[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 81 (Wednesday, May 13, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2280-S2281]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
STATEMENT ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS
By Ms. DUCKWORTH:
S. 4514. A bill to provide funding to the Bureau of Prisons, States,
and localities to carry out mental health screenings and provide
referrals to mental health care providers for certain corrections
officers; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Ms. DUCKWORTH. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the
Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act of 2026. This
critical legislation honors the memory of an Illinoisan who should
still be with us today by taking action to address a crisis unfolding
inside our Federal, State and local correctional facilities in Illinois
and across the country.
Blake Schwarz was a corrections officer at the Federal Correctional
Institution in Thomson, IL. He was proud of the work he did every day
to keep his community and his colleagues safe. In 2023, Blake died by
suicide, leaving behind his wife Michelle and never getting the chance
to witness the wonderful smile of his soon-to-be-born daughter. I am
heartbroken that Michelle and her family must live with the aftermath
of a loss that was preventable.
I had the privilege of sitting down with Michelle last year. She did
not come to my office looking for sympathy. She came to make sure that
Blake was not just a statistic. She came to make sure no other family
in this country has to endure what hers has endured. The legislation I
am introducing today is the direct result of her advocacy, the advocacy
of Blake's colleagues at FCI Thomson, and the advocacy of law
enforcement professionals across our country who refuse to let their
colleagues feel abandoned to take on the struggles of mental health
alone.
We ask our law enforcement officers to do a job that few Americans
understand and even fewer are willing to do themselves. The job is
extremely difficult and physically and mentally demanding. Corrections
officers in this country die by suicide at a rate estimated to be as
much as seven times higher than the rate for the general population.
More than one in three corrections officers live with post-traumatic
stress disorder, and far too often, corrections officers struggle with
their mental health alone because of a culture that stigmatizes any
perception of weakness and a fear that they will lose their job if they
do seek treatment. This fear and stigma keep people silent.
The Corrections Officer Blake Schwarz Suicide Prevention Act gives
corrections officers, who risk their lives every day, access to the
mental health care they deserve that aids their critical work and
prevents tragedies. With my legislation, corrections officers will have
readily accessible mental health care both on and off duty. It also
confronts the fear and stigma that keep officers silent by guaranteeing
that an officer's badge will never be on the line because that public
safety officer sought appropriate care for a mental health issue.
Blake Schwarz is gone, and nothing we do here will bring him back.
But it is my honor and privilege to introduce this legislation to
ensure that his name is attached not to another statistic but to a law
that saves lives. I commend Michelle and all the dedicated men and
women of FCI Thomson for their bravery, hard work, and steadfast
advocacy. I urge every one of my colleagues to take Blake's story as a
painful reminder that we must do better for our corrections officers
and prevent future tragedies.
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By Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Ms. Duckworth):
S. 4515. A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping
of urban flooding and associated property damage and the availability
of that mapped data to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help
understand and mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other
purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of
the bill be printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 4515
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 ``Flood Mapping Modernization
and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FLOOD MAPPING MODERNIZATION AND HOMEOWNER EMPOWERMENT
PILOT PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2) Coastal.--The term ``coastal'' means, with respect to a
unit of general local government, that the unit borders a
body of water that--
(A) is more than 2,000 square miles in size; and
(B) is not a river.
(3) Pelagic.--The term ``pelagic'' means, with respect to a
unit of general local government, that--
(A) the unit is a coastal unit; and
(B) the body of water that the unit borders is--
(i) an ocean; or
(ii) a large, open body of water, including a bay or a
gulf, that empties into an ocean.
(4) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
pilot program carried out by the Administrator under this
section.
(5) Urban flooding.--The term ``urban flooding''--
(A) means the inundation, by water, of property in a built
environment, particularly in a densely populated area, that--
(i) is caused by falling rain--
(I) collecting on an impervious surface; or
(II) increasing the level of a body of water that is
located near that built environment; and
(ii) overwhelms the capacity of drainage systems in the
built environment, such as storm sewers;
(B) includes--
(i) a situation in which stormwater enters a building
through a window, door, or other opening;
(ii) the backup of water through a sewer pipe, shower,
toilet, sink, or floor drain;
(iii) the seepage of water through a wall or a floor;
(iv) the accumulation of water on property or a public
right-of-way; and
(v) the overflow from a body of water, such as a river,
lake, or ocean; and
(C) does not include flooding in an undeveloped or
agricultural area.
