[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9804 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9804

  To amend section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
  Emergency Assistance Act to establish within the Building Resilient 
    Infrastructure and Communities program a dedicated rural flood 
resilience supplemental allocation providing formula-based pass-through 
   grants to rural communities through a set-aside from the Federal 
    Emergency Management Agency Disaster Relief Fund, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 21, 2026

Mr. Harrigan (for himself, Mr. Sorensen, and Mr. Gallagher) introduced 
      the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                   Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
  Emergency Assistance Act to establish within the Building Resilient 
    Infrastructure and Communities program a dedicated rural flood 
resilience supplemental allocation providing formula-based pass-through 
   grants to rural communities through a set-aside from the Federal 
    Emergency Management Agency Disaster Relief Fund, 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 ``Sustainable and Flood Resilient 
Engineering for Rural Areas Act'' or the ``SAFE Rural Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Rural communities, Tribal lands, and territories face 
        heightened vulnerabilities to flooding due to limited local tax 
        bases, aging infrastructure, isolation, and unique geographic 
        conditions.
            (2) Hazard risk and impacts in rural communities, Tribal 
        lands, and territories are made worse by lower levels of 
        capacity to apply for and administer hazard mitigation and 
        preparedness grants, and is further exacerbated when States 
        also have lower levels of capacity to assist such areas.
            (3) The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Disaster 
        Relief Fund primarily focuses on post-disaster recovery, 
        leaving a gap in dedicated predisaster investments tailored to 
        rural and remote areas.
            (4) Targeted support for rural, Tribal, and territorial 
        flood mitigation and preparedness measurably reduces long-term 
        Federal disaster expenditures.

SEC. 3. MANDATORY PROGRAM.

    Section 203(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(b)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``may establish'' and inserting ``shall 
        carry out'';
            (2) by striking ``and local governments'' and inserting 
        ``and Indian tribal governments''; and
            (3) by striking ``or local governments'' and inserting ``or 
        Indian tribal governments''.

