Disaster Resiliency Planning Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (S. 3510) to require the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance with respect to natural disaster resilience, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, S. 3510, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act, was introduced by my colleague and counterpart in the Senate, Chairman Gary Peters, along with Senator Rick Scott, and it passed the Senate by unanimous consent in June. Our colleague, Representative Troy Carter, is leading companion legislation in the House, which is also bipartisan.

This commonsense, bipartisan bill takes action to implement an important recommendation made by the Government Accountability Office last year. In 2021, GAO issued a report on the efforts of Federal agencies to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars by mitigating the impact of natural disasters on Federal property and assets like buildings, roads, bridges, and levees.

In the 5 years leading up to the report, billions of taxpayer dollars were spent repairing the damage done to Federal assets by natural disasters, and current trends demonstrate that the frequency and severity of natural disasters are increasing as a result of climate change.

As the largest real property owner in the United States, the Federal Government's fiscal exposure to natural disasters is deeply concerning. The Federal Government lacks a comprehensive, strategic approach to resilience, which is key to addressing this risk and protecting taxpayer dollars.

Fortunately, agencies have made good progress in creating action plans that identify extreme weather vulnerabilities and steps that can be taken to address them. GAO's report recommended the crucial next step that agencies should be directed to incorporate these assessments into their asset management investment decisions.

That recommendation remains open today, but this bipartisan bill will ensure that it finally gets done. Within 180 days, OMB would be required to establish guidance for the incorporation of natural disaster resilience into the real property asset management and investment decisions of Federal agencies. As recommended by GAO, agencies would be required to incorporate their natural disaster risk information assessments into such decisions.

This commonsense, good government bill has been informed by years of GAO analysis and will protect taxpayer dollars by prioritizing cost- effective resilience strategies. We must implement these action plans before the next superstorm or wildfire deals yet another blow to our Federal assets.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of S. 3510, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of S. 3510, the Disaster Resiliency Planning Act.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and wildfires cause significant damage across the country to Federal real property assets. According to the Government Accountability Office, over the past 5 years, Congress has spent billions of dollars to repair Federal assets damaged by natural disasters. Yet, for decades, Federal agencies have made minimal efforts to prepare for natural disasters and make their real property assets more resilient. This is unacceptable.

Billions in taxpayer dollars have been wasted to repair assets left unprepared in the face of reoccurring and predictable risk posed by natural disasters and extreme weather events.

Natural disasters are a fact of life, and the U.S. Government maintains a sprawling footprint of buildings and facilities across our great Nation. We must recognize these realities. The Disaster Resiliency Planning Act does this.

It tasks the Office of Management and Budget with issuing guidance requiring Federal agencies to incorporate natural disaster resilience planning into their real property asset management and investment decisions. This will help save taxpayer dollars and ensure Federal agencies are acting in a fiscally responsible manner.

Mr. Speaker, this is a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will save taxpayer dollars and ensure Federal property recovers from natural disasters more quickly.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 385, S. 3510.

I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported substitute amendment be agreed to; that the bill, as amended, be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.