[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 501 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 501
To amend certain laws relating to disaster recovery and relief with
respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 16, 2025
Mr. Edwards (for himself and Ms. Titus) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend certain laws relating to disaster recovery and relief with
respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other
purposes.
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
2025''.
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
(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, 2028.
(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.
<all>