SEC. 4. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS; STATE ADMINISTRATIVE PLAN.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended by striking subsections (c) 
and (d) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Allocation of Funds.--
            ``(1) In general.--The President shall provide technical 
        and financial assistance under this section to eligible 
        entities through the allocation in paragraph (2).
            ``(2) Formula.--In providing financial assistance under 
        this section, the President shall distribute available funds 
        for each fiscal year among eligible entities by formula as 
        follows:
                    ``(A) 50 percent of funds available under this 
                section in a fiscal year shall be divided equally among 
                all eligible entities.
                    ``(B) 30 percent of funds available under this 
                section in a fiscal year shall be divided among all 
                eligible entities, with additional preference given to 
                eligible entities with higher populations and lower 
                median incomes, using data from the most recent 
                decennial census.
                    ``(C) The remaining funds available under this 
                section in a fiscal year shall be divided among all 
                eligible entities that have demonstrated capacity to 
                effectively manage Federal grant funds and advance 
                hazard mitigation priorities, as evidenced by--
                            ``(i) adoption of a Federal Emergency 
                        Management Agency-approved advanced hazard 
                        mitigation plan using data provided by States 
                        and from the Federal Emergency Management 
                        Agency and the International Code Council; or
                            ``(ii) adoption of the 2 most recently 
                        published editions of the International 
                        Building Code, including all flood-related 
                        provisions, using data provided by States and 
                        from the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
                        and the International Code Council.
    ``(d) Eligibility.--
            ``(1) Eligible entities.--Entities eligible for a grant 
        under this section are the following:
                    ``(A) States.
                    ``(B) Indian tribal governments.
            ``(2) Administrative plan requirement.--A State or Indian 
        tribal government is eligible for funds pursuant to subsection 
        (c) if--
                    ``(A) the State or Indian tribal government submits 
                to the President a plan under paragraph (3); and
                    ``(B) such plan is approved by the President.
            ``(3) Predisaster hazard mitigation administrative plan.--
        To be eligible for funds in a fiscal year under this section, 
        not later than October 1 of the preceding fiscal year, a State 
        or Indian tribal government shall submit to the President a 
        predisaster hazard mitigation administrative plan that 
        describes--
                    ``(A) the objectives of the State or Indian tribal 
                government and plan for distributing funds as subgrants 
                to eligible entities;
                    ``(B) the process of the State or Indian tribal 
                government for facilitating a streamlined subgrant 
                application, including how the State or Indian tribal 
                government will--
                            ``(i) ensure that the standard subgrant 
                        application does not exceed 10 pages for 
                        project subgrants and 5 pages for planning 
                        subgrants, exclusive of required attachments;
                            ``(ii) provide plain-language application 
                        instructions and, where practicable, fillable 
                        electronic forms accessible without specialized 
                        software;
                            ``(iii) accept preapplication consultations 
                        in lieu of formal letters of intent;
                            ``(iv) permit joint applications from 2 or 
                        more eligible entities for regional or 
                        watershed-scale projects;
                            ``(v) include a model application and 
                        annotated example for eligible entities with 
                        limited grant management experience; and
                            ``(vi) publish application scoring results 
                        and provide written summaries to applicants 
                        upon request; and
                    ``(C) the commitment of the State or Indian tribal 
                government to--
                            ``(i) solicit, evaluate, and score 
                        applications, taking into account the criteria 
                        set forth under this section;
                            ``(ii) obligate funds within 12 months of 
                        receipt;
                            ``(iii) review applications and determine 
                        subgrantees within 6 months of receipt, except 
                        for small project subgrants under subsection 
                        (m), and release funds to subgrantees within 60 
                        days of approval;
                            ``(iv) issue subgrant agreements;
                            ``(v) oversee program and fiscal 
                        performance of subgrantees; and
                            ``(vi) prevent duplication of Federal 
                        benefits.
            ``(4) Plan approval.--The President shall--
                    ``(A) approve or disapprove each administrative 
                plan submitted under paragraph (1) not later than 
                February 1 of the fiscal year for which the plan is 
                submitted; and
                    ``(B) provide the funds allocated pursuant to 
                subsection (c) to each eligible State or Indian tribal 
                government on the first day of the fiscal year 
                following the fiscal year in which the plan is 
                submitted.''.

SEC. 5. NATURE-BASED SOLUTIONS AS ELIGIBLE USES OF ASSISTANCE.

    Section 203(e) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(e)) is amended--
            (1) by amending paragraph (1)(A) to read as follows:
                    ``(A) shall be used by States and Indian tribal 
                governments principally to implement predisaster hazard 
                mitigation measures that are cost-effective and may 
                include nature-based and green infrastructure solutions 
                such as--
                            ``(i) floodplain and wetland restoration, 
                        reconnection, or enhancement;
                            ``(ii) living shorelines, bioengineered 
                        streambank stabilization, and riparian buffer 
                        establishment;
                            ``(iii) retention and detention facilities 
                        using natural or hybrid design approaches, 
                        including constructed wetlands and bioretention 
                        systems;
                            ``(iv) upland reforestation and watershed 
                        restoration to reduce runoff; and
                            ``(v) any combination of structural and 
                        nature-based approaches that achieves 
                        measurable flood risk reduction; and''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``or local government'' 
        and inserting ``or Indian tribal government'' each place it 
        appears.

SEC. 6. CRITERIA FOR MITIGATION ACTIVITIES.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is further amended by striking 
subsection (f) and inserting the following:
    ``(f) Criteria for Mitigation Activities.--In determining whether 
to carry out a project with funds provided under this section, the 
recipient of funds shall take into account--
            ``(1) project need and risk reduction potential;
            ``(2) short- and long-term community benefits and 
        sustainability;
            ``(3) cost-effectiveness and budget clarity;
            ``(4) collaboration with State, Tribal, regional, or 
        watershed authorities;
            ``(5) environmental and landscape impacts, including the 
        use of nature based or green infrastructure approaches where 
        feasible;
            ``(6) long-term operational feasibility;
            ``(7) applicant capacity and the degree to which the 
        project design reflects local knowledge and community-
        identified priorities, with allowance for limited technical 
        sophistication in application materials from first-time 
        applicants, low-capacity applicants, and small and rural 
        applicants; and
            ``(8) whether a project is located in--
                    ``(A) an area with high or very high hazard 
                potential, elevated risk, or meeting vulnerability 
                criteria;
                    ``(B) a low-income community; or
                    ``(C) a community affected by a major disaster 
                within the preceding 10 years.''.

