S 388

Introduced

Promoting Resilient Buildings Act

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act with respect to the implementation of building codes, and for other purposes.

Introduced Feb 4, 2025

Latest action (Aug 6, 2026) Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Referred to

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

Policy area

Emergency Management

Issues

Climate & EnergyHousing

Summary

Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to reference the 2 most recently published editions of consensus-based building codes and standards.
Simplifies the hazard mitigation revolving loan fund program by removing paragraph (5) and renumbering remaining provisions.
Establishes a residential resilience pilot program to provide grants to states and local governments to support homeowner retrofits that increase disaster resilience.
Authorizes the use of up to 10 percent of annual predisaster hazard mitigation assistance to support the residential resilience pilot program.
Specifies that the pilot program supports retrofits including elevations, floodproofing, tornado safe rooms, seismic retrofits, wildfire mitigation, and wind retrofits.
Requires FEMA to terminate the pilot program on September 30, 2030, and report to Congress in 4 years on outcomes, costs, and estimated disaster impact avoidance.

AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.

Sponsor (1)

Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX] (R-TX)

1 cosponsor

Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA)

Actions (3)

Aug 6, 2026 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably. · senate
Feb 4, 2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. · senate
Feb 4, 2025 Introduced in Senate

Similar bills (6)

Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.

Text versions (1)

Introduced in Senate · Feb 4, 2025

Only one text version is on file, so there’s no earlier version to compare against yet.

Committee action

What happened to this bill in committee — the meetings where it was considered and every recorded vote taken on it.

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Business meeting to consider an original resolution regarding Contempt of Congress, S.2732, to strengthen employee cost savings suggestions programs within the Federal Government, S.2733, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to analyze certain legislation in order to prevent duplication of and overlap with existing Federal programs, offices, and initiatives, S.252, to increase access to agency guidance documents, S.164, to amend chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, to provide for en bloc consideration in resolutions of disapproval for "midnight rules", H.R.5235, to amend title 41, United States Code, to prohibit minimum educational requirements for proposed contractor personnel in certain contract solicitations, S.3175, to establish a pilot program for ZIP Code boundary changes, S.4505, to require the United States Postal Service to designate ZIP Codes for certain communities, S.1735, to require certain agencies to include a page on the website of the agency relating to permit applications, S.5163, to amend title 39, United States Code, to prevent the awarding of bonuses to the Postmaster General and Deputy Postmaster General for a fiscal year in which the United States Postal Service does not meet or exceed each on-time mail delivery target, S.2542, to direct the Director of the Federal Protective Service to establish guidance relating to emergency protocols for buildings, S.3211, to require the Office of Management and Budget to consider revising the Standard Occupational Classification system to establish a separate code for direct support professionals, S.4079, to establish in U.S. Customs and Border Protection a pilot program to adopt dogs from local animal shelters to be trained as support dogs, S.3296, to amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to cover, for purposes of workers' compensation under such chapter, services by physician assistants and nurse practitioners provided to injured Federal workers, S.388, to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act with respect to the implementation of building codes, S.3226, to provide for the creation of the missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel Records Collection at the National Archives, to require the expeditious public transmission to the Archivist and public disclosure of missing Armed Forces and civilian personnel records, S.24, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 154 First Avenue East in Jerome, Idaho, as the "Representative Maxine Bell Post Office", S.58, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 107 North Hoyne Avenue in Fritch, Texas, as the "Chief Zeb Smith Post Office", S.829, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 840 Front Street in Casselton, North Dakota, as the "Commander Delbert Austin Olson Post Office", S.917, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 620 East Pecan Boulevard in McAllen, Texas, as the "Agent Raul H. Gonzalez Jr. Memorial Post Office", S.2394, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 505 East 9th Avenue in Amarillo, Texas, as the "Mayor Jerry H. Hodge Post Office Building", S.2432, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6444 San Fernando Road in Glendale, California, as the "Paul Ignatius Post Office", S.3270 and H.R.6310, bills to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3570 Olney Laytonsville Road in Olney, Maryland, as the "Edward L. Ramsey Olney Post Office Building", S.3294 and H.R.6332, bills to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10660 Page Avenue in Fairfax, Virginia, as the "Congressman Gerald E. Connolly Post Office Building", S.3331, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 50 East 100 North in Moab, Utah, as the "2nd Lieutenant Mitch Williams Post Office", S.3373, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 14855 South Van Dyke Road in Plainfield, Illinois, as the "Staff Sergeant Jose Duenez Jr. Post Office Building", S.3444, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service at 1300 East Northwest Highway in Palatine, Illinois, as the "Bernie Bluestein Post Office Building", S.3630, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 46164 Westlake Drive in Sterling, Virginia, as the "Firefighter Trevor Brown Post Office Building", S.3835, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 10 East Main Street in Mahaffey, Pennsylvania, as the "Robert Allen Bishop, Sr., Post Office Building", S.4052, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 203 North Clay Street in Marshfield, Missouri, shall be known and designated as the "Edwin P. Hubble Post Office", S.4523, to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 111 SouHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs CommitteeAug 6, 2026Business meeting

Full text

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 4, 2025

Mr. Cornyn (for himself and Mr. Fetterman) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

A BILL

To amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 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”.

SEC. 2. PREDISASTER HAZARD MITIGATION.

Section 203(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended—

(1) by striking the subsection heading and inserting “Definitions”;

(2) by striking “In this section, the term” and inserting the following:

“(2) Small impoverished community.—The term”; and

(3) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so designated, “In this section:

“(1) Latest published editions.—The term ‘latest public editions’ means the 2 most recently published editions of relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards.”.

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 retrofit.—The term “residential resilient retrofit”—

(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—

(I) the 2 most recently published editions of relevant consensus-based codes, specifications, and standards, including any amendments made to those codes by State, local, or Indian tribal governments; and

(II) specifications and standards that, for the purpose of protecting health, safety, and general welfare of users of buildings against disasters— (aa) incorporate the latest hazard-resistant designs; and (bb) 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.); and

(B) includes—

(i) elevations of homes and 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 measure 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.—With respect to the pilot program carried out under subsection (b), the Administrator shall—

(1) establish the pilot program not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act; and

(2) terminate the pilot program 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 pilot program provides grants to individuals that demonstrate financial need.

(f) Report.—Not later than 4 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 under 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 established under this section.

(g) Applicability.—This section shall only apply with respect 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, respectively, of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133, 5135). <all>

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Summary

Sponsor (1)

Money behind the sponsor

Actions (3)

Similar bills (6)

Text versions (1)

Committee action

Meetings where this bill was on the agenda

Full text

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