H.R. 5650

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5650 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5650

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
assist primarily low-income individuals in making their homes and 
property more resilient to the impacts of climate change, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 30, 2025

Mr. Mullin (for himself, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, Mr. Doggett, Mr. 
Huffman, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Ms. Norton, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Peters, Ms. 
Tlaib, and Mr. Thompson of California) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in 
addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of the Interior to establish a grant program to 
assist primarily low-income individuals in making their homes and 
property more resilient to the impacts of climate change, 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 ``Weatherization Resilience and 
Adaptation Program Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Human accelerated climate change is causing significant 
shifts in global surface and atmospheric temperatures, 
accelerating the frequency of extreme weather events around the 
globe.
(2) Extreme weather events create environmental hazards 
such as excessive flooding, fire, heat, wind, and drought that 
have catastrophic impacts on frontline communities, who 
experience the worst and most immediate impacts of our climate 
crisis and often bear the brunt of such events seasonally, 
creating a cyclical pattern of disruption and destruction.
(3) Individuals can take steps to prevent and mitigate the 
worst impacts of extreme weather events on their home and 
property by implementing resilience and adaptation best 
practices, but the cost of these solutions puts them out of 
reach for many households.
(4) Low-income homeowners and individuals who reside in 
affordable housing disproportionately live in areas that face 
the greatest threat from extreme weather events, yet can least 
afford the changes to their property to make them more 
resilient to disasters and adapted to the changing climate.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act, the following definitions apply:
(1) Climate change.--The term ``climate change'' means 
long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns.
(2) Climate-driven hazards.--The term ``climate-driven 
hazards'' means hazards, such as floods, wildfires, landslides, 
extreme heat, extreme wind, and atmospheric rivers that have a 
human, economic, and ecological impact with increased 
frequency.
(3) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
National Institute of Standards and Technology.
(4) Eligible program participant.--The term ``eligible 
program participant'' means--
(A) a State;
(B) a federally recognized Indian Tribe; and
(C) a Native Hawaiian organization.
(5) Eligible property owners.--The term ``eligible property 
owner'' means--
(A) a low-income property owner;
(B) an owner of a property of which the deed, 
ground lease, or a loan for the improvement thereof has 
a restriction or covenant related to housing 
affordability which will not expire for at least 5 
years following the receipt of funds awarded under this 
Act;
(C) an owner of a multifamily dwelling building 
where more than 50 percent of dwelling units are 
occupied by residents whose rent is subsidized under a 
covered housing program listed in section 41411(a)(3) 
of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 
12491(a)(3)); and
(D) an owner of a property used as a community of 
manufactured homes.
(6) Low-income.--The term ``low-income'' means income in 
relation to family size that is at or below 300 percent of the 
poverty level determined in accordance with criteria 
established by the Director of the Office of Management and 
Budget, except that the Secretary may allow an eligible program 
participant to use a higher level if, after receiving a 
justification from such eligible program participant, the 
Secretary determines that such a higher level is necessary to 
carry out the purposes of this part and is consistent with the 
eligibility criteria established in this Act.
(7) Manufactured home.--The term ``manufactured home'' has 
the meaning given that term under section 603(6) of the 
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5402(6)).
(8) Natural solutions.--The term ``natural solutions'' 
means ways of adapting or making property more resilient to 
climate-driven hazards by making changes that imitate naturally 
occurring ecological functions that mitigate such hazards.
(9) Resilience and adaptation standards.--The term 
``resilience and adaptation standards'' means a set of 
building, landscaping, and construction guidelines for how 
property owners may preemptively mitigate the impacts of 
extreme precipitation, flooding, wildfires, heat, and other 
hazards attributable to global climate change in their 
dwellings and surrounding non-dwelling property.
(10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' refers to the 
Secretary of the Interior.
(11) State.--The term ``State'' means--
(A) a State;
(B) the District of Columbia; and
(C) any territory or possession of the United 
States.

