H.R. 501

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 501 Reported in House (RH)]

<DOC>

Union Calendar No. 273
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 501

[Report No. 119-319]

To amend certain laws relating to disaster recovery and relief with 
respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

January 16, 2025

Mr. Edwards (for himself and Ms. Titus) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure

October 3, 2025

Additional sponsor: Mr. Fitzpatrick

October 3, 2025

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on January 
16, 2025]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend certain laws relating to disaster recovery and relief with 
respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other 
purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Resilient Buildings Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION.

Section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
``(m) Latest Published Editions.--For purposes of subsections 
(e)(1)(B)(iv) and (g)(10), the term `latest published editions' means, 
with respect to relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and 
standards, the 2 most recently published editions.''.

SEC. 3. HAZARD MITIGATION REVOLVING LOAN FUND PROGRAM.

Section 205(f) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5135(f)) is amended--
(1) by striking paragraph (5); and
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), and (8) as 
paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively.

SEC. 4. RESIDENTIAL RETROFIT AND RESILIENCE PILOT PROGRAM.

(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(2) Residential resilient retrofits.--The term 
``residential resilient retrofits''--
(A) means a project that--
(i) is designed to increase the resilience 
of an existing home or residence using 
mitigation measures that the Administrator 
determines reduce damage and impacts from 
natural disaster hazards and risks that are 
most likely to occur in the area where the home 
is located; and
(ii) to the extent applicable, are 
consistent with the 2 most recently published 
editions of relevant consensus-based codes, 
specifications, and standards, including any 
amendments made by State, local, Tribal, or 
territorial governments to those codes, 
specifications, and standards that incorporate 
the latest hazard-resistant designs and 
establish criteria for the design, 
construction, and maintenance of residential 
structures and facilities that may be eligible 
for assistance under the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) for the purpose of 
protecting the health, safety, and general 
welfare of users of the buildings against 
disasters; and
(B) includes--
(i) elevations of homes and elevations of 
utilities within and around structures to 
mitigate damages;
(ii) floodproofing measures;
(iii) the construction of tornado safe 
rooms;
(iv) seismic retrofits;
(v) wildfire retrofit and mitigation 
measures;
(vi) wind retrofits, including roof 
replacements, hurricane straps, and tie-downs; 
and
(vii) any other measures that meet the 
requirements of subparagraph (A), as determined 
by the Administrator.
(b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a residential 
resilience pilot program through the program established under section 
203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) to make available assistance to States and local 
governments for the purpose of providing grants to individuals for 
residential resilience retrofits.
(c) Amount of Funds.--The Administrator may use not more than 10 
percent of the assistance made available to applicants on an annual 
basis under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) to provide assistance under 
this section.
(d) Timeline.--The Administrator shall establish the pilot program 
under this section not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act and the program shall terminate on September 30, 2030.
(e) Priority.--In carrying out the pilot program under this 
section, the Administrator shall ensure that a State or local 
government receiving assistance under the program provides grants to 
individuals that demonstrate financial need.
(f) Report.--Not later than 6 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a 
report that includes--
(1) a summary of the grant awards and projects carried out 
under this section;
(2) a detailed compilation of results achieved by the grant 
awards and projects carried out under this section, including 
the number of homes receiving retrofits, the types and average 
costs of retrofits, and demographic information for 
participants in the pilot program;
(3) an estimate of avoidance in disaster impacts and 
Federal disaster payments as a result of the grant investments 
carried out under this section, and whether that avoidance is 
different than other mitigation projects funded through section 
203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133); and
(4) any identified implementation challenges and 
recommendations for improvements to the pilot program.
(g) Applicability.--This section shall only apply to amounts 
appropriated on or after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall be 
construed to affect any program other than the predisaster hazard 
mitigation program or the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program 
established under section 203 or 205 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5135), 
respectively.
Union Calendar No. 273

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 501

[Report No. 119-319]

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend certain laws relating to disaster recovery and relief with 
respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

October 3, 2025

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed