Preparedness and Risk Management for Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience Act of 2014 or the PREPARE Act of 2014 - Directs the President to establish the Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resiliency, Preparedness, and Risk Management (Council), co-chaired by an employee of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to provide administrative support and additional resources to the Council.
Requires the Council to establish government-wide goals and priorities for extreme weather preparedness and risk management.
Requires each agency to submit biannually to OMB and to the Council a comprehensive plan that integrates extreme weather into its operations and overall objectives.
Requires the United States Global Change Research Program to designate a participating agency to maintain an Internet website providing extreme weather preparedness information.
Directs the Council to publish biannually an inventory of all regional agency offices, centers, and programs that assist with extreme weather preparedness and risk management at the municipal level.
Requires annual agency performance plans to include the most recent agency extreme weather plan.
[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5314 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5314
To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the Federal
Government's planning and preparation for extreme weather, and the
Federal Government's dissemination of best practices to respond to
extreme weather, thereby increasing resiliency, improving regional
coordination, and mitigating the financial risk to the Federal
Government from such extreme weather.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 31, 2014
Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Blumenauer, Mr. Capuano, Mr. Cole, Mr.
Dent, Mr. Doggett, Mr. Grimm, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Mr. Holt, Mr.
Honda, Mr. Huffman, Mr. Loebsack, Ms. Pingree of Maine, Mr. Young of
Alaska, Ms. Norton, Mr. Peters of California, and Mr. Fitzpatrick)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on
Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 31, United States Code, to enhance the Federal
Government's planning and preparation for extreme weather, and the
Federal Government's dissemination of best practices to respond to
extreme weather, thereby increasing resiliency, improving regional
coordination, and mitigating the financial risk to the Federal
Government from such extreme weather.
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 ``Preparedness and Risk Management for
Extreme Weather Patterns Assuring Resilience Act of 2014'' or the
``PREPARE Act of 2014''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) For the first time in history, the Government
Accountability Office included the need to address extreme
weather in its 2013 High Risk List by declaring that this
complex, cross-cutting issue ``presents a significant financial
risk to the federal government''.
(2) The United States has sustained 151 weather-related
disasters since 1980 where overall costs reached or exceeded $1
billion, with a total cost exceeding $1 trillion.
(3) In 2012, the Federal Government spent nearly $100
billion because of droughts, storms, floods, and forest fires,
and the costs of extreme weather in the United States totaled
almost 1 percent of the Nation's gross domestic product.
(4) Every dollar spent on hazard mitigation brings a $4
return on investment.
(5) The Federal Government has a number of non-permanent
efforts underway to address extreme weather, including those
outlined in Executive Order 13514, in Executive Order 13653, in
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 20, in Presidential
Policy Directive 8, and in individual Agency Adaptation Plans.
(6) The Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force
recommendations included taking a resiliency approach to
planning, design, and rebuilding in order to mitigate impacts
of future extreme weather-related events.
(7) In order to help communities plan for future extreme
weather-related events, the National League of Cities urges the
Federal Government to provide financial and technical
assistance to help local governments assess vulnerabilities and
mitigate such future events and to share best practices and
resiliency strategies.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS RELATING TO EXTREME WEATHER RESILIENCY,
PREPAREDNESS, AND RISK MANAGEMENT.
(a) In General.--Subtitle VI of title 31, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after chapter 97 the following new chapter:
``CHAPTER 99--EXTREME WEATHER RESILIENCY, PREPAREDNESS, AND RISK
MANAGEMENT
``subchapter i--strategic planning for extreme weather resiliency,
preparedness, and risk management
``Sec.
``9901. Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resiliency,
Preparedness, and Risk Management.
``9902. Agency planning for extreme weather-related risks.
``subchapter ii--assistance in identifying the best available science
and extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management best
practices
``9911. USGCRP Web site.
``9912. Adequate funding.
``subchapter iii--regional coordination
``9921. Inventory.
``9922. Meetings.
``9923. Progress reports.
``subchapter iv--definitions
``9931. Definitions.
``SUBCHAPTER I--STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR EXTREME WEATHER RESILIENCY,
PREPAREDNESS, AND RISK MANAGEMENT
``Sec. 9901. Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resiliency,
Preparedness, and Risk Management
``(a) Establishment.--The President shall establish a council to be
known as the `Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resiliency,
Preparedness, and Risk Management'.
