Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act

119 HR 403 IH: Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act U.S. House of Representatives 2025-01-14 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. I 119th CONGRESS1st Session H. R. 403

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 14, 2025 Mr. Swalwell introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL To enhance predisaster mitigation to prevent future natural disasters, and for other purposes.

1.Short titleThis Act may be cited as the Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act.

2.DefinitionsSection 203(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(a)) is amended to read as follows: (a)DefinitionsIn this section, the following definitions apply: (1)High hazard riskThe term high hazard risk means high rating of a natural hazard risk according to a tool such as the National Risk Index or another tool developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. (2)Environmental justice communityThe term environmental justice community means a community primarily composed of communities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal and indigenous communities, that experiences, or is at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse human health or environmental effects than most communities. (3)Small impoverished communityThe term small impoverished community means a community that is comprised of 50,000 or fewer individuals and that is economically disadvantaged, as determined by the State in which the community is located and based on criteria established by the President. .

3.Technical assistanceSection 203(e) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following: (3)GuidanceThe Administrator may develop guidance regarding how to incorporate climate change into— (A)the National Risk Index; (B)cost-benefit analyses; and (C)adopting improved relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards to address natural hazards. (4)Building, restoration, or rehabilitationThe Administrator may issue guidance to ensure that funds provided under this section are used to support the building, restoration, or rehabilitation of hazard mitigation projects that are— (A)planned and designed around the future projections of climate change over the life cycle of the project; and (B)built to withstand future flooding, wildfires, or other natural disasters..

4.Criteria for assistance awardsSection 203(g) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(g)) is amended— (1)by striking and at the end of paragraph (11); (2)by redesignating paragraph (12) as paragraph (13); and (3)by inserting after paragraph (11) the following: (12)and prioritize communities that are in high hazard risk communities, environmental justice communities, communities with low tax revenue base per capita, and communities with a low rate of code adoption and enforcement and infrastructure maintenance expenditures (the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall establish guidelines to develop measurable criteria to determine such priority for high hazard risk communities and integrate the data into a tool such as the National Risk Index and use the Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool to help target the communities with the greatest need of assistance); and.

5.Federal shareSection 203(h)(2)) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(h)(2)) is amended to read as follows: (2)Small impoverished communities and environment justice communitiesNotwithstanding paragraph (1), the President may contribute up to 90 percent of the total cost of a mitigation activity carried out in a small impoverished community or an environmental justice community..

6.National public infrastructure predisaster mitigation assistanceSection 203(i)(1) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(i)(1)) is amended— (1)by striking 6 percent and inserting 15 percent; and (2)by adding at the end the following: From such total amount made available from the Disaster Relief Fund, with respect to each major disaster, the President may set aside 2 percent of the estimated aggregate amount of the grants to be made pursuant to sections 403, 406, 407, 408, 410, 416, and 428 for the major disaster for community planning and capacity building assistance..

7.Community outreachSection 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)Community outreach assistanceThe Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, in collaboration with organizations, such as the United States Cooperative Extension System and the Extension Disaster Education Network, shall provide community outreach to communities under this section, with a goal of increasing applications from communities with high hazard risk, environmental justice communities, communities with low tax revenue base per capita, and communities with a low rate of code adoption and enforcement and infrastructure maintenance expenditures, regarding how to plan and prioritize projects based on current climate conditions, future hazard risk, and social vulnerability assessments as well as how to successfully develop, submit, and administer a grant under this section..

8.Improved data collectionNot later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall establish a central Federal database at the Agency, in coordination with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environment Protection Agency, the Economic Development Administration, the Small Business Administration, the Army Corps of Engineers, and any other relevant agencies the Administrator chooses to include, to consolidate funding data collected by all local, State, and Federal agencies involved in post-disaster response and predisaster mitigation spending and categorize the data by type of project, funding source, and hazard types using an user friendly database and interactive map. Such database shall also include— (1)the collection and posting of census track data and post aggregate demographic data, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) as well as any future guidance by such office on data equity on the impact of natural disaster and Federal recovery efforts to better allocate and trace funds; and (2)post-project evaluations by the Agency to analyze disaster spending and report findings on what may have been saved by proper predisaster mitigation.