[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
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(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
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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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