S.Amdt. 3205

SA 3205. Mr. CORNYN (for himself and Mr. Fetterman) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill S. 2296, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for

[[Page S5048]]

military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

At the appropriate place, insert the following:

SEC. ___. PROMOTING RESILIENT BUILDINGS.

(a) Predisaster Hazard Mitigation.--Section 203(a) of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended--
(1) by striking the subsection heading and inserting
``Definitions'';
(2) by striking ``In this section, the term'' and inserting
the following:
``(2) Small impoverished community.--The term''; and
(3) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so designated,
``In this section:
``(1) Latest published editions.--The term `latest public
editions' means the 2 most recently published editions of
relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and
standards.''.
(b) Hazard Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund Program.--Section
205(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5135(f)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (5); and
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as
paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively.
(c) Residential Retrofit and Resilience Pilot Program.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(B) Residential resilient retrofit.--The term ``residential
resilient retrofit''--
(i) means a project that--

(I) is designed to increase the resilience of an existing
home or residence using mitigation measures that the
Administrator determines reduce damage and impacts from
natural disaster hazards and risks that are most likely to
occur in the area where the home is located; and
(II) to the extent applicable, are consistent with--

(aa) the 2 most recently published editions of relevant
consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards,
including any amendments made to those codes by State, local,
or Indian tribal governments; and
(bb) specifications and standards that, for the purpose of
protecting health, safety, and general welfare of users of
buildings against disasters--
(AA) incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs; and
(BB) establish criteria for the design, construction, and
maintenance of residential structures and facilities that may
be eligible for assistance under the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121
et seq.); and
(ii) includes--

(I) elevations of homes and utilities within and around
structures to mitigate damages;
(II) floodproofing measures;
(III) the construction of tornado safe rooms;
(IV) seismic retrofits;
(V) wildfire retrofit and mitigation measures;
(VI) wind retrofits, including roof replacements, hurricane
straps, and tie-downs; and
(VII) any other measure that meet the requirements of
clause (i), as determined by the Administrator.

(2) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a
residential resilience pilot program through the program
established under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133)
to make available assistance to States and local governments
for the purpose of providing grants to individuals for
residential resilience retrofits.
(3) Amount of funds.--The Administrator may use not more
than 10 percent of the assistance made available to
applicants on an annual basis under section 203 of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5133) to provide assistance under this subsection.
(4) Timeline.--With respect to the pilot program carried
out under paragraph (2), the Administrator shall--
(A) establish the pilot program not later than 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act; and
(B) terminate the pilot program on September 30, 2030.
(5) Priority.--In carrying out the pilot program under this
subsection, the Administrator shall ensure that a State or
local government receiving assistance under the pilot program
provides grants to individuals that demonstrate financial
need.
(6) Report.--Not later than 4 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of
the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report that
includes--
(A) a summary of the grant awards and projects carried out
under this subsection;
(B) a detailed compilation of results achieved by the grant
awards and projects carried out under this subsection,
including the number of homes receiving retrofits, the types
and average costs of retrofits, and demographic information
for participants in the pilot program;
(C) an estimate of avoidance in disaster impacts and
Federal disaster payments as a result of the grant
investments carried out under this subsection, and whether
that avoidance is different than other mitigation projects
funded under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133); and
(D) any identified implementation challenges and
recommendations for improvements to the pilot program
established under this subsection.
(7) Applicability.--This subsection shall only apply with
respect to amounts appropriated on or after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section or the
amendments made by this section shall be construed to affect
any program other than the predisaster hazard mitigation
program or the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program
established under section 203 or 205, respectively, of the
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance
Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5135).
______