H.R. 1936 – Climate Resilient Communities Act

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Updated February 8, 2026 at 12:28 AM UTC

The Climate Resilient Communities Act directs the Government Accountability Office to evaluate and report on the economic and structural impacts of climate‑resilient building codes used by FEMA. The first report must be issued within one year of the law’s enactment and then every five years. It examines how states, territories, and tribes adopt these codes and the benefits such as avoided property loss, injuries, and deaths. The findings are intended to help FEMA improve its policies for housing, public buildings, roads, bridges, and disaster rebuilding.

Key Provisions

GAO must produce a report on the economic benefits of using consensus‑based, climate‑resilient building codes for risks like flooding, wildfires, hurricanes, heat waves, drought, sea‑level rise, and extreme weather, within one year and every five years thereafter.
The report must assess adoption of such codes by states, territories, and tribes and whether they meet the latest national model code standards.
It must analyze pre‑disaster mitigation benefits, including avoided economic losses, protected structures, and lives saved, as well as benefits of resilient codes in post‑disaster rebuilding.
The report must review FEMA’s current use of building codes in its grants, incentives, and technical assistance, and recommend ways FEMA can improve code adoption and climate‑resilient practices.
Recommendations must be provided for how FEMA can better incorporate climate resiliency into rebuilding efforts after natural disasters.

Legislative Activity

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2 earlier actions

HouseCommittee Latest Action

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee

March 17, 2021

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

March 16, 2021

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Transportation.

Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

March 16, 2021

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.

Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee

March 17, 2021

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in HouseIssued March 16, 2021

I

117th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 1936

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 16, 2021

Mr. Neguse introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

A BILL

To require the Comptroller General to evaluate and issue a report on the structural and economic impacts of climate resiliency at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including recommendations on how to improve the building codes and standards that the Agency uses to prepare for climate change and address resiliency in housing, public buildings, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Climate Resilient Communities Act.

2.

Climate resiliency report by GAO

(a)

In general

Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act and every 5 years thereafter, the Comptroller General shall evaluate and issue a report to Congress on the economic benefits, including avoided impacts on property and life, of the use of model, consensus-based building codes, standards, and provisions that support resilience to climate risks and impacts, including—

(1)

flooding;

(2)

wildfires;

(3)

hurricanes;

(4)

heat waves;

(5)

droughts;

(6)

rises in sea level; and

(7)

extreme weather.

(b)

Report issues

The report required under subsection (a) shall include the following:

(1)

Assesses the status of adoption of building codes, standards, and provisions within the States, territories, and tribes at the State or jurisdictional level; including whether the adopted codes meet or exceed the most recent published edition of a national, consensus-based model code.

(2)

Analysis of the extent to which pre-disaster mitigation measures provide benefits to the nation and individual States, territories and tribes, including—

(A)

an economic analysis of the benefits to the design and construction of new resilient infrastructure;

(B)

losses avoided, including economic losses, number of structures (buildings, roads, bridges), and injuries and deaths by utilizing building codes and standards that prioritize resiliency; and

(C)

an economic analysis of the benefits to using hazard resistant building codes in rebuilding and repairing infrastructure following a disaster.

(3)

An assessment of the building codes and standards referenced or otherwise currently incorporated into Federal policies and programs, including but not limited to grants, incentive programs, technical assistance and design and construction criteria, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and—

(A)

the extent to which such codes and standards contribute to increasing climate resiliency;

(B)

recommendations for how FEMA could improve their use of codes and standards to prepare for climate change and address resiliency in housing, public buildings, and infrastructure such as roads and bridges; and

(C)

how FEMA could increase efforts to support the adoption of hazard resistant codes by the States, territories, and tribes.

(4)

Recommendations for FEMA on how to better incorporate climate resiliency into efforts to rebuild after natural disasters.