(6) Urbanized area.--The term ``urbanized area'' means an
area that has been defined and designated as an urbanized
area by the Bureau of the Census during the most recently
completed decennial census.
(b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a
pilot program to make grants to units of local government
to--
(1) enhance the production of maps relating to urban
flooding and associated property damage; and
(2) increase the availability of the maps described in
paragraph (1) to homeowners, businesses, and units of local
government to enable those entities to minimize the risk of
urban flooding.
(c) Objectives.--Amounts from grants made under the pilot
program may be used only to carry out activities that meet
the following objectives:
(1) Developing a methodology for assessing the risk of
urban flooding through the deployment of technology-based
mapping tools that--
(A) are easily understandable by the public; and
(B) effectively convey information regarding the level of
flood risk.
(2) Providing structure-specific projections of annual
chance flood frequency.
(3) Providing structure-based flood risk assessments.
(4) Providing program design for the mitigation of the risk
of urban flooding.
(5) Incorporating information regarding climate trends into
urban flooding risk assessments.
(6) Making the information described in this subsection
publicly available on the internet through a web-based portal
so as to increase transparency regarding homeowner flood
risks.
(d) Eligible Recipients.--
(1) In general.--A grant under the pilot program may be
made only to--
(A) a unit of general local government that is located in
an urbanized area with a population of more than 50,000
individuals; or
(B) a stormwater management authority of a unit of general
local government described in subparagraph (A).
(2) One-time grants.--A grant under the pilot program may
not be made to--
(A) any unit of general local governmental, or the
stormwater management authority of a unit of general local
government, that previously received a grant under the pilot
program;
(B) any unit of general local government if the stormwater
management agency for that unit previously received a grant
under the pilot program; or
[[Page S2281]]
(C) any stormwater management agency of a unit of general
local government if that unit previously received a grant
under the pilot program.
(3) Treatment of certain stormwater management
authorities.--
(A) In general.--In the case of a stormwater management
authority that operates with respect to more than 1 unit of
general local government, the application of that authority
shall be considered for purposes of paragraph (2) of this
subsection and subsections (f), (g), and (h)(1) to be made
for the largest unit of general local government with respect
to which that authority operates.
(B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in subparagraph (A) may
be construed to limit the ability of a stormwater management
authority described in that subparagraph to carry out
activities under a demonstration project in any other
jurisdiction in, or with respect to any other unit of local
government with, which that authority operates.
(e) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under the
pilot program, a unit of general local government or a
stormwater management agency shall submit to the
Administrator an application in such form and containing such
information as the Administrator shall require.
(f) Selection of Recipients.--
(1) Annual selection.--Subject to paragraph (2), and to the
submission of approvable applications, in each fiscal year
for which amounts are made available for grants under the
pilot program, the Administrator shall select, from among
applications submitted under subsection (e) for that fiscal
year, 3 units of general government or stormwater management
authorities to receive grants under the pilot program.
(2) Aggregate limit.--Subject only to the submission of
approvable applications, the Administrator shall select, in
the aggregate over the entire duration of the pilot program,
12 units of general government or stormwater management
authorities to receive grants under the pilot program, as
follows:
(A) Tier 1.--Three of the applicants selected shall be
units of general local government, or stormwater management
authorities for those units, each of which has a population
of more than 800,000 individuals, as follows:
(i) Pelagic coastal city.--One shall be--
(I) a unit of general local government that is a pelagic
unit; or
(II) a stormwater authority for a unit described in
subclause (I).
(ii) Non-pelagic coastal city.--One shall be--
(I) a unit of general local government that--
(aa) is a coastal unit; and
(bb) is not a pelagic unit; or
(II) a stormwater authority for a unit described in
subclause (I).
(iii) Non-coastal city.--One shall be--
(I) a unit of general local government that is not a
coastal unit; or
(II) a stormwater authority for a unit described in
subclause (I).
