[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 133 (Wednesday, September 16, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H5987-H5990]
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 
concur in the Senate amendment to 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.
  The text of the Senate amendment is as follows:
  Senate amendment:

       Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert:

     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.''.
       (c) Windstorm.--Paragraph (5) of such section, as 
     redesignated by subsection (b), is amended by inserting 
     ``northeaster,'' after ``tropical storm,''.

     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 
     to the extent practicable; 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),

[[Page H5988]]

     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 or the Director's designee.
       ``(2) Membership.--In addition to the chair, the Committee 
     shall be composed of--
       ``(A) the heads or such designees 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, or such 
     designee, the chair considers appropriate.
       ``(3) Meetings.--The Committee shall meet not less than 
     once 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 not later than 60 days after the date 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 and not more than 15 members who are 
     qualified to provide advice on windstorm impact reduction and 
     represent related scientific, architectural, and engineering 
     disciplines, none of whom may be employees of the Federal 
     Government, including--
       ``(1) representatives of research and academic 
     institutions;
       ``(2) industry standards development organizations;
       ``(3) emergency management agencies;
       ``(4) State and local government; and
       ``(5) business communities, including the insurance 
     industry.
       ``(b) Assessments.--The Advisory Committee on Windstorm 
     Impact Reduction shall offer assessments and recommendations 
     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;
       ``(4) the effectiveness of the Program in meeting its 
     purposes; and
       ``(5) 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 gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko) 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 the bill 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 fiscal year 2017.

[[Page H5989]]

  Representative Randy Neugebauer, my Texas colleague, has championed 
this program for over a decade. In the 113th Congress, he and 
Representative Frederica Wilson's bipartisan efforts helped move this 
legislation through the Science Committee and to successfully pass the 
House.
  It is because of their past work that we were able to bring this bill 
to the House floor on January 7, the second day of business in the 
114th Congress, this Congress. The bill overwhelmingly passed the House 
381-39.
  Today, we consider the Senate amendment to H.R. 23. Thanks to 
leadership of my colleague on the other side of the Capitol, Senator 
John Thune, an amended version of H.R. 23 passed the Senate Commerce, 
Science, and Transportation Committee in June. It then passed the 
Senate by unanimous consent in July.
  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, 
tornados, and other windstorms. The National Weather Service reported 
just over 100 deaths and over 900 injuries last year due to tornados 
and other windstorms.
  In Texas, we are all too familiar with the harm that strong wind can 
cause. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration's storm prediction center, 128 tornados and 1,366 
windstorms were reported just 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.
  The bill also improves coordination of interagency activities in a 
fiscally responsible manner. It expands transparency for how much money 
is being spent on windstorm research at the four participating 
agencies, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the 
National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration, and FEMA. It authorizes $21.4 million for this 
interagency research.
  The Senate amendment provides some flexibility to the advisory 
committee on windstorm impact reduction when it provides 
recommendations in its report. It also ensures that northeasters are 
included in the definition of windstorm and makes a few other minor 
conforming and technical changes.
  Again, I want to thank Representative Neugebauer for his continued 
efforts in support of this program. I encourage my colleagues to 
support the bill and to send it to the President's desk for his 
autograph.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 23, legislation that 
reauthorizes the National Windstorm Impact Reduction Program, or NWIRP.
  America faces significant exposure to windstorms. We saw that, 
indeed, in 2012 when Superstorm Sandy devastated parts of the 
Northeast. Superstorm Sandy was responsible for over 200 deaths and 
caused over $70 billion in damage.
  According to the National Weather Service, from 2005 to 2014, 
thousands of Americans lost their lives from the impacts of windstorms. 
Along with the loss of life, windstorms caused many billions of dollars 
in property and crop damage during that time.
  When windstorms occur, we must work to save lives and reduce the 
amount of property and crop damage that the windstorm or other natural 
disaster causes. We already are investing significant resources after a 
windstorm, but we should be investing more in preparedness.
  FEMA's predisaster mitigation program has demonstrated that every 
dollar invested in mitigation activities saves $3 to $4 in recovery 
costs.
  The National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act Reauthorization of 2015 
is largely a mitigation program. The bill reauthorizes the NWIRP 
program that directs NIST, NSF, NOAA, and FEMA to support coordinated 
activities to improve our understanding of windstorms and their impacts 
and to develop cost-effective mitigation measures.
  This program has the potential to lessen the loss of life and 
economic damage of windstorms by supporting research and helping to 
translate that research into more effective building codes and 
mitigation programs, but this program needs robust investment to 
achieve that result.
  Unfortunately, this bill includes a lower total authorization level 
than was authorized for this program in fiscal year 2008.
  We have the responsibility, I believe, to assist our constituents 
after a natural disaster occurs, but we also have the responsibility to 
properly support mitigation programs that could reduce the loss of life 
and property damage caused by the next natural disaster.
  Nevertheless, this is an important program that needs 
reauthorization, and I, today, support its passage.
  I want to thank the members of the Science, Space and Technology 
Committee, including Chair Smith, Ranking Member Johnson, and 
Representative Neugebauer, for their hard work on this bill.
  I want to thank the members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation Committee for their hard work as well. It is nice to see 
my colleagues here in the House of Representatives and over in the 
Senate working in a bipartisan, bicameral manner to bring this bill to 
the floor today.
  I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I would like to thank 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Tonko), a member of the Science 
Committee, for his comments and for supporting this piece of 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman 
from Lubbock, Texas (Mr. Neugebauer), a Texas colleague. I want to 
thank him for sponsoring this piece of legislation and look forward to 
its passage today and to its being enacted into law as well.
  Mr. NEUGEBAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support today for my bill, the 
National Windstorm Impact Reduction Act, or NWIRP.
  As I said, I want to thank Chairman Smith. I also want to thank 
Senator John Thune of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation, who helped shepherd this bill through the Senate.
  The United States averages almost 1,300 recorded tornados every year, 
causing over 70 deaths and 1,500 injuries. These storms cost about $400 
million in damage each year, but particularly in a bad year, like 2011, 
wind damage from tornadoes and thunderstorms cost more than $28 
billion. This is a natural and a national disaster.
  When a family loses their home in a windstorm, they don't just have 
to rebuild their house; they have to rebuild their lives as well, and 
we can help these families, and we can help save their lives and, in 
many cases, help save their property through the important research 
that is going on at many universities around the country, including my 
alma mater, Texas Tech University.
  With those families in mind, I introduced NWIRP. NWIRP promotes 
research that helps saves lives, reduce injuries, and lessens damage 
from windstorms.
  As was mentioned by my colleague from New York, we have found that $1 
in investments in the resilience against windstorms can result in $4 in 
savings in a disaster response. Not only are we investing dollars to 
make America safer, but we are also saving the taxpayers in the long 
run.
  Upon passage, this bill will move to the President's desk to be 
signed into law, and I think it is important that we get this bill 
passed as quickly as we can because, again, windstorms can cause a lot 
of damage and can cause the loss of life.
  The more we understand about the dynamics of these windstorms and 
understanding how they interface with different types of building 
materials, the safer and better structures that we are able to build 
and ultimately, in many cases, save lives.
  A lot of important research has been going on. One of the things I 
like about

