[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H83-H87]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION ACT REAUTHORIZATION OF 2015
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 23) to reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact
Reduction Program, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
[[Page H84]]
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 23
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 ``National Windstorm Impact
Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Director.--Section 203(1) of the National Windstorm
Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702(1)) is amended
by striking ``Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy'' and inserting ``Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology''.
(b) Lifelines.--Section 203 of the National Windstorm
Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15702) is further
amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as
paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following new
paragraph:
``(2) Lifelines.--The term `lifelines' means public works
and utilities, including transportation facilities and
infrastructure, oil and gas pipelines, electrical power and
communication facilities and infrastructure, and water supply
and sewage treatment facilities.''.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL WINDSTORM IMPACT REDUCTION PROGRAM.
Section 204 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15703) is amended--
(1) by striking subsections (a), (b), and (c) and inserting
the following:
``(a) Establishment.--There is established the National
Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, the purpose of which is
to achieve major measurable reductions in the losses of life
and property from windstorms through a coordinated Federal
effort, in cooperation with other levels of government,
academia, and the private sector, aimed at improving the
understanding of windstorms and their impacts and developing
and encouraging the implementation of cost-effective
mitigation measures to reduce those impacts.
``(b) Responsibilities of Program Agencies.--
``(1) Lead agency.--The National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall have the primary responsibility for planning
and coordinating the Program. In carrying out this paragraph,
the Director shall--
``(A) ensure that the Program includes the necessary
components to promote the implementation of windstorm risk
reduction measures by Federal, State, and local governments,
national standards and model building code organizations,
architects and engineers, and others with a role in planning
and constructing buildings and lifelines;
``(B) support the development of performance-based
engineering tools, and work with appropriate groups to
promote the commercial application of such tools, including
through wind-related model building codes, voluntary
standards, and construction best practices;
``(C) request the assistance of Federal agencies other than
the Program agencies, as necessary to assist in carrying out
this Act;
``(D) coordinate all Federal post-windstorm investigations;
and
``(E) when warranted by research or investigative findings,
issue recommendations to assist in informing the development
of model codes, and provide information to Congress on the
use of such recommendations.
``(2) National institute of standards and technology.--In
addition to the lead agency responsibilities described under
paragraph (1), the National Institute of Standards and
Technology shall be responsible for carrying out research and
development to improve model building codes, voluntary
standards, and best practices for the design, construction,
and retrofit of buildings, structures, and lifelines.
``(3) National science foundation.--The National Science
Foundation shall support research in--
``(A) engineering and the atmospheric sciences to improve
the understanding of the behavior of windstorms and their
impact on buildings, structures, and lifelines; and
``(B) economic and social factors influencing windstorm
risk reduction measures.
``(4) National oceanic and atmospheric administration.--The
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall support
atmospheric sciences research to improve the understanding of
the behavior of windstorms and their impact on buildings,
structures, and lifelines.
``(5) Federal emergency management agency.--The Federal
Emergency Management Agency shall--
``(A) support--
``(i) the development of risk assessment tools and
effective mitigation techniques;
``(ii) windstorm-related data collection and analysis;
``(iii) public outreach and information dissemination; and
``(iv) promotion of the adoption of windstorm preparedness
and mitigation measures, including for households,
businesses, and communities, consistent with the Agency's
all-hazards approach; and
``(B) work closely with national standards and model
building code organizations, in conjunction with the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, to promote the
implementation of research results and promote better
building practices within the building design and
construction industry, including architects, engineers,
contractors, builders, and inspectors.'';
(2) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (c), and
by striking subsections (e) and (f); and
(3) by inserting after subsection (c), as so redesignated,
the following new subsections:
``(d) Budget Activities.--The Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, the Director of the
National Science Foundation, the Director of the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Director of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall each include in
their agency's annual budget request to Congress a
description of their agency's projected activities under the
Program for the fiscal year covered by the budget request,
along with an assessment of what they plan to spend on those
activities for that fiscal year.
``(e) Interagency Coordinating Committee on Windstorm
Impact Reduction.--
``(1) Establishment.--There is established an Interagency
Coordinating Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, chaired
by the Director.
