[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 124 (Tuesday, July 30, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5608-S5611]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3204. Mr. PADILLA (for himself and Ms. Murkowski) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 4638, to 
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2025 for military activities 
of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for 
defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military 
personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which 
was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

       DIVISION _--NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS REDUCTION PROGRAM 
                            REAUTHORIZATION

     SEC. __01. SHORT TITLE.

       This division may be cited as the ``National Earthquake 
     Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2024''.

[[Page S5609]]

  


     SEC. __02. MODIFICATION OF FINDINGS.

       Section 2 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7701) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) by striking ``50 States, and the Commonwealth of Puerto 
     Rico,'' and inserting ``States and Tribal jurisdictions'';
       (B) by striking ``of them'' and inserting ``States''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following: ``Almost half of 
     the United States population resides in areas that are at 
     risk or experiencing a damaging earthquake during the 50-year 
     period beginning on the date of the enactment of the National 
     Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 
     2024'';
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) by inserting after the first sentence the following: 
     ``A 2023 report by the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
     and the United States Geological Survey (FEMA P-366) 
     estimates the annualized earthquake losses to the national 
     building stock is $14,700,000,000 per year and the total 
     economic exposure to earthquake losses (buildings and 
     contents) across the nation is $107,800,000,000,000.''; and
       (B) in the third sentence--
       (i) by striking ``and construction'' and inserting ``, 
     construction, evaluation, and retrofitting'';
       (ii) by striking ``and (E)'' and inserting the following: 
     ``(E) inventories of buildings and infrastructure with high 
     seismic risk, especially those that are critical to community 
     resilience, (F) programs that require or incentivize 
     replacement or retrofit of existing buildings and 
     infrastructure with high seismic risk, especially those that 
     are critical to community resilience, and (G)'';
       (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``Tribal,'' after 
     ``local,'';
       (4) in paragraph (4), by striking ``could provide'' and all 
     that follows through the period at the end and inserting ``is 
     necessary to provide the scientific understanding needed to 
     improve and expand the earthquake early warning system.'';
       (5) in paragraph (8), by striking ``cave-ins'' and 
     inserting ``collapse'';
       (6) in paragraph (9)--
       (A) in the first sentence, by striking ``and local'' and 
     inserting ``local, and Tribal government''; and
       (B) in the second sentence, by striking ``transfer 
     knowledge and information to'' and inserting ``exchange 
     knowledge and information between''; and
       (C) in the third sentence, by striking ``specifications, 
     criteria'' and inserting ``guidelines, codes, standards'';
       (7) in paragraph (12)--
       (A) in the second sentence--
       (i) by striking ``When earthquakes occur, the built 
     environment is generally'' and inserting ``Relatively newer 
     buildings and infrastructure have generally been'';
       (ii) by striking ``and is'' and inserting ``when 
     earthquakes occur, but most are''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following: ``In addition, 
     buildings and infrastructure built to older codes and 
     standards may pose significant risk of injury, loss of life, 
     or irreparable damage. A 2021 report submitted to Congress 
     pursuant to section 8(b), as amended by section 5 of the 
     National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization 
     Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-307), by the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency and the National Institute of Standards and 
     Technology (FEMA P2090/NST SP-1254) provides recommendations 
     for improving post-earthquake functional recovery time of the 
     built environment to support community resilience goals and 
     many of these recommendations still need to be 
     implemented.''; and
       (8) in paragraph (13)--
       (A) in the first sentence, by inserting ``in 2011'' after 
     ``a study'';
       (B) in the second sentence, by inserting ``(in 2011 
     dollars)'' after ``$300,000,000''; and
       (C) by adding at the end the following: ``The cost of 
     actual seismic retrofits to reduce known risks is not 
     included in such valuation.''.

     SEC. __03. MODIFICATION OF PURPOSE.

       Section 3 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7702) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1)--
       (A) by striking ``and local'' and inserting ``, local, and 
     Tribal government''; and
       (B) by striking ``locations and structures'' and inserting 
     ``buildings and infrastructure'';
       (2) in paragraph (2)--
       (A) by striking ``and construction'' and inserting ``, 
     construction, evaluation, and retrofitting''; and
       (B) by inserting ``housing and care facilities for 
     vulnerable populations,'' after ``occupancy buildings''; and
       (3) in paragraph (4)--
       (A) by striking ``and local'' and inserting ``, local, and 
     Tribal government''; and
       (B) by striking ``encourage consideration of'' and 
     inserting ``incorporate''.

     SEC. __04. MODIFICATION OF DEFINITIONS.