``(b) Membership.--The Interagency Council shall be composed of--
``(1) the Chairman of the Council on Environmental Quality;
``(2) the Director of the Office of Science and Technology
Policy;
``(3) the Assistant to the President for Homeland Security
and Counterterrorism;
``(4) the employee of the Office of Management and Budget
in the position established under subsection (c)(2), or a
designee of such employee; and
``(5) other members as appointed by the President who are
agency representatives at the Assistant Secretary (or
equivalent) level or above, including--
``(A) a representative from--
``(i) the Department of Transportation;
``(ii) the Environmental Protection Agency;
``(iii) the Department of Energy; and
``(iv) the Department of Homeland Security;
and
``(B) representatives who have policy expertise and
policy responsibilities in the areas of--
``(i) economic policy;
``(ii) foreign affairs;
``(iii) defense and intelligence;
``(iv) homeland security;
``(v) energy;
``(vi) environmental protection;
``(vii) natural resources;
``(viii) coasts, oceans, rivers, and
floodplains;
``(ix) agriculture;
``(x) health;
``(xi) transportation, infrastructure, or
housing;
``(xii) education;
``(xiii) extreme weather data analysis or
meteorological science;
``(xiv) social science;
``(xv) strategic planning; and
``(xvi) other areas the President
determines appropriate.
``(c) Co-Chairpersons.--
``(1) In general.--The Interagency Council shall be co-
chaired by the employee of the Office of Management and Budget
in the position established under paragraph (2) (or a designee
of such employee) and any other member of the Interagency
Council that the President may appoint as co-chairperson.
``(2) Position at the office of management and budget.--
There is established within the Office of Management and Budget
a position to--
``(A) serve as a co-chairperson of the Interagency
Council;
``(B) oversee the Interagency Council's response to
the Government Accountability Office's recommendations
under subsection (f)(5);
``(C) use the evaluation framework and performance
metrics developed pursuant to subsection (f)(6) to
evaluate agency progress in meeting the goals and
implementing the priorities described in subsection
(f)(1)(A); and
``(D) work to ensure that sufficient resources are
available for agencies to--
``(i) meet the goals and implement the
priorities described in subsection (f)(1)(A);
and
``(ii) implement the recommendations
developed under subsection (f)(2).
``(d) Administration.--The Council on Environmental Quality shall
provide administrative support and additional resources, as
appropriate, to the Interagency Council to the extent permitted by law
and within existing appropriations. The Interagency Council co-
chairpersons shall determine the amount of funding and personnel
necessary for the Interagency Council to carry out its duties and the
amount of funding and personnel each agency represented on the
Interagency Council should contribute in order for the Interagency
Council to carry out such duties. Agencies shall, upon the request of
the co-chairpersons of the Interagency Council, make available
personnel, administrative support services, and information to the
Interagency Council.
``(e) Structure.--
``(1) Steering committee.--The co-chairpersons of the
Interagency Council shall designate a subset of members of the
Interagency Council to serve on a steering committee. Such
steering committee shall assist the Interagency Council in
determining its priorities and its strategic direction.
``(2) Working groups.--The co-chairpersons of the
Interagency Council and its steering committee may establish
working groups as needed.
``(f) Duties.--
``(1) Goals and priorities.--
``(A) In general.--The Interagency Council shall
establish government-wide goals and priorities for
extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management. In establishing such goals and priorities,
the Interagency Council shall consider the National Oil
and Hazardous Materials Pollution Contingency Plan,
agency continuity of operations plans, the National
Preparedness Goal, the National Global Change Research
Plan, and all relevant provisions of the Government
Accountability Office's High-Risk Series.
``(B) Incorporation into agency activities.--In
carrying out subparagraph (A), the Interagency Council
shall, in order to ensure that information relating to
extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management is incorporated into everyday agency
activities--
``(i) work with agencies to assist such
agencies in considering the goals and
priorities described in subparagraph (A) in
agency strategic, programmatic, and budget
planning; and
``(ii) identify details to be included in
agency extreme weather plans.
``(2) Priority interagency federal actions.--The
Interagency Council shall develop, recommend, coordinate, and
track implementation of priority interagency Federal Government
actions related to extreme weather resiliency, preparedness,
and risk management.
``(3) Support regional, state, local, and tribal actions.--
The Interagency Council shall support regional, State, local,
and tribal action to assess extreme weather-related
vulnerabilities and cost effectively increase extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management of communities,
critical economic sectors, natural and built infrastructure,
and natural resources, including by--
``(A) conducting inventories under section 9921;
``(B) convening meetings under section 9922; and
``(C) providing guidance to agencies to produce
tools and products that enhance extreme weather
resiliency planning and actions, including guidance on
how to prioritize funding in order to produce such
tools and products.