[[Page H5990]]

this particular piece of legislation is that it brings some 
accountability in making sure that we are investing the dollars in the 
places where we are getting the most bang for the buck for the American 
taxpayers.
  Not only are we looking out for the taxpayers in this bill, but we 
are also looking out for the people, the men and women, that are 
affected by these windstorms. I encourage my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Mr. TONKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, we must help our constituents prepare for and mitigate 
the impacts of windstorms that threaten lives and property. This bill 
reauthorizes a program that would do just that, and I urge its 
adoption.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no other requests from 
Members to speak on this piece of legislation, so 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. For example, in May, the Great Plains had a six-day 
outbreak of tornado activity that affected areas ranging from Colorado 
to Texas and resulted in over 60 injuries and 5 fatalities.
  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 to 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, 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. Also, 
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.
  The House of Representatives passed H.R. 23 at the end of January 
with a vote of 381-39 and sent it to the Senate. During their 
consideration, the Senate made minor changes to the bill, but I am 
happy to report that all of the bipartisan improvements we made to the 
bill remain in H.R. 23.
  I want to thank my fellow Texans--Chairman Smith and Mr. Neugebauer--
for working across the aisle on this bill. I also want to thank the 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee in the Senate for their 
work on this bill.
  This is an important program that needs to be reauthorized. It is 
good to see Members of the House and Senate coming together, working 
out their differences, compromising, and ending up with a bill with 
bipartisan, bicameral 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 
concur in the Senate amendment to the bill, H.R. 23.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the Senate amendment was concurred in.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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