       Section 4 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7703) is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``, including secondary 
     effects such as earthquake-caused tsunamis''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(11) The term `Tribal government' has the meaning given 
     the term `tribal government' in section in section 421 of the 
     Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (2 U.S.C. 658).
       ``(12) The term `functional recovery' means a post-
     earthquake performance state in which a building or lifeline 
     infrastructure system is maintained, or restored, to safely 
     and adequately support the basic intended functions 
     associated with the pre-earthquake use or occupancy of a 
     building, or the pre-earthquake service level of a lifeline 
     infrastructure system.
       ``(13) The term `earthquake forecast' means a statement of 
     probabilities that 1 or more earthquakes within a clearly 
     specified magnitude range may occur within a specified time 
     interval and geographic region.''.

     SEC. __05. IMPROVEMENTS TO NATIONAL EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS 
                   REDUCTION PROGRAM.

       (a) Program Activities.--Subsection (a)(2) of section 5 of 
     the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 (42 U.S.C. 7704) 
     is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (B)--
       (A) in the matter before clause (i)--
       (i) by striking ``and local'' and inserting ``, local, and 
     Tribal''; and
       (ii) by striking ``and constructing'' and inserting ``, 
     designing, constructing, evaluating, and retrofitting'';
       (B) by amending clause (ii) to read as follows:
       ``(ii) development of standards, guidelines, and voluntary 
     standards, guidelines, and consensus codes for earthquake 
     hazards reduction for buildings, structures, and lifeline 
     infrastructure, including post-earthquake recovery-based 
     performance objectives that address reoccupancy and downtime 
     of community-prioritized buildings, structures, and services 
     provided by lifeline infrastructure;'';
       (C) in clause (iii), by striking ``and hazards reduction; 
     and'' and inserting ``functional recovery, and other hazards 
     reduction topics;'';
       (D) in clause (iv)--
       (i) by inserting ``and maintaining'' after ``publishing'';
       (ii) by inserting ``in coordination with the National 
     Tsunami Hazards Mitigation Program, tsunami susceptibility,'' 
     after ``liquefaction susceptibility,''; and
       (iii) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon; and
       (E) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(v) subject to the availability of funds, development of 
     best practices and guidelines to create an inventory of and 
     conduct seismic performance evaluations of buildings, 
     structures, and lifeline infrastructure with high seismic 
     risk, especially those that are critical to community 
     resilience; and
       ``(vi) subject to the availability of funds, the provision 
     of technical assistance upon request by a State, local, or 
     Tribal government regarding--

       ``(I) the creation of an inventory of buildings, 
     structures, and lifeline infrastructure;
       ``(II) the performance of seismic performance evaluations; 
     and
       ``(III) cost-effective best practices for retrofitting 
     existing buildings, structures, and lifeline 
     infrastructure.'';

       (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``; and'' and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (3) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as subparagraph (E); 
     and
       (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
       ``(D) improve the understanding of--
       ``(i) the multiple hazards associated with earthquakes, 
     including liquefaction, tsunamis, landslides, structural 
     fires, and the compounding effects of climate on these 
     hazards; and
       ``(ii) potential mitigation measures for such hazards; 
     and''.
       (b) Duties of Interagency Coordinating Committee on 
     Earthquake Hazards Reduction.--Subsection (a)(3)(D)(ii) of 
     such section is amended--
       (1) in subclause (V), by inserting ``and associated 
     secondary hazards'' before the period at the end; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:

       ``(VIII) Coordinating with the Chair of the Federal 
     Communications Commission on the timely broadcasting of 
     emergency alerts generated by the earthquake early warning 
     system.''.

       (c) Biennial Report.--Subsection (a)(4)(A) of such section 
     is amended by striking ``under paragraph (3)(D)(i)(I)'' each 
     place it appears and inserting ``under paragraph 
     (3)(D)(ii)(I)''.
       (d) Advisory Committee.--Subsection (a)(5)(A) of such 
     section is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``the Chair of the Scientific Earthquake 
     Studies Advisory Committee and'' after ``including'';
       (2) by striking ``and local government'' and inserting ``, 
     local, and Tribal governments''; and
       (3) by inserting ``social,'' after ``scientific,''.
       (e) Lead Agency for Responsibilities of Program Agencies.--
     Subsection (b)(1) of such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A)--
       (A) by striking ``and local'' and inserting ``local, and 
     Tribal governments''; and
       (B) by striking ``plan and constructing'' and inserting 
     ``planning, designing, constructing, evaluating, and 
     retrofitting'';
       (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as 
     subparagraphs (F) and (G), respectively; and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
       ``(C) improve the understanding of earthquake-caused fires 
     and support the development of engineering tools and 
     construction methods that mitigate the risk of fire following 
     earthquakes;

