Resilient AMERICA Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5689) to improve the provision of Federal resources to help build capacity and fund risk-reducing, cost-effective mitigation projects for eligible State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments and certain private nonprofit organizations, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5689, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5689, the Resilient AMERICA Act. This bill reflects a bipartisan agreement that will significantly enhance U.S. mitigation and resilience efforts.

Federal policy that focuses on investment in mitigation and bolstering resilience is basic good governance and will lessen the impacts of future disasters. For years, studies have demonstrated that taxpayers save up to $11 for every single dollar invested in mitigation before a disaster strikes. There is no better investment.

This legislation builds on existing mitigation efforts and will make our Nation more resilient.

First, this legislation increases the amount of mitigation funding FEMA may make available to States through the Pre-Disaster Mitigation program, also known as BRIC, and makes nonprofits eligible recipients of these funds.

Second, it expands the kind of projects eligible for mitigation assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. This includes enhancing the resilience of utilities to risks from wildfire, which will be of great benefit in the Western States.

Third, this legislation sets aside funds for the implementation and enforcement of the latest building codes and standards. Building codes make our buildings safer and more resilient. Proper building codes that account for climate change can mean the difference between saving a family's home and a total loss during a disaster. I strongly support efforts to prepare buildings for actual hazard risks and climate change with updated codes.

Lastly, this legislation creates a pilot program to fund resilience projects at private homes. Often, homeowners cannot implement recommended mitigation efforts, such as creating defensible space to protect against wildfires or removing overhanging branches to remove the risk of damage from severe storms, because they are too expensive.

This pilot program will create the first Federal grant program that allows homeowners to proactively take mitigation into their own hands. I am confident that empowering individuals through this program will make families and their homes more resilient and, again, in the end, save taxpayers money.

Representing a district that was impacted by catastrophic wildfires, particularly in 2020, has made me painfully aware of the importance of the provisions within this legislation. I wish that this bill and the mitigation investments it authorizes could have been enacted prior to the 2020 fires. It may have saved some of my constituents from the trauma of losing their homes.

I thank Ranking Member Graves, as well as Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Chair Titus and Ranking Member Webster for their support and for working with us on this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides to join us and support the Resilient AMERICA Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record two letters of support for H.R. 5689, one from the Build Strong Coalition and one from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Buildstong Coalition,

Washington, DC, March 1, 2022.

Hon. Nancy Pelosi,

Speaker, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Kevin McCarthy,

Minority Leader, House of Representatives,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Dina Titus,

Subcommittee Chair, House T&I Committee,

Washington, DC.

Hon. Daniel Webster,

Subcommittee Ranking Member,

House T&I Committee, Washington, DC.

Dear Speaker Pelosi and Leader McCarthy: The BuildStrong

Coalition writes to express our strong support for H.R. 5689,

the Resilient Assistance for Mitigation for Environmentally

Resilient Infrastructure and Construction by Americans

(AMERICA) Act, which was passed out of the Committee on

Transportation and Infrastructure on October 27, 2021, with

almost unanimous backing. The undersigned organizations, as

part of the BuildStrong Coalition, urge you to schedule

consideration of the bipartisan legislation on the House

floor as soon as possible.

This legislation builds on the resilience initiatives

contained in the bipartisan infrastructure package and

provides additional tools for families, businesses, and

communities to reduce climate risks ahead of the next crisis.

As our nation's disaster profile becomes increasingly

volatile and the instances of severe climate events grow, it

is critical that Congress act on this issue.

Important mitigation measures like those included in the

Resilient AMERICA Act save lives, property, and taxpayer

money, and are crucial for reducing environmental disaster

impacts. Multiple studies have demonstrated that for every $1

spent on preventative pre-disaster mitigation and resilient

construction, there is a return of as much as $11 in savings.

Such policies are good for the environment and the economy.

This comprehensive bill contains a host of provisions

designed to create a significant number of new resources for

communities to better protect themselves ahead of natural

catastrophes. This includes policies that would increase

funding for the National Public Infrastructure Pre-Disaster

Mitigation fund (commonly known as Building Resilient

Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, Program) created by

the Disaster Recovery Reform Act to provide grants to local

governments for risk-reducing mitigation projects that make

homes and infrastructure more resilient in advance of severe

climate events, as well as those that would harden

communities by creating new resources and incentives for

states and localities to adopt and enforce modern

constructions standards and building codes. Importantly, the

bill will also establish a new pilot program under the

Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide resources to

communities and homeowners for the purpose of retrofitting

existing homes and buildings.

The BuildStrong Coalition, formed in 2011 to respond to an

increasing number of severe disasters, is made up of a

diverse group of members representing firefighters, emergency

responders, emergency managers, insurers, engineers,

architects, contractors, and manufacturers, as well as

consumer organizations, code specialists, and many others

committed to building a more disaster resilient nation. The

BuildStrong Coalition has been a partner to Congress's work

to investigate causes of, and devise the solutions to, the

rising costs and impacts of disasters in the United States.