SEC. 7. SAFE RURAL PROGRAM.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is further amended by striking 
subsection (g) and inserting the following:
    ``(g) SAFE Rural Program.--
            ``(1) SAFE rural fund.--
                    ``(A) Establishment.--The President shall establish 
                a fund to be known as the SAFE Rural Fund (in this 
                subsection referred to as the `Fund').
                    ``(B) Funding.--In addition to any amounts 
                appropriated to the Fund, the President shall deposit 
                into the fund 2 percent of all amounts appropriated to 
                the Disaster Relief Fund during each fiscal year in 
                order to carry out the SAFE rural program established 
                under paragraph (2).
                    ``(C) Separate accounting.--Amounts deposited in 
                the Fund shall be separately accounted for and may not 
                be commingled with other funds made available for the 
                program under this section or used for purposes other 
                than the purposes authorized under this subsection.
                    ``(D) Availability.--Funds made available under 
                this paragraph shall remain available until expended.
            ``(2) SAFE rural program.--The President shall establish a 
        Sustainable and Flood Resilient Engineering for Rural Areas 
        program (in this section referred to as the `SAFE rural 
        program') to provide for a dedicated rural flood resilience 
        supplemental allocation that provides formula-based pass-
        through grants to States and Indian Tribal governments for 
        projects in rural communities.
            ``(3) Formula calculation.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The President shall develop an 
                allocation formula for funds provided to the Fund 
                that--
                            ``(i) is based on a comprehensive dataset 
                        and is not based on large datasets with known 
                        and significant gaps in local data, including 
                        the National Risk Index;
                            ``(ii) provides each State and Indian 
                        Tribal government eligible under this section 
                        with not less than the lesser of $5,000,000 or 
                        an amount equal to 1 percent of the amounts 
                        available under this subsection for each fiscal 
                        year; and
                            ``(iii) takes into consideration the size, 
                        amount, and degree of need of priority areas 
                        described in paragraph (6)(A) within the State 
                        or Indian Tribal government area, as determined 
                        by the Administrator.
                    ``(B) Maximum allocation.--Notwithstanding 
                subparagraph (A)(ii), no State or Indian Tribal 
                government may receive under this paragraph for a 
                fiscal year more than the lesser of--
                            ``(i) 15 percent of the total amount 
                        available under this subsection for the fiscal 
                        year; or
                            ``(ii) $150,000,000.
            ``(4) Pass-through requirements.--
                    ``(A) Mandatory pass-through.--
                            ``(i) Minimum pass-through.--Each recipient 
                        of allocated funds under this subsection shall 
                        distribute all allocated funds as subgrants to 
                        eligible entities, except as provided in 
                        clauses (ii) and (iii).
                            ``(ii) Administrative retention.--Not more 
                        than 5 percent of allocated funds may be 
                        retained by recipient for grantee 
                        administration, outreach, technical assistance, 
                        and monitoring.
                            ``(iii) Community assistance program set-
                        aside.--Amounts described in paragraph (8) 
                        shall be set aside from the amounts deposited 
                        into the Fund to carry out such paragraph.
                    ``(B) Timely obligation.--Subgrants shall be 
                obligated by a recipient within 12 months of the 
                receipt of funds.
                    ``(C) Grantee responsibilities.--Each State or 
                Indian Tribal government receiving funds under this 
                subsection shall--
                            ``(i) issue subgrant agreements;
                            ``(ii) oversee program and fiscal 
                        performance of subgrantees; and
                            ``(iii) prevent duplication of Federal 
                        benefits.
                    ``(D) Tribal eligibility through state pass-
                through.--Indian Tribal Governments within the 
                geographic boundary of a State may elect to apply for 
                subgrants from such State.
            ``(5) Eligible uses of funds.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subgrants provided under this 
                subsection may be used for--
                            ``(i) construction or restoration of flood-
                        resilient public infrastructure, including 
                        bridges, culverts, drainage systems, levees, 
                        stormwater controls, and coastal defenses;
                            ``(ii) mitigation projects that reduce 
                        flood risk to critical facilities, 
                        transportation networks, utilities, 
                        agricultural-based businesses and farmsteads, 
                        and homes;
                            ``(iii) nature-based and green 
                        infrastructure solutions, including--
                                    ``(I) floodplain and wetland 
                                restoration, reconnection, or 
                                enhancement;
                                    ``(II) living shorelines, 
                                bioengineered streambank stabilization, 
                                and riparian buffer establishment;
                                    ``(III) retention and detention 
                                facilities using natural or hybrid 
