Bill > HR501

This bill aims to enhance building resilience and disaster preparedness by making several key amendments to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. First, it clarifies that "latest published editions" of building codes and standards refer to the two most recently published versions. Second, the bill establishes a new Residential Retrofit and Resilience Pilot Program, which will allow the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide grants to states and local governments to help individuals retrofit their homes to better withstand natural disasters. These retrofits can include elevating homes, constructing tornado safe rooms, implementing seismic and wildfire mitigation measures, and reinforcing structures against wind damage. The program will be funded using up to 10% of existing predisaster mitigation assistance, prioritize grants for individuals with financial need, and run from enactment until September 30, 2030. The Administrator must submit a comprehensive report to Congress after six years, detailing grant awards, project outcomes, estimated disaster impact avoidance, and recommendations for program improvement. The bill also makes a minor technical change to the Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund Program by removing and redesignating certain paragraphs, and includes a rule of construction ensuring that the amendments only affect the specific predisaster hazard mitigation and hazard mitigation loan fund programs.

Business and Industry, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/501/all-info