42 U.S.C. § 7705b: Seismic standards

Summary

By December 1, 2019, the NIST Director and the FEMA Administrator must create a committee of experts from federal agencies, nonprofit and private groups, disaster and engineering associations, and construction and homebuilding organizations. The committee must study and recommend ways to make buildings and critical infrastructure meet goals about when places can be used again after an earthquake (post‑earthquake reoccupancy) and how fast systems recover (functional recovery time). By June 30, 2020, the committee must send a report with its recommendations to these Congressional committees: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Senate Energy and Natural Resources; Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; House Science, Space, and Technology; House Natural Resources; and House Homeland Security.

Title 42, §7705b

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Assessment and recommendations

Not later than December 1, 2019, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall jointly convene a committee of experts from Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, private sector entities, disaster management professional associations, engineering professional associations, and professional construction and homebuilding industry associations, to assess and recommend options for improving the built environment and critical infrastructure to reflect performance goals stated in terms of post-earthquake reoccupancy and functional recovery time.

(b)Report to Congress

Not later than June 30, 2020, the committee convened under paragraph (1) shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on Natural Resources, and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report on recommended options for improving the built environment and critical infrastructure to reflect performance goals stated in terms of post-earthquake reoccupancy and functional recovery time.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Pub. L. 115–307 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, section related to adoption of seismic safety standards.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Report on Vulnerability of Buildings Owned and Leased by Government Pub. L. 101–614, § 8(b), Nov. 16, 1990, 104 Stat. 3238, directed Comptroller General, not later than 18 months after Nov. 16, 1990, to report to Congress on vulnerability of buildings owned and leased by the Federal Government and on efforts of Federal agencies to improve the seismic resistance of buildings they own or lease, and for each such agency, the Comptroller General to enumerate the number of buildings owned or leased by the agency, the seriousness of the seismic risk to such buildings, and the value of the buildings at risk, as well as tabulate the expenditures each such agency had devoted to reducing earthquake damage and estimate the total expenditure necessary to address the problem adequately.

Executive Documents

Executive Order No. 12941 Ex. Ord. No. 12941, Dec. 1, 1994, 59 F.R. 62545, which related to seismic safety of existing federally owned or leased buildings, was revoked by Ex. Ord. No. 13717, § 5, Feb. 2, 2016, 81 F.R. 6409, set out as a note under section 7704 of this title.

§7705b Seismic Standards