SEC. 4. GRANT PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a grant program to 
award grants to eligible program participants to assist eligible 
property owners with dwelling and property adaptations to increase 
their ability to withstand climate-driven hazards.
(b) Application.--Eligible program participants applying for a 
grant under this section shall--
(1) submit to the Secretary an application--
(A) at such time and in such manner as the 
Secretary determines appropriate; and
(B) containing a description of--
(i) the eligible activities to be 
undertaken with the grant funds;
(ii) how eligible program participants will 
prioritize eligible property owners in awarding 
funding based on factors that take into account 
varying levels of disaster risk and means;
(iii) how eligible property owners awarded 
funding will be required to report on their use 
of funds; and
(iv) other information, as the Secretary 
determines appropriate; and
(2) if awarded funding under this Act, accept and process 
applications for funding from eligible property owners using an 
online system accessible on a smartphone or personal electronic 
device in addition to accepting and processing applications 
through a paper format.
(c) Use of Funds.--
(1) Eligible program participants.--Eligible program 
participants--
(A) shall use funds awarded under this Act to award 
grants to eligible property owners for resilience and 
adaptation activities to mitigate the impacts of 
climate change, including related modifications needed 
to maintain the existing accessibility of a property to 
individuals with disabilities, as the Secretary may 
determine after the consultation prescribed under 
section 5(a);
(B) shall be required to conduct outreach to 
educate eligible property owners, regardless of whether 
such property owners have received funds awarded under 
this Act, about how they can make structural 
improvements to their homes and property;
(C) may use up to 15 percent of funds awarded under 
this Act for expenses related to administering such 
funds and for the outreach required under subparagraph 
(B);
(D) shall not add additional eligibility 
requirements that materially change who is eligible for 
funding under this Act or add procedural burdens that 
limit property owners from applying for, and receiving, 
funding according to rules promulgated under section 5 
of this Act;
(E) shall only award grants for activities related 
to buildings, assets, or land located in areas where 
climate-driven hazards are more likely to occur as a 
result of climate change; and
(F) when awarding grants to the owner of a 
multifamily building--
(i) may require financial participation 
from such owner as a condition of awarding a 
grant for an activity with respect to that 
multifamily building;
(ii) in the case of projects funded under 
this Act that involve the displacement of a 
resident from any occupied housing unit, shall 
only award a grant on the condition that such 
owner--
(I) provides, at the option of the 
resident, a suitable and habitable 
housing unit that is, with respect to 
the housing unit from which the 
resident is displaced--
(aa) of a comparable size;
(bb) located in the same 
local community or a community 
with reduced hazard risk; and
(cc) offered under similar 
costs, conditions, and terms; 
and
(II) ensures that resident 
displaced are provided with the ability 
to return to their former unit, or a 
comparable unit located in the same 
multifamily dwelling following the 
completion of the grant-funded project; 
and
(iii) shall only award a grant on the 
condition that such owner refrains from--
(I) raising rent on dwelling units 
in such multifamily building as a 
result of any improvements paid for by 
funding awarded under this Act; and
(II) increasing rent on such 
dwelling units for any reason for at 
least 2 years unless specific rent 
increases during those 2 years were 
stipulated in agreements made prior to 
the awarding of funding under this Act 
to which such owner is a party.
(2) Eligible property owners.--Eligible property owners 
shall use funds awarded under this Act to--
(A) make changes to existing buildings or other 
assets as necessary to meet the purpose of the program 
established under this section; and
(B) implement natural solutions to adapt land to 
changing conditions.

SEC. 5. RULEMAKING.

(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate rules to carry 
out this Act in consultation with--
(1) the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(2) the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(3) the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency;
(4) the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency; and
(5) the heads of such other Federal departments and 
agencies as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(b) Required Provisions.--The Secretary shall ensure that 
regulations promulgated pursuant to this section include provisions 
that--
(1) in coordination with the Director, prescribe resilience 
and adaptation standards;
(2) provide guidance to eligible program participants in 
the implementation of this Act;
(3) create audits and annual reporting requirements as may 
be necessary or appropriate to determine whether an eligible 
program participant has carried out activities using grant 
funds--
(A) in a timely and effective manner; and
(B) in accordance with the requirements of this Act 
and other applicable laws; and
(4) develop and make publicly available performance targets 
for public review, which shall include spending thresholds for 
each year from the date on which funds are obligated by the 
Secretary to the grantee until such time all funds have been 
expended.

SEC. 6. STANDARDS.

(a) Publication.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Director shall develop and publish on the 
National Institute of Standards and Technology website resilience and 
adaptation standards, after consultation with--
(1) relevant Federal departments and agencies as the 
Director determines appropriate; and
(2) private sector organizations as the Director determines 
appropriate.
(b) Requirements.--The resilience and adaptation standards 
published under this section shall take into consideration--
(1) the cost of building materials;
(2) fair labor standards;
(3) variation in impacts of climate change, geographical 
and topographical location, and pre-existing weatherization 
projects; and
(4) natural solutions.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act--
(1) to the Secretary, $250,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2026 through 2031; and
(2) to the Director, $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2026 through 2028.
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