``(2) Membership.--In addition to the chair, the Committee
shall be composed of--
``(A) the heads of--
``(i) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
``(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration;
``(iii) the National Science Foundation;
``(iv) the Office of Science and Technology Policy; and
``(v) the Office of Management and Budget; and
``(B) the head of any other Federal agency the chair
considers appropriate.
``(3) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet not less than 2
times a year at the call of the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology.
``(4) General purpose and duties.--The Committee shall
oversee the planning and coordination of the Program.
``(5) Strategic plan.--The Committee shall develop and
submit to Congress, not later than one year after the date of
enactment of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
Reauthorization of 2015, a Strategic Plan for the Program
that includes--
``(A) prioritized goals for the Program that will mitigate
against the loss of life and property from future windstorms;
``(B) short-term, mid-term, and long-term research
objectives to achieve those goals;
``(C) a description of the role of each Program agency in
achieving the prioritized goals;
``(D) the methods by which progress towards the goals will
be assessed; and
``(E) an explanation of how the Program will foster the
transfer of research results into outcomes, such as improved
model building codes.
``(6) Progress report.--Not later than 18 months after the
date of enactment of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction
Act Reauthorization of 2015, the Committee shall submit to
the Congress a report on the progress of the Program that
includes--
``(A) a description of the activities funded under the
Program, a description of how these activities align with the
prioritized goals and research objectives established in the
Strategic Plan, and the budgets, per agency, for these
activities;
``(B) the outcomes achieved by the Program for each of the
goals identified in the Strategic Plan;
``(C) a description of any recommendations made to change
existing building codes that were the result of Program
activities; and
``(D) a description of the extent to which the Program has
incorporated recommendations from the Advisory Committee on
Windstorm Impact Reduction.
``(7) Coordinated budget.--The Committee shall develop a
coordinated budget for the Program, which shall be submitted
to the Congress at the time of the President's budget
submission for each fiscal year.''.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM IMPACT
REDUCTION.
Section 205 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15704) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 205. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON WINDSTORM IMPACT
REDUCTION.
``(a) In General.--The Director of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology shall establish an Advisory
Committee on Windstorm Impact Reduction, which shall be
composed of at least 7 members, none of whom may be employees
of the Federal Government, including representatives of
research and academic institutions, industry standards
development organizations, emergency management agencies,
State and local government, and business communities who are
qualified to provide advice on windstorm impact reduction and
represent all related scientific, architectural, and
engineering disciplines. The recommendations of the Advisory
Committee shall be considered by Federal agencies in
implementing the Program.
``(b) Assessments.--The Advisory Committee on Windstorm
Impact Reduction shall offer assessments on--
``(1) trends and developments in the natural, engineering,
and social sciences and practices of windstorm impact
mitigation;
``(2) the priorities of the Program's Strategic Plan;
``(3) the coordination of the Program; and
[[Page H85]]
``(4) any revisions to the Program which may be necessary.
``(c) Compensation.--The members of the Advisory Committee
established under this section shall serve without
compensation.
``(d) Reports.--At least every 2 years, the Advisory
Committee shall report to the Director on the assessments
carried out under subsection (b) and its recommendations for
ways to improve the Program.
``(e) Charter.--Notwithstanding section 14(b)(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.), the Advisory
Committee shall not be required to file a charter subsequent
to its initial charter, filed under section 9(c) of such Act,
before the termination date specified in subsection (f) of
this section.
``(f) Termination.--The Advisory Committee shall terminate
on September 30, 2017.
``(g) Conflict of Interest.--An Advisory Committee member
shall recuse himself from any Advisory Committee activity in
which he has an actual pecuniary interest.''.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
Section 207 of the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 15706) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 207. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
``(a) Federal Emergency Management Agency.--There are
authorized to be appropriated to the Federal Emergency
Management Agency for carrying out this title--
``(1) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2015;
``(2) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
``(3) $5,332,000 for fiscal year 2017.
``(b) National Science Foundation.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the National Science Foundation for
carrying out this title--
``(1) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2015;
``(2) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
``(3) $9,682,000 for fiscal year 2017.
``(c) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--
There are authorized to be appropriated to the National
Institute of Standards and Technology for carrying out this
title--
``(1) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2015;
``(2) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
``(3) $4,120,000 for fiscal year 2017.
