Promoting Resilient Buildings Act of 2023
Floor Speech
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5473. This bill, introduced by Representatives Edwards and Norcross, would provide FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with greater flexibility when incentivizing the use of hazard-resistant building codes in its predisaster mitigation programs.
Current law directs FEMA to only consider the latest edition of building codes when implementing predisaster mitigation programs. This legislation will allow FEMA to consider the latest two editions of codes. The additional flexibility will help States and communities that are struggling to adapt to frequent changes in building codes.
Thanks to an amendment offered by Ranking Member Titus and adopted at markup, this bill now includes a pilot program within FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program called BRIC--not to be confused with Brazil, Russia, India, and China--making it possible to fund individual home retrofits for the purpose of disaster resilience.
The severity of disasters has skyrocketed in recent years, putting homeowners at serious risk. Implementing recommended mitigation measures could make the difference between a family losing their home and life savings or being able to stay safe and continue their daily routines post-disaster.
This pilot program will ensure financial barriers do not stand in the way of making homes safer, so no family is left behind. Homeowners might leverage this pilot to make the roof less flammable and more resilient to wildfires and remove overhanging branches to reduce the risk of damage from severe storms or build a tornado-safe room.
These measures may also come with the added benefit of reduced insurance premiums. Having a home is very important in America, so it is critical that we support ways to lower premiums and make homes more insurable as disaster risk and insurance costs are ballooning.
The House passed the language in this bipartisan bill on suspension in the 117th Congress. I look forward to passing this measure today to improve implementation of predisaster mitigation programs and make homes more resilient to disaster.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to join with the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Graves) and me as we support this legislation.
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Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I am not going to ping-pong this back and forth. I yield back the balance of my time.
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