Reauthorization of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Floor Speech

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Ms. JAYAPAL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to say how pleased I am that Congress has reauthorized the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, or NEHRP.

I am grateful to Senator Feinstein, as well as my colleagues in the House--Representatives Rohrabacher, Knight, and Lamar Smith--for their leadership in bringing this forward. This has been an important issue to me since I was in the State senate, given my State's--Washington State's--geography and the serious threats that we face from earthquakes.

NEHRP reauthorization is the very first step to ensure that our States have the resources they need to prepare for earthquakes, States like mine that have been anticipating a catastrophic earthquake for many years.

As we have watched tragedies unfold around the world, it is clear that we have to do everything we can to build resilience so that when earthquakes inevitably strike, our communities are as prepared as they can be. This reauthorization will ensure that all of our communities are able to improve their building standards, have early warning systems, and have better monitoring for seismic activity.

I hope this bill will be one of many, and that we continue to build on this progress to ensure ample investment to build resilience, in particular for schools and hospitals. I look forward to working with my colleagues to push this forward in the next Congress.

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