[[Page S5610]]

       ``(D) develop, in coordination with the Administrator of 
     the Federal Emergency Management Agency, best practices and 
     guidelines for a State, local, or Tribal government to create 
     an inventory of buildings, structures, or lifeline 
     infrastructure that are critical to community resilience or 
     otherwise have high seismic risk;
       ``(E) provide, in coordination with the Administrator of 
     the Federal Emergency Management Agency, technical assistance 
     to a State, local, or Tribal government requesting such 
     assistance with respect to the creation of an inventory of 
     buildings, structures, or lifeline infrastructure;''.
       (f) Responsibilities of Federal Emergency Management 
     Agency.--Subsection (b)(2) of such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (A)--
       (A) in clause (i)--
       (i) by inserting ``and Tribal governments'' after 
     ``States'';
       (ii) by inserting ``and performance evaluations'' after 
     ``safety inspections''; and
       (iii) by inserting ``and improve post-earthquake functional 
     recovery'' after ``seismic safety'';
       (B) in clause (ii), by inserting ``, including Tribal 
     entities,'' after ``appropriate audiences'';
       (C) in clause (iii)--
       (i) by striking ``of seismic resistant'' and inserting ``to 
     all appropriate audiences, including Tribal governments, 
     of''; and
       (ii) by inserting ``that enhance seismic safety, improve 
     post-earthquake functional recovery, and reduce losses from 
     earthquakes'' after ``and lifeline infrastructure'';
       (D) in clause (iv)--
       (i) in striking ``and local'' and inserting ``, local, and 
     Tribal''; and
       (ii) by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
       (E) by redesignating clause (v) as clause (vi); and
       (F) by inserting after clause (iv) the following:
       ``(v) shall provide technical assistance to State, local, 
     or Tribal governmental entities in the creation of evacuation 
     plans in the event of an earthquake, landslide, tsunami, or 
     other earthquake-related hazard; and''; and
       (2) in subparagraph (B)--
       (A) in the subparagraph heading, by inserting ``and 
     tribal'' after ``State'';
       (B) in the matter before clause (i), by inserting ``or 
     Tribal government'' after ``State''; and
       (C) in clause (i), by striking ``safety'' and inserting 
     ``performance, community resilience, or public awareness''.
       (g) Responsibilities of United States Geological Survey.--
     Subsection (b)(3) of such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and local'' and 
     inserting ``, local, and Tribal'';
       (2) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``, the Chair of the 
     Federal Communications Commission,'' after ``Agency'';
       (3) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (K) as 
     subparagraphs (L) through (Q), respectively;
       (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following:
       ``(D) coordinate with the Administrator of the National 
     Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Administrator 
     of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on data sharing 
     and resource allocation to support a timely response to 
     oceanic earthquakes and tsunamis;
       ``(E) in consultation with the Chair of the Federal 
     Communications Commission, ensure that earthquake alerts and 
     early warnings are broadcast as rapidly and reliably as 
     possible, in the predominant languages in the affected 
     region, to ensure maximum warning time for nearby persons;
       ``(F) expand the earthquake early warning system within and 
     to additional high risk hazard areas, including making 
     improvements as practicable to improve detection and increase 
     the time between warning messages and perceptible ground 
     motion;
       ``(G) coordinating with affected State and Tribal 
     governments on earthquake early warning system improvements;
       ``(H) issue earthquake forecasts, when appropriate, for 
     aftershocks associated with significant earthquakes in the 
     United States;'';
       (5) in subparagraph (I), as redesignated by paragraph (3), 
     by inserting ``the Chair of the Federal Communications 
     Commission,'' after ``Agency,'';
       (6) in subparagraph (L), as redesignated by paragraph (3), 
     by striking ``; and'' and inserting a semicolon;
       (7) in subparagraph (M), as redesignated by paragraph (3), 
     by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
     and
       (8) in subparagraph (O), as redesignated by paragraph (3), 
     by inserting ``maps of natural hazards associated with 
     earthquakes and''.
       (h) Responsibilities of National Science Foundation.--
     Subsection (b)(4)(A) of such section is amended--
       (1) in clause (iii), by inserting ``including updated 
     tsunami and liquefaction risk maps,''; and
       (2) in clause (vii), by striking ``Historically Black 
     Colleges and Universities and those serving large proportions 
     of Hispanics, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, and 
     other underrepresented populations'' and inserting 
     ``institutions described in section 371(a) of the Higher 
     Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a))''.

