[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 2, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3458-S3459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Whitehouse):
  S. 1481. A bill to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to enter into an agreement with the National Academy 
of Sciences to conduct a study on urban flooding, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of 
the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 1481

       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 ``Urban Flooding Awareness Act 
     of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. URBAN FLOODING DEFINED.

       (a) In General.--In this Act, the term ``urban flooding'' 
     means the inundation of property in a built environment, 
     particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rain 
     falling on increased amounts of impervious surface and 
     overwhelming the capacity of drainage systems, such as storm 
     sewers.
       (b) Inclusions.--In this Act, the term ``urban flooding'' 
     includes--
       (1) situations in which stormwater enters buildings through 
     windows, doors, or other openings;
       (2) water backup through sewer pipes, showers, toilets, 
     sinks, and floor drains;
       (3) seepage through walls and floors;
       (4) the accumulation of water on property or public rights-
     of-way; and
       (5) the overflow from water bodies, such as rivers and 
     lakes.
       (c) Exclusion.--In this Act, the term ``urban flooding'' 
     does not include flooding in undeveloped or agricultural 
     areas.

     SEC. 3. URBAN FLOODING STUDY.

       (a) Agreement With National Academy of Sciences.--The 
     Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of 
     Sciences under which the National Academy of Sciences will 
     conduct a study on urban flooding in accordance with the 
     requirements of this section. The primary focus of the study 
     shall be on urban areas outside of special flood hazard 
     areas, as defined by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
       (b) Contents.--
       (1) General review and evaluation.--In conducting the 
     study, the National Academy of Sciences shall review and 
     evaluate the latest available research, laws, regulations, 
     policies, best practices, procedures, and institutional 
     knowledge regarding urban flooding.
       (2) Specific issue areas.--The study shall include, at a 
     minimum, an examination of the following:
       (A) The prevalence and costs associated with urban flooding 
     events across the United States, with a focus on the largest 
     metropolitan areas and any clear trends in frequency and 
     severity over the past 2 decades.
       (B) The adequacy of existing federally provided flood risk 
     information and the most cost effective methods and products 
     to identify, map, or otherwise characterize the risk of 
     property damage from urban flooding on a property-by-property 
     basis, whether or not a property is in or adjacent to a 1-
     percent (100-year) flood plain, and the potential for 
     training and certifying local experts in flood risk 
     characterization as a service to property purchasers and 
     owners and their communities.
       (C) The causes of urban flooding and its apparent increase 
     over the past 20 years, including the impacts of--
       (i) global climate change;
       (ii) increasing urbanization and the associated increase in 
     impervious surfaces; and
       (iii) undersized, deteriorating, and otherwise ineffective 
     stormwater infrastructure.
       (D) The most cost-effective strategies, practices, 
     technologies, policies, standards, or rules used to reduce 
     the impacts of urban flooding, with a focus on decentralized, 
     easy-to-install, and low-cost approaches, such as 
     nonstructural and natural infrastructure on public and 
     private property. The examination under this subparagraph 
     shall include an assessment of opportunities for implementing 
     innovative strategies and practices on government-controlled 
     land, such as Federal, State, and local roads, parking lots, 
     alleys, sidewalks, buildings, recreational areas, and open 
     space.
       (E) The role of the Federal Government and State 
     governments, as conveners, funders, and advocates, in 
     spurring market innovations based on public-private-nonprofit 
     partnerships. Such innovations may include smart home 
     technologies for improved flood warning systems connected to 
     high-resolution weather forecast data and Internet- and 
     cellular-based communications systems.
       (F) The most sustainable and effective methods for funding 
     flood risk and flood damage reduction at all levels of 
     government, including--
       (i) the potential for establishing a State revolving fund 
     program for flood prevention projects similar to the 
     revolving fund programs under the Federal Water Pollution 
     Control Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act;
       (ii) stormwater fee programs using impervious surface as 
     the basis for fee rates and

[[Page S3459]]

     providing credits for the installation of flood prevention or 
     other stormwater management features;
       (iii) grant programs; and
       (iv) public-private partnerships.
       (G) Information and education strategies and practices, 
     including nontraditional approaches such as the use of 
     community colleges and social media, for community leaders, 
     government staff, and property owners on--
       (i) flood risks;
       (ii) flood risk reduction strategies and practices; and
       (iii) the availability and effectiveness of different types 
     of flood insurance policies.
       (H) The relevance of the National Flood Insurance Program 
     and Community Rating System to urban flooding areas outside 
     traditional flood plains, and strategies for improving 
     compliance, broadening coverage, and increasing participation 
     under the programs.
       (I) Strategies for protecting communities in the lower 
     elevations of a watershed or drainage area from the flooding 
     impacts of development in upstream communities, including a 
     review of--
       (i) potential standards for watershed-wide flood protection 
     planning; and
       (ii) cost-effective and equitable legal options for a 
     downstream community when upstream communities act in a way 
     that increases flooding downstream.
       (J) Cost-effective strategies for reducing infiltration/
     inflow into combined and separate sewer systems.
       (K) Opportunities to increase coordination between 
     stormwater management programming under the Federal Water 
     Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) and flood risk 
     management and mitigation programming under various laws, 
     including the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and the 
     National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 et 
     seq.).
       (c) Consultation.--
       (1) In general.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency shall carry out this section in 
     consultation with the Secretary of the Army (acting through 
     the Chief of Engineers), the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
     Development, the Administrator of the Environmental 
     Protection Agency, the Director of the United States 
     Geological Survey, the Chief of the Natural Resources 
     Conservation Service, the Small Business Administration, 
     State, regional, and local stormwater management agencies, 
     State insurance commissioners, and such other interested 
     parties as the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency considers appropriate.
       (2) Cooperation.--The head of each Federal agency referred 
     to in paragraph (1) shall cooperate with the Administrator of 
     the Federal Emergency Management Agency in carrying out this 
     section as requested by the Administrator.
       (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than December 31, 2016, 
     the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     shall submit to the Committee on Financial Services and the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives 
     and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and 
     the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report 
     containing the findings of the National Academy of Sciences 
     based on the results of the study, including recommendations 
     for implementation of strategies, practices, and technologies 
     relating to urban flooding by Congress and the executive 
     branch.
                                 ______