``(d) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.--
There are authorized to be appropriated to the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for carrying out this
title--
``(1) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2015;
``(2) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2016; and
``(3) $2,266,000 for fiscal year 2017.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Bonamici) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and to include extraneous material on H.R. 23, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 23, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
Reauthorization of 2015, reauthorizes the activities of the National
Windstorm Impact Reduction Program through 2017.
Representative Randy Neugebauer, my Texas colleague, has championed
this program for over a decade. In the last Congress, he and
Representative Frederica Wilson's bipartisan efforts helped move this
legislation through the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and
to successfully pass the House. It is because of their past work that
we are able to bring this bill to the House floor so early in this
Congress.
The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program supports Federal
research and development efforts to help mitigate the loss of life and
property due to wind-related hazards. Millions of Americans live in
areas vulnerable to hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms. The
National Weather Service reported 91 deaths and 892 injuries in 2013
due to tornadoes, thunderstorm wind, and high wind.
We all remember that in 2011 that was the year marred by loss due to
windstorms. According to the National Science and Technology Council's
biennial report to Congress, in 2011 only, windstorms in the United
States took nearly 700 lives, injured nearly 7,000 people, and caused
an estimated $11 billion in total direct property losses.
In Texas, we are all too familiar with the harm that excess wind can
cause. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Storm Prediction Center, 128 tornadoes and 1,366 windstorms were
reported in Texas in the last 2 years. The effects of these disasters
can be felt for a long time.
Initially established in 2004, the National Windstorm Impact
Reduction Program supports activities to improve our understanding of
windstorms and their impacts and helps to develop and encourage the
implementation of cost-effective mitigation measures.
H.R. 23 establishes the National Institute of Standards and
Technology as the lead agency for the program, improves coordination
and planning of agency activities in a fiscally responsible manner, and
improves transparency for how much money is being spent on windstorm
research.
I want to thank Representative Neugebauer for his continued efforts
to support this program. I encourage my colleagues to support the bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of
Representatives,
Washington, DC, January 6, 2015.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I write concerning H.R. 23, the National
Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015. Thank
you for working with us to incorporate mutually agreeable
provisions within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure.
In order to expedite the House's consideration of H.R. 23,
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo
action on this bill. However, this is conditional on our
mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill
does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the
appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional
claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or
similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X
jurisdiction. I request you urge the Speaker to name members
of the Committee to any conference committee named to
consider such provisions.
I would appreciate your response to this letter, confirming
this understanding, and would request that you insert our
exchange of letters on this matter into the Congressional
Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.
Sincerely,
Bill Shuster,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology.
Washington, DC, January 6, 2015.
Hon. Bill Shuster,
Chairman, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure,
Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Shuster: Thank you for your letter regarding
H.R. 23, the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act
Reauthorization of 2015. I appreciate your support in
bringing this legislation before the House of
Representatives, and accordingly, understand that the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forego
action on the bill.
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology concurs
with the mutual understanding that by foregoing consideration
of H.R. 23 at this time, the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure does not waive any jurisdiction over the
subject matter contained in this bill or similar legislation
in the future. In addition, should a conference on this bill
be necessary, I would support your request to have the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure represented on
the conference committee.
I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional
Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.
I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and
look forward to continuing to work with the Transportation
Committee as the bill moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 23, legislation to reauthorize the National
Windstorm Impact Reduction Program.
First I want to thank Representatives Neugebauer and Wilson for their
hard work on this important legislation that will benefit our
constituents.
Americans face significant exposure to windstorms. According to the
National Weather Service, between the years of 2003 and 2013, thousands
of Americans lost their lives from the impacts of windstorms. Along
with the loss of life, windstorms during that time caused billions of
dollars of damage to property, including a severely negative impact on
agricultural crops.
Although we cannot stop a windstorm from happening, there is much we
can do to save both lives and property when windstorms and other
natural disasters do happen. In addition to
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responding quickly and with sufficient resources in the aftermath of a
natural disaster, we must also invest in preparedness and resilience.
Studies of FEMA's Pre-Disaster Mitigation program have shown that for
every dollar invested in mitigation activities, $3 to $4 in recovery
costs can be saved.