                                design approaches, including 
                                constructed wetlands and bioretention 
                                systems;
                                    ``(IV) upland reforestation and 
                                watershed restoration to reduce runoff; 
                                and
                                    ``(V) any combination of structural 
                                and nature-based approaches that 
                                achieves measurable flood risk 
                                reduction;
                            ``(iv) subgrantee management costs, not to 
                        exceed 5 percent of the subgrant award; and
                            ``(v) projects that address natural hazards 
                        identified as a significant risk in the State's 
                        hazard mitigation plan submitted under section 
                        322.
                    ``(B) Operations and maintenance planning 
                requirement.--
                            ``(i) Requirement.--As a condition of 
                        receiving a subgrant under clause (i) or (ii) 
                        of subparagraph (A), an eligible entity shall 
                        submit an operations and maintenance plan 
                        demonstrating--
                                    ``(I) the responsible party or 
                                parties for long-term maintenance of 
                                the funded project;
                                    ``(II) estimated annual maintenance 
                                costs and the funding source or 
                                mechanism for meeting those costs;
                                    ``(III) a maintenance schedule and 
                                inspection protocol; and
                                    ``(IV) a contingency plan for 
                                emergency repair.
                            ``(ii) Template.--The Administrator shall 
                        develop a standardized, one-page operations and 
                        maintenance plan template for use by eligible 
                        entities with limited administrative capacity.
                            ``(iii) CAP-MIT assistance.--CAP-MIT grants 
                        under paragraph (8) may be used to assist 
                        eligible entities in preparing operations and 
                        maintenance plans required under this 
                        paragraph.
                            ``(iv) Waiver.--The Administrator may waive 
                        the requirement of clause (i) for preparedness 
                        projects under subparagraph (A)(iii).
                    ``(C) Additional uses.--A territorial government 
                may use funds awarded under this subsection for 
                projects addressing island-specific hydrology, coastal 
                erosion, storm surge, or infrastructure 
                vulnerabilities.
            ``(6) Subgrant priorities and cost sharing.--
                    ``(A) Flood resilience and hazard mitigation 
                plans.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Subgrants under this 
                        subsection may support--
                                    ``(I) development or updating of 
                                community flood resilience plans; and
                                    ``(II) implementation of projects 
                                included in such plans.
                            ``(ii) Planning inclusions.--Planning in 
                        Tribal and territorial communities may 
                        incorporate indigenous knowledge, cultural site 
                        preservation, or island-specific risk 
                        assessments.
                    ``(B) Cost sharing.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii)--
                                    ``(I) planning subgrants shall 
                                require a non-Federal share of not less 
                                than 10 percent; and
                                    ``(II) project subgrants shall 
                                require a non-Federal share of not less 
                                than 25 percent.
                            ``(ii) Waiver authority.--The Administrator 
                        may reduce or waive the cost-sharing 
                        requirement under clause (i) for underserved or 
                        economically distressed rural, Tribal, or 
                        territorial communities.
            ``(7) Community assistance program.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Administrator shall provide 
                to each State and Indian Tribal government eligible 
                under this paragraph a grant of an amount not less than 
                $1,000,000 and not more than $5,000,000 annually.
                    ``(B) Eligibility criteria.--To be eligible to 
                receive a CAP-MIT grant, a State or Indian Tribal 
                government shall develop and maintain a capable State 
                hazard mitigation program responsible for--
                            ``(i) administering pre- and post-disaster 
                        hazard mitigation programs of the Federal 
                        Emergency Management Agency;
                            ``(ii) assisting communities with the 
                        preparation and submission of hazard mitigation 
                        grant program applications, including 
                        applications for flood mitigation assistance, 
                        other hazard mitigation programs, and community 
                        development block grant program, and programs 
                        administered by the Natural Resources 
                        Conservation Service, National Oceanic and 
                        Atmospheric Administration, Department of 
                        Interior, and the United States Army Corps of 
                        Engineers;
                            ``(iii) developing and implementing 
                        assistance approaches to ensure a focus on 
                        rural and small communities that might 
                        otherwise be precluded from participating in 