     SEC. __06. SEISMIC PERFORMANCE PROPERTY STANDARDS.

       Section 947 of the Cranston-Gonzales National Affordable 
     Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 7704a) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``safety'' both places 
     it appears and inserting ``performance''; and
       (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``shake-related property 
     damage'' and inserting ``seismic-related property damage to 
     improve the post-earthquake functional recovery time''.

     SEC. __07. SEISMIC STANDARDS.

       Section 8 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7705b) is amended--
       (1) in subsection (b), by striking ``under paragraph (1)'' 
     and inserting ``under subsection (a)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(c) Implementation of Recommendations.--Each Program 
     agency, as part of their Program responsibilities, shall 
     execute research, projects, grants, and other activities that 
     support, promote, advance, or otherwise implement the 
     recommendations in the report submitted pursuant to 
     subsection (b) to improve the performance of the built 
     environment in terms of post-earthquake reoccupancy and 
     functional recovery time.
       ``(d) Biennial Reports.--
       ``(1) Biennial reports to interagency coordinating 
     committee.--No later than September 30, 2025, and not less 
     frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, each Program 
     agency shall submit to the Interagency Coordinating Committee 
     a report on activities and progress made to support, promote, 
     or advance the implementation of the recommendations included 
     in the report submitted pursuant to subsection (b).
       ``(2) Inclusion in biennial reports of interagency 
     coordinating committee.--The Interagency Coordinating 
     Committee shall include the information received under 
     paragraph (1) in each biennial report submitted under section 
     5(a)(4), including consideration of a prioritized work plan 
     to coordinate activities among the Program agencies and the 
     necessary Program budget to fully implement the 
     recommendations described in paragraph (1).''.

     SEC. __08. IMPROVEMENTS TO POST-EARTHQUAKE INVESTIGATIONS 
                   PROGRAM.

       Section 11 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7705e) is amended, in the matter before paragraph 
     (1)--
       (1) in the first sentence, by inserting ``domestic and 
     international'' after ``investigate major''; and
       (2) in the fifth sentence, by inserting ``Federal Emergency 
     Management'' before ``Agency''.

     SEC. __09. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) General Authorization for Program.--Subsection (a)(8) 
     of section 12 of the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 
     (42 U.S.C. 7706) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``, and'' and 
     inserting a comma; and
       (2) by inserting after subparagraph (J) the following:
       ``(K) $10,590,000 for fiscal year 2024,
       ``(L) $10,590,000 for fiscal year 2025,
       ``(M) $10,590,000 for fiscal year 2026,
       ``(N) $10,590,000 for fiscal year 2027, and
       ``(O) $10,590,000 for fiscal year 2028,''.
       (b) United States Geological Survey.--Subsection (b)(2) of 
     such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``; and'' and 
     inserting a semicolon;
       (2) in subparagraph (J), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a semicolon; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(K) $100,900,000 for fiscal year 2024, of which not less 
     than $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
     the Advanced National Seismic System established under 
     section 13;
       ``(L) $100,900,000 for fiscal year 2025, of which not less 
     than $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
     the Advanced National Seismic System established under 
     section 13;
       ``(M) $100,900,000 for fiscal year 2026, of which not less 
     than $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
     the Advanced National Seismic System established under 
     section 13;
       ``(N) $100,900,000 for fiscal year 2027, of which not less 
     than $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
     the Advanced National Seismic System established under 
     section 13; and
       ``(O) $100,900,000 for fiscal year 2028, of which not less 
     than $36,000,000 shall be made available for completion of 
     the Advanced National Seismic System established under 
     section 13.''.
       (c) National Science Foundation.--Subsection (c)(2) of such 
     section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``, and'' and 
     inserting a comma;
       (2) in subparagraph (J), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a comma; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(K) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2024,
       ``(L) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2025,
       ``(M) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2026,
       ``(N) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2027, and
       ``(O) $58,000,000 for fiscal year 2028.''.
       (d) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--
     Subsection (d)(2) of such section is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (I), by striking ``, and'' and 
     inserting a comma;
       (2) in subparagraph (J), by striking the period at the end 
     and inserting a comma; and
       (3) by inserting after subparagraph (J) the following:

[[Page S5611]]

       ``(K) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2024,
       ``(L) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2025,
       ``(M) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2026,
       ``(N) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2027, and
       ``(O) $5,900,000 for fiscal year 2028,''.
                                 ______