Bill > S388

This bill, known as the Promoting Resilient Buildings Act, amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to introduce a new residential resilience pilot program and make several technical changes. The bill establishes a program through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that will provide grants to states and local governments to help individuals retrofit their homes to better withstand natural disasters. These residential resilient retrofits can include elevating homes, floodproofing, constructing tornado safe rooms, performing seismic and wildfire retrofits, and adding wind-resistant features like hurricane straps. The program will use up to 10% of existing hazard mitigation assistance funds annually, prioritize grants for individuals with financial need, and will run from enactment until September 30, 2030. The bill also updates definitions related to building codes, requiring the use of the two most recently published editions of consensus-based codes and standards. FEMA will be required to submit a report to Congress within four years detailing the program's outcomes, including the number of homes retrofitted, types of retrofits, costs, and estimated disaster impact avoidance. The bill does not affect other existing disaster assistance programs beyond predisaster hazard mitigation and hazard mitigation loan fund programs.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/388/all-info