                        Federal hazard mitigation grant programs;
                            ``(iv) offering technical assistance to 
                        communities for developing and updating hazard 
                        mitigation plans;
                            ``(v) developing pre- and post-disaster 
                        hazard mitigation strategies and resilience 
                        activities of the State or Indian Tribal 
                        government; and
                            ``(vi) such additional components as the 
                        President may determine.
                    ``(C) Annual distribution.--The President shall 
                award CAP-MIT grants to States and Indian Tribal 
                governments on a consistent, annual basis, 
                notwithstanding any other application for or receipt of 
                pre- or post-disaster mitigation assistance, to ensure 
                continuity of State and territorial hazard mitigation 
                capacity.
            ``(8) Compliance and oversight.--
                    ``(A) Subgrantee responsibilities.--An eligible 
                entity receiving funds under this subsection shall--
                            ``(i) use funds solely for approved 
                        purposes;
                            ``(ii) submit quarterly performance and 
                        financial reports to the applicable State, 
                        Indian Tribal Government, or the Administrator, 
                        as appropriate;
                            ``(iii) maintain accurate and complete 
                        records; and
                            ``(iv) permit inspection by the State, 
                        Indian Tribal Government, or the Administrator.
                    ``(B) Federal oversight.--The Administrator may 
                audit any recipient or subgrantee receiving funds under 
                this subsection as necessary to ensure compliance.
                    ``(C) Repayment.--The Administrator may require 
                repayment of funds that--
                            ``(i) are used for unauthorized purposes;
                            ``(ii) remain unexpended within the 
                        performance period; or
                            ``(iii) are determined to have been awarded 
                        or expended in violation of program 
                        requirements.
            ``(9) Administration.--
                    ``(A) Implementing guidance.--Not later than 180 
                days after the date of enactment of this subsection, 
                the Administrator shall issue implementing guidance, 
                allocation formulas, application instructions, and 
                reporting requirements for the program established 
                under this subsection, consistent with the requirements 
                applicable to the program established under subsection 
                (b). Such guidance shall make any necessary changes and 
                advise States on how to streamline subgrantee 
                application processes, including to--
                            ``(i) ensure that the standard subgrant 
                        application does not exceed 10 pages for 
                        project subgrants and 5 pages for planning 
                        subgrants, exclusive of required attachments;
                            ``(ii) provide plain-language application 
                        instructions and, where practicable, fillable 
                        electronic forms accessible without specialized 
                        software;
                            ``(iii) authorize States and Indian tribal 
                        governments to accept preapplication 
                        consultations in lieu of formal letters of 
                        intent;
                            ``(iv) permit joint applications from two 
                        or more eligible entities for regional or 
                        watershed-scale projects; and
                            ``(v) include a model application and 
                        annotated example for eligible entities with 
                        limited grant management experience.
                    ``(B) Coordination.--The President shall coordinate 
                with State, Tribal, territorial, regional, and local 
                emergency management and floodplain management 
                agencies, as well as State Chief Resilience Offices, in 
                administering this subsection.
                    ``(C) Relation to other bric awards.--Amounts 
                provided under this subsection shall be in addition to, 
                and not in lieu of, amounts otherwise made available to 
                States, territories, and Indian tribal governments 
                under this section.
            ``(10) Reporting to congress.--The President shall submit 
        to Congress an annual report describing--
                    ``(A) the amount of each allocation of funds 
                provided under this subsection;
                    ``(B) project types and categories funded under 
                this subsection;
                    ``(C) measurable outcomes, including risk 
                reduction, enhanced preparedness, and Federal cost 
                savings attributable to funded projects;
                    ``(D) participation by Indian Tribal Governments 
                and territorial governments; and
                    ``(E) recommendations for improvements to rural, 
                Tribal, and territorial flood resilience programs.
            ``(11) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) CAP-MIT grant.--The term `CAP-MIT grant' 
                means a community assistance program grant for 
                statewide hazard mitigation activities provided under 
                paragraph (8).
                    ``(B) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' 
                means--
                            ``(i) a county with a population of 50,000 
                        or fewer;
                            ``(ii) a municipality with a population of 
                        10,000 or fewer;
                            ``(iii) a county that exceeds the 
                        population threshold in clause (i) if--
                                    ``(I) the county's population 
                                density does not exceed 35 persons per 
