[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5244-S5245]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3473. Mr. LANKFORD submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 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 end of subtitle F of title X, add the following:
SEC. 1067. PILOT PROGRAM FOR PROPERTY ACQUISITIONS.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs of the Senate; and
(B) the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of
the House of Representatives.
(3) Covered community.--The term ``covered community''
means a local government determined by the Administrator to
be able to meet relevant Federal and State statutory and
regulatory requirements for hazard mitigation assistance--
[[Page S5245]]
(A) with limited assistance from the State in which the
local government is located; and
(B) for which the Administrator received positive feedback
from the State in which the local government is located
relating to eligibility for the pilot program.
(4) Local government; state.--The terms ``local
government'' and ``State'' have the meanings given those
terms in section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122).
(5) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
pilot program established under subsection (b).
(b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a
pilot program under which covered communities may directly
apply to the Administrator for hazard mitigation assistance
for the purposes of property acquisition and structure
demolition or relocation assistance under section 404(b) of
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c(b)).
(c) Selection.--
(1) Considerations.--In determining whether a local
government is a covered community for purposes of the pilot
program, the Administrator shall--
(A) consult with the State in which the local government is
located before determining the suitability of the local
government for the pilot program; and
(B) provide a written justification to the local government
and the State in which the local government is located for
selecting or not selecting the local government for the pilot
program, which shall be based on--
(i) the prior performance and current processes of the
local government relating to property acquisitions and other
hazard mitigation projects;
(ii) the level of need in the local government in
conducting or completing future or ongoing property
acquisition and structure demolition or relocation assistance
projects;
(iii) the risks posed to the local government by inclement
weather; and
(iv) such other matters as the Administrator determines
relevant.
(2) Criteria.--
(A) In general.--The Administrator shall select not more
than 2 local governments from each Federal Emergency
Management Agency region to participate in the pilot program.
(B) Limitation.--Not more than 1 local government shall be
selected from a State within a Federal Emergency Management
Agency region.
(C) Federal register notice.--Not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall
publish in the Federal Register a notice detailing the
requirements for local governments seeking to participate in
the pilot program.
(3) Length of participation.--A covered community may not
participate in the pilot program for a period of more than 48
months.
(d) Annual Report.--The Administrator shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees an annual report on the
effectiveness of the pilot program, which shall include--
(1) a summary of the relevant characteristics of covered
communities selected for the pilot program, including
relevant demographic information, the number of properties in
the covered community participating in the National Flood
Insurance Program, and whether each covered community was
frequently impacted by other, non-flooding-related major
disasters;
(2) a determination of whether the pilot program
significantly expedited the property acquisition process of
the Federal Emergency Management Agency in covered
communities that participated in the pilot program;
(3) an evaluation of the problems, or potential problems,
caused or likely to be caused by permanently allowing covered
communities to directly apply for hazard mitigation
assistance for the purposes of property acquisition and
structure demolition or relocation assistance under section
404(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c(b)), which shall be
informed by--
(A) feedback from covered communities participating in the
pilot program;
(B) the States in which the covered communities
participating in the pilot program are located; and
(C) such other factors as the Administrator determines
relevant; and
(4) an evaluation of whether the pilot program should be
made permanent, ended, or extended for a certain period of
time.
(e) Termination.--The pilot program shall terminate not
later than 8 years after the date on which the Administrator
selects the covered communities for participation in the
pilot program under subsection (c)(2).
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized
to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out
the pilot program.
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