Home > 106th Congressional Bills > H.R. 549 (ih) To provide for the non-preemption of State prescription drug benefit laws in connection with Medicare+Choice plans. [Introduced in House] ...H.R. 549 (ih) To provide for the non-preemption of State prescription drug benefit laws in connection with Medicare+Choice plans. [Introduced in House] ...
106th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5499
To reduce the impacts of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms
through a program of research and development and technology transfer,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 19, 2000
Mr. Moore (for himself, Mr. Jones of North Carolina, Mrs. Morella, Mr.
Etheridge, Mr. Clement, Mr. LaFalce, and Mr. Snyder) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, and in
addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 concerend
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To reduce the impacts of hurricanes, tornadoes, and other windstorms
through a program of research and development and technology transfer,
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 ``Windstorm Hazard Reduction Research
and Technology Transfer Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) Coastal States and many island States and territories
are vulnerable to the hazards of windstorms. All Midwest,
Southern, and Mid-Atlantic States are vulnerable to the hazards
of tornadoes and thunderstorms and increased building activity
is occurring in high-risk areas such as the seashore and
``tornado alley''.
(2) Hurricanes cause enormous loss of life, injury,
destruction of property, and economic and social disruption, as
evidenced by the 56 deaths and $6,000,000,000 in property
damage in 1999 from Hurricane Floyd. From 1990 to 1999
hurricanes caused an average of 14 deaths and $4,970,000,000 in
property losses annually while tornadoes and other windstorms
caused over 58 deaths and $871,000,000 in property losses
annually.
(3) Improved windstorm hazard reduction measures,
including--
(A) cost-effective and affordable design and
construction methods and practices;
(B) informed land use decisions;
(C) impact prediction methodologies and early
warning systems; and
(D) public education and involvement programs,
have the potential over the next 10 years to reduce these
losses. Losses will increase if steps are not taken to help
communities reduce their vulnerability.
(4) Wind engineering research needs to address both
improving new structures and retrofitting existing ones.
(5) There is an appropriate role for the Federal Government
in the collection, preparation, coordination, and dissemination
of windstorm hazards reduction information in order to protect
public health and safety and in increasing public awareness of
the dangers of windstorms and of affordable steps homeowners
can take to preserve life and property. Improved mechanisms are
needed to translate existing information and research findings
into usable, state-of-the-art specifications, criteria, and
cost-effective practices.
(6) An effective Federal program in windstorm hazard
reduction will require interagency coordination, input from
individuals and institutions outside the Federal Government who
are expert in the sciences of natural hazards reduction and in
the practical application of mitigation measures, and improved
mechanisms for the transfer of new knowledge to State and local
officials, to homeowners, and to the design and construction
industry. Tax credits are an appropriate means of helping
homeowners apply mitigation measures.
(7) Windstorms are a worldwide problem, and international
cooperation is desirable for mutual learning and mitigation.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) The term ``Director'' means the Director of the Office
of Science and Technology Policy.
(2) The term ``State'' means each of the States of the
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and
any other territory or possession of the United States.
(3) The term ``windstorm'' means any storm with a damaging
or destructive wind component, such as a hurricane, tropical
storm, tornado, or thunderstorm.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL WINDSTORM HAZARD REDUCTION PROGRAM.
(a) Interagency Group.--Not later than 30 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Director shall establish an Interagency
Group, to be cochaired by the Director or the Director's designee and
the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency or that
Director's designee, consisting of representatives of appropriate
Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Institute
of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy, and other
agencies with jurisdiction over housing, construction, and natural
disaster mitigation and relief, to be responsible for the development
and implementation of a coordinated Federal windstorm hazard reduction
research, development, and technology transfer program. In establishing
the Interagency Group, the Director is encouraged where appropriate to
designate lead agencies and to preserve existing programs and functions
of Federal agencies and organizations, and shall ensure regular agency
coordination and information sharing and where appropriate coordination
with other agencies.
(b) Objective.--The objective of the windstorm hazard reduction
program is the achievement, within 10 years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, of major measurable reductions in losses that
would otherwise have occurred to life and property from windstorms. The
objective is to be achieved through the creation of a program involving
cooperation among governments at all levels and the private sector
featuring--
(1) pertinent basic and applied research which takes into
account locality-specific weather, susceptibility to other
hazards, and design and construction practices;
(2) better understanding of impediments and disincentives
to wind hazard reduction;
(3) inventorying of existing buildings and related data for
use in developing and deploying wind hazard mitigation
measures;
(4) dissemination of information on cost-effective and
affordable wind hazard reduction research results, technology,
and techniques to industry, State and local governments,
homeowners, and the general public;
(5) improved technology for prediction, storm warnings,
advanced planning, and disaster response;
(6) increased public awareness of the dangers of windstorms
and of ways to preserve affected property and life; and
(7) priority attention to critical lifelines, including
infrastructure and utilities, that are especially needed in
time of disaster.