Our organization represents the broad, bipartisan, public-

private, and nonprofit stakeholder support for H.R. 5689.

Therefore, the BuildStrong Coalition and its allied partners

again ask that it be brought to House floor for consideration

under suspension of the rules. We look forward to working

with you and are prepared to offer our institutional

expertise throughout the process.

Sincerely,

Natalie F. Enclade, Ph.D.,

Executive Director, BuildStrong Coalition.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Titus).

Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

We have just heard very telling testimony from the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves) about the issues with the frequent problems they have had with hurricanes down there, and then the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa) talking about wildfires, which have become more and more intense and widespread and persistent in the West.

On both sides of the aisle, I think almost any Member who has had a disaster, a natural disaster in their district, can attest to the fact that if his or her community had been better prepared, if they had taken steps toward resilience, if the Federal Government had given them that guidance and perhaps some funding incentives to put in place those mitigation measures, that lives would have been saved, property would have been saved, and ultimately the Federal taxpayers would save a lot of money.

This legislation has tremendous merit, and I urge my colleagues to support it unanimously; although, of course, we will have someone on that side of the aisle who will call for a vote even though they might even vote for it. Hopefully, the Senate, in its total dysfunction, will look favorably upon this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 5689, the Resilient AMERICA Act, along with Chairman DeFazio and Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Chair Titus and Ranking Member Webster. This bill is going to strengthen our support for communities and individuals in mitigating disasters.

We know that for every dollar invested upfront in mitigation, $4 to $11 are saved in damages from a disaster. Given that, one way we lower costs of future disasters is by investing upfront in mitigation.

This bill builds on the bipartisan work that we did on mitigation in the

Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. It ensures mitigation funds are spent and targeted in ways to support efforts by communities and homeowners to save lives and reduce damage.

In my district, my constituents regularly experience flooding that not only causes damage to homes and businesses but disrupts lives and displaces people. Sadly, the time it takes to recover and receive assistance is far too long.

I am glad to see more being done to make commonsense investments on the front end through mitigation projects, which will save taxpayers money. More importantly, it can help save lives.

This bill also has the support of several groups, including the National Association of Home Builders.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter of support from the National Association of Home Builders.

National Association of Home Builders, Government

Affairs,

Washington, DC, April 5, 2022.

Hon. Peter DeFazio,

Chairman, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Hon. Sam Graves,

Ranking Member, House Transportation & Infrastructure

Committee, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman DeFazio and Ranking Member Graves: On behalf

of the more than 140,000 members of the National Association

of Home Builders (NAHB), I write in support of H.R. 5689, the

Resilient AMERICA Act. The resilience and pre-disaster

mitigation initiatives contained in this bipartisan bill

would provide a comprehensive and preemptive approach to

reducing the risks of natural disasters while preserving

important flexibilities at the state and local levels.

NAHB supports a comprehensive approach to addressing

natural disasters through initiatives focused on implementing

cost-effective solutions that encourage greater resiliency in

the nation's housing stock--while preserving housing

affordability. The Resilient AMERICA Act would invest in

common-sense mitigation activities, with an emphasis on

residential retrofits for improving resiliency in older

homes. Expanding mitigation opportunities and creating

incentives to facilitate upgrades and improvements to older

homes and structures would help to reduce risks and minimize

losses from future catastrophes.

NAHB also supports the incorporation of language that

respects state and local jurisdictions' control over building

code adoption by providing flexibility to adopt one of the

two latest published codes. In addition, the bill includes a

provision that would provide consistency in how FEMA

evaluates which code a jurisdiction has adopted. This

language will provide the flexibility needed for communities

to take positive steps to withstand and recover from extreme

events.

We urge the passage of H.R. 5689 to make American

communities more resilient while also protecting important

building code flexibilities at the state and local levels.

Thank you for considering our views.

Sincerely,

James W. Tobin III,

Executive Vice President & Chief Lobbyist.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman DeFazio for working with us on this bill as we have all seen the effects of disaster in our districts and across America.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Graves), the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Aviation.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, the Resilient AMERICA Act does support the communities by investing in premitigation efforts, and these efforts are going to save lives. It is going to save taxpayer dollars by lowering costs of future disasters. It is going to do so many things.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support of this important piece of legislation. I again want to thank the chairman for working with us on this. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, today we spend an average of $100 billion a year responding to disasters; $100 billion. This is a number that we can't afford to continue responding, continue reacting to disasters.

The National Institute of Building Sciences has done all sorts of analyses looking at the efficacy of making investments on the front end, Mr. Speaker, so we are not in a situation where, as in the chairman's case, we are having to go into Oregon, Washington, California, or other States out West, and pick up the pieces of these communities destroyed by forest fires; so we don't have to go into these communities that have been impacted by severe winter storms, communities living along rivers that have been inundated by floods, or communities on the southern coast, the Gulf Coast, or the East Coast that have been pummeled by hurricanes, such as our home State of Louisiana, with just in recent years, Hurricanes Laura, Delta, Zeta, Ida; some of the most powerful hurricanes to ever make landfall in the United States.

