[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9024 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9024
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
to take certain actions relating to incident periods and extreme
weather, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 11, 2024
Ms. Titus (for herself and Mr. Stanton) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
to take certain actions relating to incident periods and extreme
weather, 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 ``Extreme Weather and Heat Response
Modernization Act''.
SEC. 2. INCIDENT PERIODS.
(a) In General.--Not later than 6 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency shall convene an advisory panel consisting of
emergency management personnel to assist the Agency in reviewing the
process and procedures related to the determination of incident periods
for emergencies or major disasters declared under the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121
et seq.).
(b) Membership.--
(1) In general.--This advisory panel convened under
subsection (a) shall consist of at least 2 representatives from
national emergency management organizations, at least 2
relevant county officials, at least 1 representative from the
National Weather Service, and at least 5 representatives from
each of the 10 regions of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency selected from emergency management personnel employed by
State, local, territorial, or Tribal authorities within each
region.
(2) Inclusion on panel.--To the furthest extent
practicable, representation on the advisory panel shall include
emergency management personnel from rural, urban,
underrepresented, Tribal, and insular jurisdictions.
(c) Considerations.--In reviewing the process and procedures
related to the determination of incident periods under subsection (a),
the advisory panel convened under such subsection shall consider the
effectiveness of incident periods, including--
(1) incident periods for slow on-set disasters;
(2) incident periods for correlated non-contiguous
disasters;
(3) incident periods for compound disasters; and
(4) incident periods for cascading disasters.
(d) Interim Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress, and
make publicly available, a report regarding the findings of the review
under this section that includes any recommendations of the advisory
panel convened under subsection (a), including additional legislation
that may be necessary to address such findings.
(e) Rulemaking and Final Report.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall issue such
regulations as are necessary to implement the recommendations of the
advisory panel and submit to Congress a report discussing--
(1) a summary of the findings of the advisory panel
convened under subsection (a);
(2) the implementation of recommendations from such
advisory panel; and
(3) any additional legislative recommendations necessary to
improve the effectiveness of incident periods.
SEC. 3. MITIGATION AND PREPAREDNESS.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency may, under section 203 and 404 of the Robert T.
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133
and 5170c)--
(1) consider innovative preparedness and mitigation
projects eligible for the purposes of mitigating or aiding
individuals during an extreme heat event, including stockpiling
and installing equipment for households, first responders, and
public health and health care systems and emergency voucher
programs; and
(2) with respect to eligible uses of funds authorized,
provide, and issue relevant guidance, for the establishment and
function of--
(A) community cooling centers; and
(B) resilience centers.
(b) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Community cooling center.--The term ``community cooling
center'' means a public serving facility that provides an
environment for people to maintain a healthy body temperature
during an extreme heat event.
(2) Resilience center.--The term ``resilience center''
means a public serving facility that provides information and
services to build resilient communities before, during, and
after emergency events.
SEC. 4. GUIDANCE.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall issue
guidance related to--
(1) extreme temperature events, including heat waves and
freezes, and publish such guidance in the Federal Emergency
Management Agency Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide;
(2) hazard mitigation, including eligibility criteria for
projects that primarily mitigate the impacts of extreme heat
and projects specified in section 3(a)(2); and
(3) extreme heat for the purposes of hazard mitigation
planning under section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165), the
National Preparedness Course Catalog, National Disaster
Recovery Framework, National Response Recovery Framework, and
Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment.
SEC. 5. STUDY ON EXTREME HEAT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency shall conduct a study to measure the impact of extreme heat and
recommend guidance on mitigating and responding to extreme heat.
(b) Consultation.--In conducting the study required under
subsection (a), the Administrator shall consult with relevant
stakeholders and the heads of other Federal agencies.
(c) Content.--In conducting the study required under subsection
(a), the Administrator shall--
(1) examine and consider solutions to address the impact of
extreme heat on--
(A) disadvantaged communities;
(B) buildings, roads, utilities, power generation,
air conditioning units, and other relevant
infrastructure;
(C) short- and long-term health outcomes;
(D) pets and livestock; and
(E) society and the economy;
(2) evaluate the geographical and regional differences in
the occurrence and impact of extreme heat;
(3) evaluate the effectiveness of emergency alerts and the
language used in such alerts to improve public safety during
extreme heat events;
(4) examine metrics for defining and communicating the
severity of an extreme heat event;
(5) examine the compounding effects and consequential risk
of extreme heat and wildfire smoke;
(6) recommend best practices for community education and
safety during extreme heat events;
(7) examine the impact extreme heat to the health and
safety of the Federal Emergency Management Agency workforce
when responding to disasters;
(8) develop guidance for first responder training protocol
for extreme heat emergencies; and
(9) recommend guidance for incorporating extreme heat into
local and State government emergency management preparedness
plans.
(d) Report to Congress.--Not less than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee
on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the
Senate a report containing--
(1) the results of study required under subsection (a); and
(2) any additional recommendations for developing a
framework for mitigating and responding to extreme heat
emergencies.
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