``(4) Meteorological and extreme weather science.--The
Interagency Council shall facilitate the integration of
meteorological and extreme weather science in the policies and
planning of agencies and the private sector, including by--
``(A) promoting the development of innovative,
actionable, and accessible Federal extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management-related
information, data, tools, and examples of successful
actions at appropriate scales for decisionmakers; and
``(B) providing such information, data, tools, and
examples to the United States Global Change Research
Program to include on the Internet Web site established
and maintained pursuant to section 9911.
``(5) High-risk report recommendations.--The Interagency
Council shall assess the specific recommendations relating to
extreme weather in all relevant provisions of the Government
Accountability Office's High-Risk Series, identify the
feasibility of revising Federal programs to implement such
recommendations, and develop a plan to address such
recommendations when feasible.
``(6) Framework and performance metrics.--The Interagency
Council shall use existing and emerging science to develop--
``(A) a framework for evaluating the progress and
success of extreme weather resiliency, preparedness,
and risk management-related efforts that is
complementary to any national indicator system
developed as part of the National Climate Assessment;
and
``(B) performance metrics that allow tracking of
the actions taken and progress made toward meeting the
goals and implementing the priorities described in
paragraph (1)(A).
``(7) Recommendations for the ceq.--The Interagency Council
shall provide recommendations to the Council on Environmental
Quality on how to--
``(A) update agency extreme weather plans; and
``(B) remove barriers to State and local extreme
weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management,
in agency regulations, guidance, and policies.
``(8) Public input and comment.--The Interagency Council
shall solicit and incorporate public input and comment as
appropriate into the decisions of the Interagency Council.
``(9) Inventory and meetings.--The Interagency Council
shall conduct inventories under section 9921 and convene
meetings under section 9922.
``(10) Definition of extreme weather.--The Interagency
Council shall determine what other weather events (in addition
to those described in section 9931(3)) qualify as extreme
weather for purposes of this chapter.
``(11) Other duties.--The Interagency Council shall carry
out any other duties the co-chairpersons of the Interagency
Council determine appropriate.
``(12) Interagency council web site.--The Interagency
Council shall establish and maintain an Internet Web site for
tracking implementation of agency extreme weather plans,
Government-wide goals and priorities described in paragraph
(1)(A), and recommendations relating to extreme weather in all
relevant provisions of the Government Accountability Office's
High-Risk Series, and shall make such High-Risk Series and the
reports submitted under paragraph (13) available on such Web
site, as the Council determines appropriate.
``(13) Annual report.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this chapter, and annually thereafter, the
Interagency Council shall submit to Congress, and make
available to the United States Global Change Research Program
for inclusion in any interim report that supports the National
Climate Assessment, and in the National Climate Assessment, a
report that--
``(A) describes how the goals and priorities
described in paragraph (1)(A) are being met and
implemented using--
``(i) the performance metrics developed
under paragraph (6)(B); and
``(ii) information on--
``(I) agency expenditures, broken
down by program activity level if
practicable, that are directly related
to extreme weather resiliency,
preparedness, and risk management,
including extreme weather resiliency,
preparedness, and risk management of
Federal facilities; and
``(II) the effectiveness of such
expenditures, along with associated
financial impacts and community,
infrastructure, and environmental
benefits, to the extent such data are
available;
``(B) provides recommendations to enhance the
effectiveness of such implementation and sets
benchmarks to meet;
``(C) describes the progress of the regional
coordination efforts described in subchapter III; and
``(D) includes a summary of public comments
solicited under paragraph (8) and how the Interagency
Council has responded to such comments.
``(g) Consultation.--In carrying out paragraphs (2) through (12) of
subsection (f), the Interagency Council shall consult with agencies,
State, local, and tribal governments, academic and research
institutions, and the private and nonprofit sectors.
``(h) CEQ Guidance.--The Chairman of the Council on Environmental
Quality, taking into consideration the recommendations provided by the
Interagency Council under subsection (f)(7), shall issue guidance to
agencies on--
``(1) developing agency extreme weather plans; and
``(2) developing agency regulations, guidance, and policies
to remove barriers to State and local extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management.
