[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 203 (Monday, December 11, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H6754-H6756]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PROMOTING RESILIENT BUILDINGS ACT OF 2023

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 5473) to amend certain laws relating to disaster 
recovery and relief with respect to the implementation of building 
codes, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5473

       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 ``Promoting Resilient 
     Buildings Act of 2023''.

     SEC. 2. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION.

       Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
     Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:
       ``(m) Latest Published Editions.--For purposes of 
     subsections (e)(1)(B)(iv) and (g)(10), the term `latest 
     published editions' means, with respect to relevant 
     consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards, the 2 
     most recently published editions.''.

     SEC. 3. HAZARD MITIGATION REVOLVING LOAN FUND PROGRAM.

       Section 205(f)(5) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
     and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5135(f)(5)) is 
     amended--
       (1) in the paragraph heading by striking ``Establishing'' 
     and insert ``Implementing'';
       (2) by striking ``establish'' and insert ``implement'';
       (3) by inserting ``2'' after ``latest''; and

[[Page H6755]]

       (4) by inserting ``, including any amendments made by 
     State, local, Tribal, or territorial governments to such 
     codes, specifications, and standards,'' after ``standards''.

     SEC. 4. RESIDENTIAL RETROFIT AND RESILIENCE PILOT PROGRAM.

       (a) Establishment.--The Administrator of the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency shall carry out a residential 
     resilience pilot program through the program established 
     under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
     and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) to make 
     available assistance to States and local governments for the 
     purpose of providing grants to individuals for residential 
     resilience retrofits.
       (b) Amount of Funds.--The Administrator may use not more 
     than 10 percent of the assistance made available to 
     applicants on an annual basis under section 203 of the Robert 
     T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5133) to provide assistance under this section.
       (c) Timeline.--The Administrator shall establish the pilot 
     program under this section not later than 1 year after the 
     date of enactment of this Act and the program shall terminate 
     on September 30, 2026.
       (d) Priority.--In carrying out the pilot program under this 
     section, the Administrator shall ensure that a State or local 
     government receiving assistance under the program provides 
     grants to individuals that demonstrate financial need.
       (e) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the 
     Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House 
     of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report that includes--
       (1) a summary of the grant awards and projects carried out 
     under this section;
       (2) a detailed compilation of results achieved by the grant 
     awards and projects carried out under this section, including 
     the number of homes receiving retrofits, the types and 
     average costs of retrofits, demographic information for 
     participants in the program, and estimate avoidance in 
     disaster impacts and Federal disaster payments as a result of 
     the grant investments; and
       (3) any identified implementation challenges and 
     recommendations for improvements to the pilot program.
       (f) Applicability.--This section shall only apply to 
     amounts appropriated on or after the date of enactment of 
     this Act.
       (g) Residential Resilient Retrofits Defined.--
       (1) In general.--In this section, the term ``residential 
     resilient retrofits'' means a project that--
       (A) is designed to increase the resilience of an existing 
     home or residence using mitigation measures which the 
     administrator determines reduce damage and impacts from 
     natural disaster hazards and risks that are most likely to 
     occur in the area where the home is located; and
       (B) to the extent applicable, are consistent with the 2 
     most recently published editions of relevant consensus-based 
     codes, specifications, and standards, including any 
     amendments made by State, local, tribal, or territorial 
     governments to such codes, specifications, and standards that 
     incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs and establish 
     criteria for the design, construction, and maintenance of 
     residential structures and facilities that may be eligible 
     for assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
     and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) for the 
     purpose of protecting the health, safety, and general welfare 
     of the buildings' users against disasters.
       (2) Inclusion.--In this section, the term ``residential 
     resilient retrofits'' includes--
       (A) elevations of homes and elevations of utilities within 
     and around structures to mitigate damages;
       (B) floodproofing measures;
       (C) the construction of tornado safe rooms;
       (D) seismic retrofits;
       (E) wildfire retrofit and mitigation measures;
       (F) wind retrofits, including roof replacements, hurricane 
     straps, and tie-downs; and
       (G) any other measures that meet the requirements of 
     paragraph (1), as determined by the Administrator.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Missouri (Mr. Graves) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material into the Record on H.R. 5473, 
as amended.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Missouri?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first, I thank the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Edwards) for introducing H.R. 5473, the Promoting Resilient Buildings 
Act of 2023.
  H.R. 5473 cuts red tape and improves resiliency against disasters by 
making a technical correction to the Stafford Act and extending the 
building code of 2018, which expired earlier this year.
  This bill ensures that there is flexibility in how the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, applies definitions for building 
codes and promotes individual States' abilities to consider what is 
best for their communities.