(B) Tier 2.--Six of the applicants selected shall be units
of general local government, or stormwater management
authorities for those units, each of which has a population
of more than 200,000 individuals and not more than 800,000
individuals, as follows:
(i) Coastal cities.--Three shall be--
(I) units of general local government that are coastal
units; or
(II) stormwater management authorities for units described
in subclause (I).
(ii) Non-coastal cities.--Three shall be--
(I) units of general local government that are not coastal
units; or
(II) stormwater management authorities for units described
in subclause (I).
(C) Tier 3.--Three of the applicants selected shall be--
(i) units of general local government, each of which has a
population of more than 50,000 individuals and not more than
200,000 individuals; or
(ii) stormwater management authorities for units described
in clause (i).
(g) Priority.--
(1) In general.--The Administrator shall select applicants
for grants under the pilot program based on the extent to
which the applications of those applicants shall achieve the
objectives described in subsection (c).
(2) Tiers 2 and 3.--In selecting applicants to receive
grants under the pilot program under subparagraphs (B) and
(C) of subsection (f)(2), the Administrator shall give
priority to applicants--
(A) that are highly vulnerable to sea level rise;
(B) within which are located a military installation or
another facility relating to national security concerns; or
(C) that have--
(i) populations that are highly vulnerable to urban
flooding; and
(ii) an uneven capacity for flood mitigation and response
efforts resulting from socioeconomic factors.
(h) Amount.--
(1) Considerations.--In determining the amount of a grant
under the pilot program, the Administrator shall consider the
population of the grant recipient, which may be considered in
terms of the tier under subsection (f)(2) with respect to the
recipient.
(2) Federal share.--The amount of a grant under the pilot
program may not exceed 75 percent of the total cost incurred
in carrying out the activities described in subsection (c).
(i) Duration.--The Administrator shall require each
recipient of a grant under the pilot program to complete the
activities described in subsection (c), which shall be,
subject to subsection (h)(2), carried out using the grant
amounts, not later than 18 months after the date on which the
recipient initially receives the grant amounts under the
pilot program.
(j) Use of Census Data.--The Administrator shall make all
determinations regarding population under the pilot program
by using data from the most recently completed decennial
census by the Bureau of the Census.
(k) Grantee Reports to FEMA.--Each recipient of a grant
under the pilot program shall, not later than 30 months after
the date on which the recipient initially receives the grant
amounts, submit to the Administrator a report that
describes--
(1) the activities carried out with the grant amounts;
(2) how the activities carried out with the grant amounts
have met the objectives described in subsection (c);
(3) any lessons learned in carrying out the activities
described in paragraph (2); and
(4) any recommendations for future mapping modernization
efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(l) Biennial Reports by FEMA.--Not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently
than once every 2 years thereafter until the date on which
all activities carried out with amounts from grants under the
pilot program are completed, the Administrator shall submit
to Congress and make available to the public on an internet
website a report that--
(1) describes--
(A) the progress of the activities carried out with amounts
from those grants; and
(B) the effectiveness of technology-based mapping tools
used in carrying out the activities described in subparagraph
(A); and
(2) with respect to the final report that the Administrator
is required to submit under this subsection, includes
recommendations to Congress and the executive branch of the
Federal Government for implementing strategies, practices,
and technologies to mitigate the effects of urban flooding.
(m) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that,
because the pilot program is limited with respect to scope
and resources, communities that participate in the pilot
program should acknowledge that the most successful efforts
to mitigate the effects of urban flooding--
(1) take a structural-based mitigation approach with
respect to construction, which includes--
(A) recognizing any post-storm damage that may occur; and
(B) pursuing designs that proactively minimize future flood
damage;
(2) make individuals in the community aware, through any
cost-effective and available means of education, of the best
approaches regarding the construction of properties that are
able to survive floods, which reduces the cost of future
repairs; and
(3) encourage home and property owners to consider the
measures described in paragraphs (1) and (2), which are the
most cost-effective and prudent ways to reduce the impact of
flooding, when constructing or renovating building
components.
(n) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated for
grants under the pilot program--
(1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
(2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2028, to remain available
through fiscal year 2030.
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