[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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