                                square mile; or
                                    ``(II) the county contains no 
                                incorporated municipality with a 
                                population exceeding 10,000 and the 
                                county seat has a population not 
                                exceeding 25,000;
                            ``(iv) a local government described in 
                        section 102(8)(B) with a population not 
                        exceeding the thresholds in clauses (i), (ii), 
                        or (iii); or
                            ``(v) a Tribal organization acting on 
                        behalf of one or more local governments 
                        described in clause (iv).
                    ``(C) Flood-prone area.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The term `flood-prone 
                        area' means an area that--
                                    ``(I) lies within the 1-percent-
                                annual-chance (100-year) or 0.2-
                                percent-annual-chance (500-year) 
                                floodplain as designated by Federal the 
                                Emergency Management Agency under the 
                                National Flood Insurance Program, or is 
                                otherwise designated as flood-prone by 
                                State, local, or other authorities, 
                                including dam failure inundation zones;
                                    ``(II) has experienced 2 or more 
                                damaging flood events within the 
                                preceding 15 years, as documented by a 
                                disaster declaration under this Act, 
                                insurance loss records, State or local 
                                damage assessments, or equivalent 
                                documentation; or
                                    ``(III) is identified as having 
                                significant flood risk by--
                                            ``(aa) a Federal, State, 
                                        territorial, local, or Tribal 
                                        hazard mitigation plan or risk 
                                        assessment;
                                            ``(bb) a State or local 
                                        floodplain management study or 
                                        engineering analysis;
                                            ``(cc) dam failure or levee 
                                        breach inundation mapping 
                                        prepared by a State dam safety 
                                        or levee safety program;
                                            ``(dd) hydrologic and 
                                        hydraulic modeling conducted or 
                                        accepted by a Federal or State 
                                        agency, including the Army 
                                        Corps of Engineers, Natural 
                                        Resources Conservation Service, 
                                        or a State water resources 
                                        agency;
                                            ``(ee) stormwater master 
                                        plans, watershed studies, or 
                                        drainage system assessments 
                                        adopted by a local government; 
                                        or
                                            ``(ff) flood risk data from 
                                        emerging methodologies, 
                                        including privately produced 
                                        datasets and climate-adjusted 
                                        modeling, accepted by the 
                                        Administrator as meeting 
                                        standards for scientific 
                                        reliability, to be established 
                                        by the Administrator in 
                                        implementing guidance issued 
                                        under paragraph (10)(A).
                            ``(ii) Guidance.--The Administrator shall 
                        issue guidance specifying minimum documentation 
                        standards for qualifying under clause (i)(III) 
                        not later than 180 days after the date of 
                        enactment of this subsection, and shall update 
                        such guidance not less than every 5 years to 
                        reflect advances in flood risk science.
                    ``(D) Preparedness project.--The term `preparedness 
                project' includes--
                            ``(i) evacuation sheltering plans and 
                        emergency action plans, updates, and drills;
                            ``(ii) interoperable emergency 
                        communication systems and flood warning 
                        systems;
                            ``(iii) emergency operations center 
                        construction or upgrades;
                            ``(iv) acquisition of response equipment or 
                        protective supplies;
                            ``(v) resilience improvements to designated 
                        emergency shelters;
                            ``(vi) updates to local codes and standards 
                        that protect against current and future flood 
                        hazards;
                            ``(vii) development of flood hazard data 
                        where it is outdated or does not currently 
                        exist; and
                            ``(viii) staffing, training, or retention 
                        of emergency management and floodplain 
                        management personnel.
                    ``(E) Territorial government.--The term 
                `territorial government' means the government of the 
                Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of 
                the Northern Mariana Islands, the United States Virgin 
                Islands, or American Samoa.''.