``Sec. 9902. Agency planning for extreme weather-related risks
``(a) Agency Extreme Weather Resiliency, Preparedness, and Risk
Management Plans.--
``(1) Agency submission.--Not later than 1 year after the
date of enactment of this chapter, and every 2 years
thereafter, each agency shall submit to the Office of
Management and Budget and to the Interagency Council a
comprehensive plan that integrates consideration of extreme
weather into such agency's operations and overall mission
objectives (hereinafter referred to as an `agency extreme
weather plan').
``(2) Hearing.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this chapter, and every 2 years thereafter, the
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall convene
an interagency budget crosscut and policy hearing to review and
integrate all the agency extreme weather plans and to ensure
that such extreme weather plans and the activities of agencies
align with the goals and priorities established under section
9901(f)(1)(A).
``(3) OMB submission.--The Director of the Office of
Management and Budget shall, upon receipt of all agency extreme
weather plans in a given year, consolidate, and submit to
Congress, such plans.
``(b) Inclusions.--Each agency extreme weather plan shall include--
``(1) identification and assessment of extreme weather-
related impacts on, and risks to--
``(A) the agency's ability to accomplish its
missions, operations, and programs; and
``(B) State and local entities;
``(2) identification and assessment of barriers posed by
Federal programs the agency administers to State and local
extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management
efforts;
``(3) a description of programs, policies, and plans the
agency has already put in place, as well as additional actions
the agency will take, to manage extreme weather risks in the
near term and build resilience in the short and long term;
``(4) a description of how the agency will consider the
need to improve extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and
risk management, including the costs and benefits of such
improvement, with respect to agency suppliers, supply chain,
real property investments, and capital equipment purchases,
including by updating agency policies for leasing, building
upgrades, relocation of existing facilities and equipment, and
construction of new facilities;
``(5) a description of how the agency will support any
ongoing or future public/private partnership to improve extreme
weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management,
including the cost and benefits of technology improvements,
hardening, or rapid restoration;
``(6) a description of how the agency will contribute to
coordinated interagency efforts to support extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management at all levels of
government, including collaborative work across agencies'
regional offices and hubs, and through coordinated development
of information, data, and tools, consistent with subchapter
III; and
``(7) any other details identified by the Interagency
Council under section 9901(f)(1)(B)(ii).
``SUBCHAPTER II--ASSISTANCE IN IDENTIFYING THE BEST AVAILABLE SCIENCE
AND EXTREME WEATHER RESILIENCY, PREPAREDNESS, AND RISK MANAGEMENT BEST
PRACTICES
``Sec. 9911. USGCRP Web site
``(a) In General.--The United States Global Change Research
Program, in consultation with the Interagency Council, shall designate
an agency that participates in such Program to establish and maintain,
on behalf of such Program, an Internet Web site that provides timely,
actionable, and accessible extreme weather resiliency, preparedness,
and risk management-related information.
``(b) Interagency Progress.--The Web site established under
subsection (a) shall identify interagency progress, and propose the
next interagency steps, towards responding to threats posed by extreme
weather.
``(c) Best Practices.--The Web site established under subsection
(a) shall provide best practices and examples from State, regional, and
local decisionmakers in the public and private sectors about how to use
extreme-weather-related information in planning and decisionmaking.
``(d) Interagency Council Information and Tools.--The Web site
established under subsection (a) shall include the information, data,
tools, and examples provided by the Interagency Council pursuant to
section 9901(f)(4).
``(e) Best Available Meteorological Science.--The Web site
established under subsection (a) shall identify best available
meteorological science relating to extreme weather resiliency,
preparedness, and risk management.
``(f) Public Outreach and Education.--The United States Global
Change Research Program shall designate an agency that participates in
such Program to conduct outreach and educational activities to inform
the public and local and State decisionmakers about the tools and
information available on the Web site established under subsection (a).
``Sec. 9912. Adequate funding
``The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall work
with the United States Global Change Research Program to ensure that
adequate funding is requested--
``(1) for the National Climate Assessment;
``(2) for the Internet Web site established under section
9911; and
``(3) to otherwise carry out this chapter.
``SUBCHAPTER III--REGIONAL COORDINATION
``Sec. 9921. Inventory
``(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this chapter, and every 2 years thereafter, the
Interagency Council, or a working group of such Interagency Council
established by the co-chairpersons thereof, shall conduct and publish
an inventory of all regional offices, centers, and programs of agencies
that are assisting with extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and
risk management efforts at the State or local level, including--
``(1) the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's
regional programs;
``(2) the Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife
Service Landscape Conservation Cooperatives;
``(3) the United States Geological Survey's Climate Science
Centers;
``(4) the Department of Agriculture's Climate Hubs;
``(5) the regional offices of--
``(A) the Environmental Protection Agency;
``(B) the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
``(C) the Army Corps of Engineers; and
``(D) the Forest Service; and
``(6) such other offices, centers, and programs or other
agency efforts as determined appropriate by the Interagency
Council.
