[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5994 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5994
To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to
identify a consistent, Federal set of best available forward-looking
meteorological information and to require the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to convene an effort to make such
set available, with advice and technical assistance, to standards-
developing organizations, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 27, 2020
Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mrs. Fletcher, Mr. Bacon, Mr. Gaetz, Mr.
Lynch, Mr. Soto, Ms. DelBene, Mr. Kilmer, Mr. Lipinski, and Mr.
Fitzpatrick) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to
identify a consistent, Federal set of best available forward-looking
meteorological information and to require the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology to convene an effort to make such
set available, with advice and technical assistance, to standards-
developing organizations, 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 ``Built to Last Act of 2020''.
SEC. 2. IDENTIFICATION AND DISSEMINATION OF CONSISTENT, FEDERAL SET OF
BEST AVAILABLE FORWARD-LOOKING METEOROLOGICAL
INFORMATION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of
the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
(2) Under secretary.--The term ``Under Secretary'' means
the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere.
(3) Extreme weather.--The term ``extreme weather'' includes
observed or anticipated severe and unseasonable atmospheric
conditions, including drought, heavy precipitation, hurricanes,
tornadoes and other windstorms (including derechos), extreme
heat, extreme cold, flooding, sustained temperatures or
precipitation that deviate substantially from historical
averages, and any other weather event that the Under Secretary
determines qualifies as extreme weather.
(4) Other environmental trends.--The term ``other
environmental trends'' means wildfires, coastal flooding,
inland flooding, land subsidence, rising sea levels, and any
other challenges relating to changes in environmental systems
over time that the Under Secretary determines qualify as
environmental challenges other than extreme weather.
(5) Mitigation framework leadership group.--The term
``Mitigation Framework Leadership Group'' means the Mitigation
Framework Leadership Group established pursuant to the Post-
Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (Public Law
109-295; 6 U.S.C. 701 note), or successor group.
(6) 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).
(7) Long-term.--The term ``long-term'' shall have such
meaning as the Director, in consultation with the Under
Secretary, considers appropriate for purposes of this section.
(b) Identification of Consistent, Federal Set of Best Available
Meteorological Information.--
(1) In general.--The Under Secretary shall identify and
support research that enables, a consistent, Federal set of
forward-looking long-term meteorological information that--
(A) models future extreme weather events, other
environmental trends, projections, and up-to-date
observations; and
(B) is suitable for use under subsection (c).
(2) Mesoscale meteorological information.--When the Under
Secretary determines appropriate or upon request of the
Director, the Under Secretary shall provide the Director with
mesoscale meteorological information that is suitable for use
under subsection (c).
(c) Advice, Technical Assistance, and Dissemination.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall, in consultation with
the Under Secretary--
(A) make available to the public information
identified under subsection (b);
(B) identify Federal and non-Federal efforts to
develop and adopt standards, building codes, and
voluntary certifications; and
(C) using the best available, consistent, Federal
set of forward-looking long-term meteorological
information identified under subsection (b)--
(i) advise and provide technical assistance
to organizations that develop standards, model
building codes, or voluntary certifications in
order for such organizations to appropriately
incorporate forward-looking long-term
meteorological information into such standards,
building codes, and voluntary certifications;
and
(ii) take appropriate steps to make
information identified under subsection (b)
available to the entities described in clause
(i) developing such standards, model building
codes, and voluntary certifications.
(2) Requirement.--The Director shall carry out paragraph
(1) through each of the following:
(A) The Fire Research Center, established under
section 16 of the Act entitled ``An Act to establish
the National Bureau of Standards'', approved March 3,
1901 (15 U.S.C. 278f).
(B) The National Windstorm Impact Reduction
Program, established under section 204 of the National
Windstorm Impact Reduction Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C.
15703).
(C) Such other authorizations as the Director
considers appropriate.
(d) Working Group.--In order to identify and support research that
enable information as required under subsection (b), the Director of
the Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with the
United States Global Change Research Program and the Mitigation
Framework Leadership Group, shall designate a working group consisting
of representatives from such Federal agencies as the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy considers appropriate.
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