(c) Research and Development Elements.--The research and
development elements of the program may include--
(1) basic wind characterization and micro-climate research;
(2) development of methods to increase accuracy and
reliability in the prediction of the track and magnitude of
windstorms;
(3) peer-reviewed research and development on and
demonstration of wind-resistant systems and materials for new
construction and retrofit, including composite materials;
building envelope components, including windows, doors, and
roofs; structural design; and design and construction
techniques, through physical testing and through computer
simulation when appropriate, taking into consideration cost-
effectiveness, affordability, and regional differences
including susceptibility to other hazards;
(4) development of mechanisms for collecting information on
building systems and materials performance in windstorms,
information on mitigation priorities, and other pertinent
information from sources such as the construction industry,
insurance companies, and building officials;
(5) development of updatable, cost-effective, and
affordable systems, both for new construction and for
retrofitting, and for inventorying information on components
and materials and their interaction;
(6) development of cost-effective and affordable planning,
design, construction, rehabilitation, and retrofit methods and
procedures, including utilization of mitigation measures, for
critical lifelines and facilities such as hospitals, schools,
public utilities, and other structures that are especially
needed in time of disaster;
(7) research and development on techniques, methodologies,
and new technologies for the mapping in finer detail of
windstorm hazard risks, to be coordinated with the mapping of
other natural and manmade hazards;
(8) development of improved systems for predicting damaging
windstorm impact and for identifying, evaluating, and reliably
characterizing windstorm hazards;
(9) development of improved approaches for providing
emergency services, reconstruction, and redevelopment after a
windstorm;
(10) development of quantitative assessment techniques for
the delineation and evaluation of the socioeconomic effects of
windstorms and their application on a regional basis, including
exploration of adjustments that could be made to reduce
windstorm vulnerability and to effectively exploit existing and
developing mitigation techniques; and
(11) studies of impediments and disincentives to effective
wind hazard mitigation, preparedness, and response policies and
innovations.
(d) Technology Transfer.--The technology transfer elements of the
program shall include--
(1) the collection, classification, presentation, and
dissemination in a usable form to Federal, State, and local
officials, community leaders, the design and construction
industry, contractors, home owners, and the general public, of
research results and other pertinent information regarding
windstorm phenomena, the identification of locations and
features which are especially susceptible to windstorm damage,
ways to reduce the adverse consequences of windstorms, and
related matters;
(2) in coordination with the private sector, academia, and
the States, curriculum development and related measures to
facilitate the training of employees of the design and
construction industry, the insurance industry, and State and
local governments, and other interested persons; and
(3) efforts to increase public awareness and information
related to windstorm hazard mitigation.
(e) Implementation Plan.--The Interagency Group established under
subsection (a) shall refine, in conjunction with appropriate
representatives of State and local units of government and private
sector organizations, the objective stated in subsection (b), develop
measurements related to the objective, including emphasis on cost-
effectiveness and affordability, and develop a 10-year implementation
plan for achieving the objective, deferring to the private sector and
State and local government for implementation in all appropriate
instances. Not later than 210 days after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Interagency Group shall submit to the Congress the
implementation plan. The plan shall include--
(1) a statement of research and development goals and
priorities;
(2) plans for the development of improved forecasting
techniques for windstorms, early warning systems, and systems
for comprehensive response;
(3) plans for the development of an inventory of buildings,
building components, and damage to buildings from windstorms;
(4) plans for transfer of technology and information to
State, county, local, and regional governmental units and the
private sector for appropriate application of research and
development results;
(5) provisions for dissemination, on a timely basis, of--
(A) delivery of information and technology in a
form that is of use to the design professions, the
construction industry, and other interested parties;
and
(B) other information and knowledge of interest to
the public to reduce vulnerability to windstorm
hazards;
(6) a description of how Federal disaster relief and
emergency assistance programs will incorporate research and
development results;
(7) establishment, consistent with this Act, of goals,
priorities, and target dates for implementation of the program;
(8) assignment of responsibilities with respect to each
element of the program that does not already have a Federal
lead agency;
(9) a description of plans for cooperation and coordination
in all phases of the program with interested governmental
entities in all States, particularly those containing areas of
high or moderate windstorm risk; and
(10) staffing plans for the program and its components.
(f) Participation.--The implementation plan shall avoid duplication
whenever possible and assign responsibilities to Federal agencies with
existing expertise.
(g) Manufactured Housing Standards.--No design, construction
method, practice, technology, material, mitigation methodology, or
hazard reduction measure of any kind developed under this Act shall be
required for a home certified under section 616 of the National
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 (42
U.S.C. 5415), pursuant to standards issued under such Act, without
being subject to the consensus development process and rulemaking
procedures of that Act.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR WINDSTORM HAZARD REDUCTION.
(a) Establishment.--A National Advisory Committee shall be
established to review progress made under the program established under
section 4, advise on any improvements that should be made to that
program, and report to the Congress on actions that have been taken to
advance the Nation's capability to reduce the impacts of windstorm
hazards.
(b) Membership.--The Advisory Committee shall be composed of 21
members to be appointed by the President (one of whom shall be
designated by the President as chair). The members shall include
representatives of a broad cross-section of interests such as the
research, technology transfer, architectural, engineering, and
financial communities; materials and systems suppliers; State, county,
and local governments concerned with the reduction of windstorm
hazards; the residential, multifamily, and commercial sectors of the
construction industry; and the insurance industry, and other
representatives (not including members of Federal agencies) from areas
impacted by windstorm hazards.
Other Popular 106th Congressional Bills Documents:
|
| GovRecords.org presents information on various agencies of the United States Government. Even though all information is believed to be credible and accurate, no guarantees are made on the complete accuracy of our government records archive. Care should be taken to verify the information presented by responsible parties. Please see our reference page for congressional, presidential, and judicial branch contact information. GovRecords.org values visitor privacy. Please see the privacy page for more information. |
 |