SEC. 8. CONFORMING AMENDMENT REGARDING COST-SHARED MITIGATION 
              ACTIVITIES.

    Section 203(h) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(h)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``mitigation activities 
        approved by the President'' and inserting ``mitigation projects 
        funded under this section''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2) by striking ``the President may 
        contribute up to'' and inserting ``the Federal share of a 
        project carried out with funds provided under this section may 
        be up to''.

SEC. 9. BRIC SET-ASIDE.

    Section 203(i) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(i)) is amended by striking 
paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--The President shall set aside an amount 
        equal to 10 percent of the aggregate amount of appropriations 
        to the Disaster Relief Fund from the previous fiscal year in 
        order to provide technical and financial assistance under this 
        section.''.

SEC. 10. SMALL PROJECT SET-ASIDE AND STREAMLINED TRACK.

    Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is further amended by adding at the end 
the following:
    ``(m) Small Project Set-Aside and Streamlined Track.--
            ``(1) Set-aside.--Of amounts made available for grants 
        under this section for a fiscal year, including amounts made 
        available under subsection (g), each State and Indian tribal 
        government shall reserve not less than 15 percent of its annual 
        allocation for small project subgrants as described in this 
        subsection.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--A small project subgrant is a subgrant 
        for a single project with a total cost of not more than 
        $500,000, including projects for--
                    ``(A) culvert replacement, upsizing, or removal;
                    ``(B) roadway drainage crossing improvements;
                    ``(C) small-scale stormwater conveyance or 
                retention infrastructure;
                    ``(D) stream crossing and ford stabilization; and
                    ``(E) other small flood mitigation improvements or 
                improvements to reduce risk to other hazards as 
                determined by the President.
            ``(3) Streamlined application.--States and Indian tribal 
        governments shall develop a streamlined application form and 
        review process for small project subgrants that--
                    ``(A) does not require a benefit-cost analysis for 
                projects with a total cost of less than $200,000;
                    ``(B) limits application materials to a project 
                description, site map, cost estimate, and attestation 
                of eligibility; and
                    ``(C) requires a State or Indian tribal governments 
                decision within 60 days of receipt of a complete 
                application.
            ``(4) Carryover.--Unexpended small project set-aside funds 
        in any fiscal year shall be available in the subsequent fiscal 
        year for any eligible subgrant under this subsection.''.

SEC. 11. REGULATIONS.

    Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the President shall issue such regulations as are necessary to carry 
out this Act and the amendments made by this Act.

SEC. 12. CONFORMING AMENDMENT TO THE DISASTER RELIEF FUND.

    The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 
transfer to the SAFE Rural Fund established under section 203(f) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as 
added by this Act, an amount equal to 2 percent of amounts in the 
Disaster Relief Fund as of the date of enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>