                              {time}  1515

  This bill also supports homeowners in mitigating against future 
disasters through a pilot program intended to test and analyze whether 
such assistance will help reduce future costs and save some lives.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5473. This bill, introduced by 
Representatives Edwards and Norcross, would provide FEMA, the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, with greater flexibility when 
incentivizing the use of hazard-resistant building codes in its 
predisaster mitigation programs.
  Current law directs FEMA to only consider the latest edition of 
building codes when implementing predisaster mitigation programs. This 
legislation will allow FEMA to consider the latest two editions of 
codes. The additional flexibility will help States and communities that 
are struggling to adapt to frequent changes in building codes.
  Thanks to an amendment offered by Ranking Member Titus and adopted at 
markup, this bill now includes a pilot program within FEMA's Building 
Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program called BRIC--not to be 
confused with Brazil, Russia, India, and China--making it possible to 
fund individual home retrofits for the purpose of disaster resilience.
  The severity of disasters has skyrocketed in recent years, putting 
homeowners at serious risk. Implementing recommended mitigation 
measures could make the difference between a family losing their home 
and life savings or being able to stay safe and continue their daily 
routines post-disaster.
  This pilot program will ensure financial barriers do not stand in the 
way of making homes safer, so no family is left behind. Homeowners 
might leverage this pilot to make the roof less flammable and more 
resilient to wildfires and remove overhanging branches to reduce the 
risk of damage from severe storms or build a tornado-safe room.
  These measures may also come with the added benefit of reduced 
insurance premiums. Having a home is very important in America, so it 
is critical that we support ways to lower premiums and make homes more 
insurable as disaster risk and insurance costs are ballooning.
  The House passed the language in this bipartisan bill on suspension 
in the 117th Congress. I look forward to passing this measure today to 
improve implementation of predisaster mitigation programs and make 
homes more resilient to disaster.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join 
with the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) and me as we support this 
legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the 
gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Edwards), a former T&I Committee 
member.
  Mr. EDWARDS. Mr. Speaker, I thank my bipartisan co-lead, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Norcross) for his partnership on this 
act.
  Building codes regulate new construction and major renovations, 
setting minimum standards for homes and commercial structures to 
withstand natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, or, in 
the case of western North Carolina communities, flooding.
  In 2018, the Disaster Recovery Reform Act brought consistency to the 
home building industry by establishing the definition of building codes 
as they relate to hazard mitigation to include the latest two published 
editions of relevant codes, specifications, and standards. This 
definition, however, will sunset in October. Left unresolved, FEMA can 
revert the definition to the single latest edition of codes.
  My bill, the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act of 2023, will codify 
the

[[Page H6756]]

definition to mean the two latest published editions of building codes, 
which is expected to prevent significant administrative burdens on 
States and local municipalities responsible for producing hazard 
mitigation plans, reduce burdensome regulations on trade industries 
responsible for adapting their techniques to meet new building 
standards and codes, and to support stabilized building costs that 
would otherwise be interrupted by frequently changing building codes 
and rising construction costs.
  Using the latest two editions of building codes does not jeopardize 
home resilience and will continue to ensure our communities are 
prepared for disaster if it ever strikes.
  Additionally, the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act, as amended, 
establishes a pilot program to fund individual resilient home retrofits 
with FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, 
program.
  In order to increase disaster mitigation among States, it is 
imperative we expand program flexibility. This expansion includes 
providing opportunities for individual homeowners to access prehazard 
mitigation funding to minimize the impact of natural disasters. I thank 
the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus) for her amendment, as reported 
by the committee, to provide this important flexibility.
  Ultimately, Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues support this bill, 
which is important to homebuilders and community members through NC-11 
and across the Nation.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to ping-pong this back and 
forth. I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GRAVES of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my 
time to close.
  This bill extends the current building code definition set in the 
Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to allow greater flexibility for 
States and local governments, ultimately ensuring that disaster victims 
have an easier time rebuilding after a disaster.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this legislation, and I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5473, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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