The National Institute of Building Sciences has found that for every $1 you invest in natural mitigation solutions, you get up to $13 in savings. By adopting more resilient building standards, building codes, you get up to $11 in savings.

Let me say it again, Mr. Speaker. We can't afford to keep doing this. $100 billion a year. As Ranking Member Graves noted a few minutes ago, back in 2018 we worked on a bipartisan basis to, actually, enact the BRIC program, to really take the PDM, the Pre-Disaster Mitigation grant program, and put it on steroids. Based on the incredible popularity of the program, the progress that has been made, this legislation helps to advance it even further. By increasing the funds that are available and, most importantly, by eating into that $100 billion we are spending in taxpayer funds every year responding to disasters, reducing that cost, Mr. Speaker, and the most important thing is the actual impact on the ground.

Those communities out West that are dealing with forest fires, helping to stop, prevent, and contain those forest fires.

Those communities that are experiencing devastation from winter storms, helping to protect and make them more resilient.

Communities that are getting repetitive floods, making sure those communities can withstand those floods, and those communities that we represent in south Louisiana that have had hurricane after hurricane that are truly challenging the existence, the livelihood of those communities, helping to make sure they can withstand these storms, and we can continue to live life and enjoy life in coastal communities like south Louisiana.

Lastly, Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman DeFazio and Chairwoman Titus, Ranking Member Graves, and Ranking Member Webster.

We were able to include two amendments in here. Number one, we worked with Congressman Dunn on a very important amendment. Right now, FEMA takes so long to reimburse communities in the aftermath of a disaster, in many cases our parishes, our counties, and States have to take out loans, so there is an amendment added to this bill that mandates that FEMA pay the interest costs of the loan. If they are going to take forever to reimburse, they can at least cover the loan costs, the interest costs on the loan.

The second one is a government efficiency provision. Right now, the Corps of Engineers has the most arduous process in the Federal Government for developing projects, including cost-to-benefit ratios, environmental analysis, and technical feasibility, yet under current law, Corps of Engineers' projects are prohibited from receiving funds under the BRIC program or PDM. This fixes it. If that is the best solution, if that is the greatest cost savings, if it is the best efficiency of the dollar, my goodness, we shouldn't be stopping it, we should be incentivizing it.

I want to thank all the folks who worked together on this legislation. I look forward to enactment. I urge adoption of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate Ranking Member Graves yielding me the time on this as well as the bipartisan effort with Chairman DeFazio and everybody on this important legislation.

The Resilient AMERICA Act really, indeed, is like the old adage, a stitch in time saves nine. When you can spend dollars upfront mitigating, such as this bill moves to do, to make a larger pool of money available under FEMA to do so, it just saves a lot of extra pain and suffering.

Mr. Garret Graves talked about the $100 billion year in, year out we are spending on disaster relief. It is good we do so, but we can nip a lot of this in the bud by applying this type of thinking toward all types of possible disasters.

In my home district, you know, last year the Dixie fire, right at a million acres; the Camp fire before that hit the town of Paradise. You all heard about that in the news, 85 people lost their lives, destroyed 90 percent of the town. Now, if we can get ahead of the curve on this, whatever is applicable for FEMA preassistance, prework, hardening power lines, having buildings that can be hardened with the right materials for their siding and for their roofs. The mitigation we need to be doing in forested areas, whatever is applicable, the more we can do, the better off we are.

We are also looking at flood situations. I have that, too, with the Sacramento River and Feather River in my area, as well as lesser areas, too, in size. Instead of fixing a levee on New Year's Eve in the middle of the night on soggy levees, doing that work ahead of time, upgrading them makes it safer for the workers, safer for the community, and is much less expensive.

This is, indeed, a great success for us in this time, and there is sometimes difficulty here in Congress to have legislation like this with strong bipartisan support that can help everybody. I am proud of the work this committee has been able to do.

Mr. Speaker, I stand to add my voice to the bipartisan chorus of support for this bill, including the chairman of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Mr. DeFazio; Ranking Member Graves; and the ranking member of my subcommittee, Mr. Webster, for leading on this bill and working so hard to bring relief to not only our communities but individuals who are hit by natural disasters and other calamities like we saw during COVID.

Creating a Federal policy that supports projects focused on mitigating risks and bolstering resilience is good government. There is no two ways about it.

This legislation features a number of key provisions that will make our Nation more resilient:

One, it increases State funding for predisaster mitigation. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

It expands assistance for Western States, like Nevada, that are at the risk of wildfires, which we see coming more often, lasting longer, and being more intense.

It also reserves funds to implement and enforce the latest building codes and standards so when we do build back, we build back better, not to the status quo ante.

It empowers families to proactively take mitigation measures into their own hands, because they may know best what they need there at home.

I strongly support this legislation. We must wake up to the realities of climate change and the increasing intensity and cost of the natural disasters that it causes. This legislation will help to make our Nation more resilient, and I ask my colleagues to support it.