The National Windstorm Reduction Program Act is primarily a
mitigation program. It has the potential to lessen the loss of life and
economic damage by supporting research and development on windstorms
and their impacts and helping to ensure that this research is
translated into improving building codes and emergency planning, but
this program needs robust investment to achieve that result.
The bill today includes a lower total authorization level than was
authorized for this program in fiscal year 2008. We can and we should
do better than that. One of our responsibilities as a government should
be to assist our constituents with disaster mitigation and response and
preparedness, and that means investing in programs we already have in
place to carry out these responsibilities. Nevertheless, I understand
the need to reauthorize this important program, and I thank my
colleagues for agreeing to maintain the authorization levels negotiated
last Congress.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this
important bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer), who is the lead sponsor of this
legislation and also a member of the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology.
Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the
National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act, H.R. 23. I also want to thank
Chairman Smith for his leadership on this issue, and I appreciate him
agreeing to bring this back up early in the 114th Congress.
I think we have already heard of a number of people quote a lot of
statistics about the amount of damage that occurs from windstorms in
this country and the loss of lives. You know, particularly 2011 was a
very bad year. As it was pointed out, we had a number of people that
were killed that year and over $28 billion in damage to property alone.
What is happening is the risk is growing because our population
centers are growing. You know, a tornado that goes through a town
center does a lot more damage than one that goes through an empty
prairie. As these storms are getting costlier over time, at a time
where we are $18 trillion in debt, it is important that we utilize the
taxpayers' resources in an effective way. This particular program, as
it was mentioned, is reauthorized at a fixed level, the level from
previous reauthorization, but also it is designed to make the program
more efficient and effective in the future.
When a family loses a home, you know, they don't have to just rebuild
the house; they have to rebuild their lives. We know a lot of people
have either experienced losses of property or life, loved ones, or they
know people that have.
In particular, it is a personal thing for me because, on May 11th of
1970, I had just taken my last final for that semester at Texas Tech
University, and 3 hours or 4 hours later, a major tornado ripped
through Lubbock, Texas, and killed 26 people, including destroying the
apartment complex that I lived in.
I was fortunately unharmed in that event, but what I did get to
witness is the tremendous amount of damage that can happen from these
storms and the loss of life. You saw things that you didn't think were
possible--cars in parking lots that were rolled up and swirled up like
an ice cream cone.
So one of the things that later on, to me, in the building business,
one of the things that we began to learn is, from important research
that was done, that we were able to use certain building techniques
that made houses more wind resistant, made buildings more wind
resistant, and that is exactly what this bill, NWIRP, does. It takes
these four agencies that currently have jurisdiction over that--and
those include NOAA, the National Science Foundation, FEMA, and NIST--
and makes sure that they are using those funds appropriately and that
there is not a lot of duplication in the research going on. Each one of
them has an area of expertise. We want to do a better job of predicting
these storms. We want to do a better job of learning how we can
mitigate the damage from those.
One of the things that happened right after the May 11 tornado in
Lubbock is that Texas Tech University began doing research on
windstorms and the effects of different materials, and later on they
founded the National Wind Institute, which is doing important research
on simulating cyclones and different kinds of wind events and the
impact that they have on materials and certain building techniques.
Certainly that will be important to our country as we move forward.
What does that do for the taxpayers? Well, obviously if we can learn
more about predicting the outcomes, we can make our buildings stronger,
but, more importantly, save lives. And one of the things I know from a
lot of the research that has been going on right now, that designs are
being incorporated in a lot of buildings.
{time} 1415
Recently I was at a new elementary school in my district, and one of
the things that we learned is that they incorporated certain building
techniques within the cafeteria of that new elementary. Basically, the
cafeteria became a storm shelter for the students going to that
elementary. Those are the kind of things that will be beneficial from
this.
I urge my colleagues to help me reauthorize H.R. 23.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Wilson), who is a cosponsor of the bill, and also a member
of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Ms. WILSON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 23.
This legislation would reauthorize the National Windstorm Impact
Reduction Program, or NWIRP.
