[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9024 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9024

To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
   to take certain actions relating to incident periods and extreme 
                    weather, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 11, 2024

Ms. Titus (for herself and Mr. Stanton) 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 take certain actions relating to incident periods and extreme 
                    weather, 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 ``Extreme Weather and Heat Response 
Modernization Act''.

SEC. 2. INCIDENT PERIODS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall convene an advisory panel consisting of 
emergency management personnel to assist the Agency in reviewing the 
process and procedures related to the determination of incident periods 
for emergencies or major disasters declared under the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 
et seq.).
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) In general.--This advisory panel convened under 
        subsection (a) shall consist of at least 2 representatives from 
        national emergency management organizations, at least 2 
        relevant county officials, at least 1 representative from the 
        National Weather Service, and at least 5 representatives from 
        each of the 10 regions of the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency selected from emergency management personnel employed by 
        State, local, territorial, or Tribal authorities within each 
        region.
            (2) Inclusion on panel.--To the furthest extent 
        practicable, representation on the advisory panel shall include 
        emergency management personnel from rural, urban, 
        underrepresented, Tribal, and insular jurisdictions.
    (c) Considerations.--In reviewing the process and procedures 
related to the determination of incident periods under subsection (a), 
the advisory panel convened under such subsection shall consider the 
effectiveness of incident periods, including--
            (1) incident periods for slow on-set disasters;
            (2) incident periods for correlated non-contiguous 
        disasters;
            (3) incident periods for compound disasters; and
            (4) incident periods for cascading disasters.
    (d) Interim Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress, and 
make publicly available, a report regarding the findings of the review 
under this section that includes any recommendations of the advisory 
panel convened under subsection (a), including additional legislation 
that may be necessary to address such findings.
    (e) Rulemaking and Final Report.--Not later than 2 years after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue such 
regulations as are necessary to implement the recommendations of the 
advisory panel and submit to Congress a report discussing--
            (1) a summary of the findings of the advisory panel 
        convened under subsection (a);
            (2) the implementation of recommendations from such 
        advisory panel; and
            (3) any additional legislative recommendations necessary to 
        improve the effectiveness of incident periods.

SEC. 3. MITIGATION AND PREPAREDNESS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency may, under section 203 and 404 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133 
and 5170c)--
            (1) consider innovative preparedness and mitigation 
        projects eligible for the purposes of mitigating or aiding 
        individuals during an extreme heat event, including stockpiling 
        and installing equipment for households, first responders, and 
        public health and health care systems and emergency voucher 
        programs; and
            (2) with respect to eligible uses of funds authorized, 
        provide, and issue relevant guidance, for the establishment and 
        function of--
                    (A) community cooling centers; and
                    (B) resilience centers.
    (b) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Community cooling center.--The term ``community cooling 
        center'' means a public serving facility that provides an 
        environment for people to maintain a healthy body temperature 
        during an extreme heat event.
            (2) Resilience center.--The term ``resilience center'' 
        means a public serving facility that provides information and 
        services to build resilient communities before, during, and 
        after emergency events.

SEC. 4. GUIDANCE.

    Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall issue 
guidance related to--
            (1) extreme temperature events, including heat waves and 
        freezes, and publish such guidance in the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide;
            (2) hazard mitigation, including eligibility criteria for 
        projects that primarily mitigate the impacts of extreme heat 
        and projects specified in section 3(a)(2); and
            (3) extreme heat for the purposes of hazard mitigation 
        planning under section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
        Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165), the 
        National Preparedness Course Catalog, National Disaster 
        Recovery Framework, National Response Recovery Framework, and 
        Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.

SEC. 5. STUDY ON EXTREME HEAT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency shall conduct a study to measure the impact of extreme heat and 
recommend guidance on mitigating and responding to extreme heat.
    (b) Consultation.--In conducting the study required under 
subsection (a), the Administrator shall consult with relevant 
stakeholders and the heads of other Federal agencies.
    (c) Content.--In conducting the study required under subsection 
(a), the Administrator shall--
            (1) examine and consider solutions to address the impact of 
        extreme heat on--
                    (A) disadvantaged communities;
                    (B) buildings, roads, utilities, power generation, 
                air conditioning units, and other relevant 
                infrastructure;
                    (C) short- and long-term health outcomes;
                    (D) pets and livestock; and
                    (E) society and the economy;
            (2) evaluate the geographical and regional differences in 
        the occurrence and impact of extreme heat;
            (3) evaluate the effectiveness of emergency alerts and the 
        language used in such alerts to improve public safety during 
        extreme heat events;
            (4) examine metrics for defining and communicating the 
        severity of an extreme heat event;
            (5) examine the compounding effects and consequential risk 
        of extreme heat and wildfire smoke;
            (6) recommend best practices for community education and 
        safety during extreme heat events;
            (7) examine the impact extreme heat to the health and 
        safety of the Federal Emergency Management Agency workforce 
        when responding to disasters;
            (8) develop guidance for first responder training protocol 
        for extreme heat emergencies; and
            (9) recommend guidance for incorporating extreme heat into 
        local and State government emergency management preparedness 
        plans.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not less than 1 year after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the 
Senate a report containing--
            (1) the results of study required under subsection (a); and
            (2) any additional recommendations for developing a 
        framework for mitigating and responding to extreme heat 
        emergencies.
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