``(b) Assistance Described.--An inventory conducted and published
under subsection (a) shall include a description of the assistance each
agency office, center, or program is providing to assist with extreme
weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management efforts at the
State or local level.
``Sec. 9922. Meetings
``Not later than 6 months after the publication of each inventory
under section 9921, the Interagency Council shall convene a meeting of
representatives of the offices, centers, and programs included in such
inventory to develop plans to coordinate the efforts of such offices,
centers, and programs and facilitate efficient services to
stakeholders. At such meetings, such representatives shall--
``(1) share information regarding their office, center, or
program's extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management efforts;
``(2) identify opportunities for collaboration and
coordination of research agendas, extreme weather assessment
activities, vulnerability assessments, data collection and
analysis, and planning and implementing extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management projects;
``(3) identify extreme weather resiliency, preparedness,
and risk management information needs, research gaps, and
decision support needs that are not met by any of the offices,
centers, or programs included in the inventory under section
9921 and provide for such identification in an agency report
submitted to the Interagency Council under section 9923;
``(4) identify common and complementary goals for extreme
weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk management within
each region to be prioritized for the coming year and beyond;
``(5) identify barriers to regional extreme weather
resiliency, preparedness, and risk management planning and
implementation that can be overcome or minimized through
Federal action and specific suggestions for improvement;
``(6) evaluate progress and jointly develop a strategy for
realizing extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management-related goals, including clearly identified
responsibilities by each collaborating regional office, center,
or program; and
``(7) share experiences and best practices in stakeholder
engagement and communication, decision support, and science-
practice interactions that support the realization of
identified extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management goals.
``Sec. 9923. Progress reports
``Not later than 90 days after each meeting under section 9922,
each agency that participates in such meeting shall submit to the
Interagency Council, and make available to the United States Global
Change Research Program for inclusion in the National Climate
Assessment, a report describing progress in regional coordination and
collaboration in aligning Federal resiliency, preparedness, and risk
management efforts at the State and local level, and the benefits of
such regional coordination and collaboration.
``SUBCHAPTER IV--DEFINITIONS
``Sec. 9931. Definitions
``In this chapter:
``(1) Agency.--The term `agency' means an Executive agency,
as defined in section 105 of title 5, United States Code,
excluding the Government Accountability Office.
``(2) Agency extreme weather plan.--The term `agency
extreme weather plan' means a plan required under section
9902(a).
``(3) Extreme weather.--The term `extreme weather' includes
observed or anticipated severe and unseasonable atmospheric
conditions, including heavy precipitation, hurricanes,
tornadoes and other windstorms (including derechos), extreme
heat, extreme cold, sustained temperatures or precipitation
that deviate from historical averages, and any other weather
event that the Interagency Council determines qualifies as
extreme weather.
``(4) Interagency council.--The term `Interagency Council'
means the Interagency Council on Extreme Weather Resiliency,
Preparedness, and Risk Management established under section
9901(a).
``(5) National climate assessment.--The term `National
Climate Assessment' means the assessment required under section
106 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2936).
``(6) National global change research plan.--The term
`National Global Change Research Plan' means the National
Global Change Research Plan developed under section 104 of the
Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C. 2934), or any
revision thereof.
``(7) United states global change research program.--The
term `United States Global Change Research Program' means the
United States Global Change Research Program established under
section 103 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15
U.S.C. 2933).''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of chapters at the beginning of
subtitle VI of title 31, United States Code, is amended by inserting
after the item relating to chapter 97 the following new item:
``99. Extreme weather resiliency, preparedness, and risk 9901''.
management.
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENT TO INCLUDE AGENCY EXTREME WEATHER PLAN IN AGENCY
PERFORMANCE PLAN.
(a) Requirement.--Section 1115(b) of title 31, United States Code,
is amended--
(1) in paragraph (9), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(11) describe the most recent agency extreme weather
plan, as required under section 9902 of this title.''.
(b) Agencies Covered.--Section 1115(h)(1) of such title is amended
by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: ``except
that, for purposes of subsection (b)(11), the definition of `agency' in
section 9931 of this title shall apply''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
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