The Federal Government has an important role in helping Americans
prepare for and recover from natural hazards. H.R. 23 directs four
Federal agencies--NIST, NSF, NOAA, and FEMA--to conduct coordinated
research and development on the nature of windstorms, their effects,
and on ways to mitigate their impact. The legislation also ensures that
this research is translated into practice through improved building
codes and emergency planning.
I was born and raised in south Florida, and I am a survivor of
Hurricane Andrew, so I have seen my share of severe weather. I know
firsthand that natural hazards are a leading threat to American lives
and America's economy.
While we cannot stop a hurricane or tornado from happening, this
Congress can act to make sure our communities have the tools they need
to respond and recover from these disasters.
We must begin by investing in preparedness and resilience. Studies of
FEMA's pre-disaster mitigation program have shown that for every dollar
we invest in mitigation activities we save $3 to $4 in recovery costs.
I was pleased that this bill was considered in the Science Committee
last Congress, and we worked in a bipartisan manner to make several
improvements to the bill. I want to thank my colleagues, Chairman Smith
and Mr. Neugebauer, for working across the aisle in a smooth and
productive process.
We worked together to increase the authorization for FEMA, the NWIRP
agency tasked with taking the research conducted at other agencies and
developing mitigation techniques and public outreach. Mr. Neugebauer
was the lead, and I appreciate his inclusion.
Additionally, we added several social science-related provisions to
the bill. We cannot design effective disaster strategies without
knowing how people make decisions and respond to disaster warnings.
Often in a compromise, like this one, you do not get everything you
would like. I would have liked to see increases in the authorization
levels across the board. Unfortunately, this bill includes a lower
total authorization level than what was authorized for this program in
fiscal year 2008.
When the last few years have been devastating years for windstorms,
including Superstorm Sandy and the tornado outbreak last May, it is
difficult
[[Page H87]]
to understand why we would cut the total authorization level for this
important program.
I do hope that if this bill moves forward, we will continue our
bipartisan efforts and work with the Senate to perfect this bill.
Nevertheless, I understand the need to reauthorize this important
program that can help minimize the number of Americans who are harmed
or killed by windstorm disasters and reduce the costs associated * * *
I support H.R. 23 and urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle
to support the bill.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other Members who wish to
be heard on this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
so in closing, we must help our constituents prepare for and mitigate
the impacts of severe weather events, such as windstorms, that threaten
their lives and property. This bill takes an important step in that
direction, and I urge its adoption.
With that, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of
H.R. 23, legislation that would reauthorize the National Windstorm
Impact Reduction Program--or NWIRP.
The last few years have been devastating years for natural disasters
across the country. There were massive tornadoes across the Midwest
that resulted in loss of life and significant economic damages. In
addition, Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012 caused
widespread destruction and death along the Eastern seaboard.
H.R. 23 directs NIST, NSF, NOAA, and FEMA to support activities to
improve the understanding of windstorms and their impacts. We can use
that knowledge to reduce the vulnerability of our communities to
natural disasters. The NWIRP program helps our federal agencies and
communities across the nation develop and implement many measures that
help minimize the loss of life and property during windstorms and to
rebuild effectively and safely after such storms.
I was pleased that when this bill was considered by the House
Science, Space, and Technology Committee last Congress, we worked in a
bipartisan manner and made several improvements to the bill.
We worked together to increase the authorization for FEMA, the agency
tasked with implementing the research conducted by the other NWIRP
agencies. Additionally, we added several social science-related
provisions to the bill. We cannot design effective disaster preparation
strategies without understanding how people make decisions and respond
to disaster warnings.
This is a compromise bill and so it doesn't contain as much as I
think should be done. In particular, I wish this bill included
authorization increases for the NWIRP agencies--increases that are
justified by the important activities those agencies carry out.
However, it is still a good bill and an important bill for us to act
on.
I want to thank my fellow Texans--Chairman Smith and Mr. Neugebauer--
for working across the aisle on this bill and for bringing it to the
floor today. And I want to thank Ms. Wilson for her efforts on this
legislation. It was good to see Members of the Committee coming
together, working out their differences, compromising, and ending up
with a bill with bipartisan support.
I support the bill and urge my colleagues to support this important
bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 23.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Ms. BONAMICI. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
____________________