Preventing Our Next Natural Disaster Act
- Sponsor
- Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14]
- Committees
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Jan 15, 2025
Bottom line
The bill aims to proactively reduce the impact of natural disasters by directing more federal mitigation funds and technical assistance to vulnerable communities, with a focus on climate change adaptation and improved data transparency.
What it actually does
This bill amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to significantly enhance predisaster mitigation efforts. It introduces new definitions for high hazard risk, environmental justice communities, and small impoverished communities, and prioritizes these groups for federal assistance. The bill also increases the federal share for mitigation activities in vulnerable communities, boosts the overall funding set aside for predisaster mitigation, and mandates improved data collection on disaster spending and mitigation effectiveness.
Proponents argue
Proponents argue that this bill represents a critical shift towards proactive disaster management, which will save taxpayer money in the long run by reducing the need for costly post-disaster recovery. They emphasize that prioritizing vulnerable communities ensures equity in disaster preparedness and builds resilience against the escalating impacts of climate change, protecting lives and property.
Opponents contend
Opponents might raise concerns about the increased federal financial commitment, arguing that a higher federal share could disincentivize local investment. Some may also express reservations about the specific criteria for prioritizing communities or the administrative burden and cost associated with establishing a new interagency data collection system.
The bill is short and straightforward, allowing for quick comprehension of its core provisions and their potential impact.
Section 2
Amending Definitions for Predisaster Mitigation
This section amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to include new definitions. It defines 'high hazard risk' based on tools like the National Risk Index, 'environmental justice community' as communities of color, low-income, or Tribal communities facing disproportionate environmental effects, and 'small impoverished community' as economically disadvantaged communities of 50,000 or fewer individuals. These definitions are foundational for targeting future mitigation efforts.
Supporters argue
Proponents argue that these precise definitions are crucial for ensuring that federal predisaster mitigation resources are effectively and equitably directed to the communities most vulnerable and in need, addressing historical disparities in disaster preparedness.
Critics contend
Some might raise concerns about the potential for politicization or the administrative complexity of consistently applying these new definitions across diverse regions, or how 'economically disadvantaged' is determined by states.
Tradeoffs
The tradeoff involves balancing broad eligibility for mitigation funds with targeted assistance for specific vulnerable populations, requiring robust and clear criteria to avoid ambiguity or perceived unfairness.
Section 3
Incorporating Climate Change into Technical Assistance and Project Design
This provision authorizes the FEMA Administrator to develop guidance on how to integrate climate change considerations into key aspects of predisaster mitigation. This includes updating the National Risk Index, conducting cost-benefit analyses, and adopting improved building codes and standards to address natural hazards. It also ensures that funds support projects designed to withstand future climate change projections, such as flooding and wildfires, over their entire lifecycle.
Section 4
Prioritizing Vulnerable Communities for Mitigation Assistance
This section amends the Stafford Act to establish new criteria for prioritizing communities when awarding predisaster mitigation assistance. It directs FEMA to prioritize communities that are in high hazard risk areas, environmental justice communities, communities with a low tax revenue base per capita, and communities with low rates of code adoption, enforcement, and infrastructure maintenance expenditures. FEMA is tasked with establishing measurable guidelines for these priorities and integrating the data into tools like the National Risk Index and Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool.
Section 5
Increased Federal Share for Vulnerable Communities
This section amends the Stafford Act to allow the President to increase the federal contribution for mitigation activities. Specifically, it permits the federal government to cover up to 90 percent of the total cost of a mitigation project carried out in a small impoverished community or an environmental justice community, which is a significant increase from the standard federal share.
Section 6
Expanding Funding for Predisaster Mitigation and Community Capacity Building
This section significantly increases the amount of money set aside from the Disaster Relief Fund for predisaster mitigation. It raises the percentage from 6 percent to 15 percent of the estimated aggregate amount of grants for major disasters. Additionally, it allows the President to set aside 2 percent of this total amount specifically for community planning and capacity building assistance, aiming to help communities better prepare for and manage mitigation projects.
Section 7
Enhanced Community Outreach for Mitigation Grants
This section directs the FEMA Administrator to collaborate with organizations like the United States Cooperative Extension System and the Extension Disaster Education Network to provide targeted community outreach. The goal is to increase the number of grant applications from high hazard risk communities, environmental justice communities, communities with low tax revenue, and those with low rates of code adoption and infrastructure maintenance. The outreach will help these communities plan and prioritize projects based on climate conditions, future hazard risk, and social vulnerability, as well as successfully develop, submit, and administer grants.
Section 8
Centralized Data Collection and Post-Project Evaluation
This section mandates FEMA to establish a central federal database within three years, in coordination with other relevant agencies such as HUD, EPA, EDA, SBA, and the Army Corps of Engineers. This database will consolidate funding data for both post-disaster response and predisaster mitigation, categorizing it by project type, funding source, and hazard type, and presented with an interactive map. It also requires the collection and posting of census track and aggregate demographic data to trace funds, and post-project evaluations to analyze the savings achieved through proper predisaster mitigation.