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``, including--
            ``(1) identifying the extent to which resilience is or will 
        be incorporated into other planning processes, including 
        community land use, economic development, capital improvement 
        budgets and transportation planning processes;
            ``(2) goals and objectives related to increasing resilience 
        over a 5-year period, including benchmarks for future work and 
        an assessment of past progress;
            ``(3) the building codes in existence at the time the plan 
        is submitted and standards that are in use by the State for all 
        manner of planning or development purposes and how the State 
        has or will comply with the standards set forth in section 
        406(e)(1)(A);
            ``(4) the use of nature-based solutions or other mitigation 
        activities that conserve or restore natural features that can 
        serve to abate or lessen the impacts of future disasters;
            ``(5) integration of each local mitigation plan with the 
        State, Indian Tribe, or territory plan; and
            ``(6) the disparate impacts on underserved communities (as 
        such term is defined in section 203(a)) and plans to address 
        any disparities.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Guidance.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall issue specific guidance on resilience goals and 
provide technical assistance for States, Indian Tribes, territories, 
and local governments to meet such goals.
    ``(g) Adequate Staffing.--The Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall ensure that ample staff are available 
to develop the guidance and technical assistance under section 322, 
including hazard mitigation planning staff and personnel with expertise 
in community planning, land use development, and consensus based codes 
and hazard resistant designs at each regional office that specifically 
focus on providing financial and non-financial direct technical 
assistance to States, Indian Tribes, and territories.
    ``(h) Reporting.--Not less frequently than every 5 years, the 
Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the progress of 
meeting the goals under this section.''.

SEC. 5. ADDITIONAL USES OF FUNDS.

    Section 408 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
    ``(k) Additional Uses of Funds.--For State and local governments 
that have exceeded, adopted, or are implementing the latest two 
published editions of relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, 
and standards that incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs and 
establish minimum acceptable criteria for the design, construction, and 
maintenance of residential structures and facilities, a recipient of 
assistance provided under this paragraph may use such assistance in a 
manner consistent with the standards set forth in clauses (ii) and 
(iii) of section 406(e)(1)(A).''.

SEC. 6. COLLABORATION WITH OTHER AGENCIES.

    In awarding grants under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), the Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency may coordinate with other 
relevant agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Department of Energy, the Department of Transportation, the Corps of 
Engineers, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development, as necessary, to improve collaboration for 
eligible activities under the Act.

SEC. 7. GAO REPORTS.

    (a) Extreme Temperature Events.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall evaluate and issue to 
Congress and the Federal Emergency Management Agency a report regarding 
the impacts of extreme temperatures events on communities, the 
challenges posed to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 
addressing extreme temperature events, and recommendations for the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency to better provide assistance to 
communities experiencing extreme temperature events. The report may 
also include examples of specific mitigation and resilience projects 
that communities may undertake, and the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency may consider, to reduce the impacts of extreme temperatures on 
and within building structures, participatory processes that allow for 
public engagement in determining and addressing local risks and 
vulnerabilities related to extreme temperatures events, and community 
infrastructure, including heating or cooling shelters.
    (b) Smoke and Indoor Air Quality.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every 5 years thereafter, the 
Comptroller General shall evaluate and issue to Congress and the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency a report regarding the impacts of 
wildfire smoke and poor indoor air quality, the challenges posed to 
Federal Emergency Management Agency in addressing wildfire smoke and 
indoor air quality, and recommendations for the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to better provide assistance to communities and 
individuals in dealing with wildfire smoke and indoor air quality.

SEC. 8. REPORT CONGRESS AND UPDATE OF COST EFFECTIVENESS DETERMINATIONS 
              AND DECLARATIONS.

    (a) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, shall submit to Congress a report regarding the challenges 
posed by the Agency's requirements for declaring an incident or 
determining the cost effectiveness of mitigation activities and 
specifically how such requirements may disproportionately burden small 
impoverished communities, or specific vulnerable populations within 
communities.
    (b) Update of Cost Effectiveness Determination.--Not later than 5 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, to 
the extent practicable, shall update the requirements for determining 
cost effectiveness and declaring incidents, including selection of 
appropriate interest rates, based on the findings made under subsection 
(a).
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