,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #bcbb ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #aa1 #bjac ,mr4 ,peters of ,california 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,king of ,new ,york1 ,mr4 ,murphy of ,florida1 ,mrs4 ,capps1 ,mr4 ,pocan1 ,mr4 ,huffman1 ,ms4 ,sinema1 and ,ms4 ,hahn7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure ,a ,,bill ,to minimize the economic and social costs resulting from losses of life1 property1 well-being1 business activity1 and economic growth associated with extreme weather events by ensuring that the ,united ,states is more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather events in the short- and long-term1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,strengthening ,the ,resiliency of ,our ,nation on the ,ground ,act or the ,,strong ,act4 #b4 ,findings and purpose 7a7 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,extreme weather has serious economic costs for ,americans1 ,american businesses1 and ,state and local governments4 ,hurricanes1 droughts1 floods1 tornadoes1 extreme heat1 and extreme cold cause death1 result in loss of property and well-being1 especially among the most vulnerable populations1 and negatively impact business activity and economic growth4 7#b7 ,superstorm ,sandy1 which devastated the ,eastern ,united ,states in late ,october #bjab1 resulted in more than #ajj deaths1 the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes1 power outages affecting more than #h1ejj1jjj homes1 massive flooding1 gasoline shortages1 and a crippled regional energy and transportation infrastructure4 ,as a result of this storm1 ,congress passed the ,disaster ,relief ,appropriations ,act1 #bjac1 which appropriated #ej1ejj1jjj1jjj for post-,sandy recovery efforts4 7#c7 ,in the past #cj years1 there have been more than #acj weather-related disasters in the ,united ,states that each generated at least #a1jjj1jjj1jjj in damages or more than #hhj1jjj1jjj1jjj in total standardized loss4 ,in addition1 there have been many other extreme weather events that generated less than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj in damages1 but still caused immeasurable harm to the ,nation's citizens1 infrastructure1 and economy4 7#d7 ,hurricane ,katrina led to more than #a1hjj deaths1 property damage exceeding #hj1jjj1jjj1jjj1 more than #abj1jjj1jjj1jjj in ,federal spending1 and long-term impacts on the economy and livelihoods of those living in the ,gulf ,coast region4 7#e7 ,in #bjaa1 one of the most severe and costly years for weather and climate on record1 extreme weather hit every region in the ,united ,states1 resulting in-- 7,a7 prolonged droughts in the ,south and the ,west2 7,b7 deadly floods in the ,southeast and ,midwest2 7,c7 hundreds of devastating tornadoes across the ,united ,states2 7,d7 ,hurricane ,irene in the ,northeast2 7,e7 more than #ej1jjj1jjj1jjj in weather-related damages2 7,f7 #ad extreme weather events1 which resulted in more than #a1jjj1jjj1jjj in damages each and caused a combined death toll of hundreds of people2 and 7,g7 many other extreme weather events with lesser1 but still significant1 impacts4 7#f7 ,in #bjab1 in addition to ,superstorm ,sandy1 the ,united ,states experienced-- 7,a7 drought conditions in more than #fj percent of the contiguous ,united ,states at the peak of the drought1 including more than #b1bjj counties that have received disaster designations from the ,secretary of ,agriculture due to the drought2 7,b7 deadly floods in ,minnesota1 ,tropical ,storm ,debby in ,florida1 and ,hurricane ,isaac in ,louisiana2 7,c7 destructive wildfires on more than #i1jjj1jjj acres across #cg ,states2 7,d7 power outages affecting more than #c1djj1jjj homes due to severe storms during the summer2 and 7,e7 deadly heat waves1 highlighted by ,july as the warmest month on record for the contiguous ,united ,states and more than #i1fjj daily high temperature records broken during ,june1 ,july1 and ,august4 7#g7 ,these events and natural disaster trends1 when combined with the volatility of weather1 ongoing demographic changes1 and development in high risk areas1 indicate that the negative impacts of extreme weather events and natural disasters have the potential to increase over time4 ,the fact that a significant number of people and assets continue to be located in areas prone to volatile and extreme weather indicates that these events will continue to be expensive and deadly if the ,united ,states fails to enhance its resiliency to such events4 ,recent studies show that the intensity and frequency of some types of1 but not all1 extreme weather events will likely increase in the future4 7#h7 ,economic savings can be achieved by considering the impacts of extreme weather over the short- and long-term in the planning process4 ,for example1 a #bjje review of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency's hazard mitigation programs1 conducted by the ,national ,institute of ,building ,sciences' ,multi-,hazard ,mitigation ,council1 found that every dollar spent on hazard mitigation yields a savings of #d in future losses4 7#i7 ,there are several efforts currently underway at the ,federal1 regional1 tribal1 ,state1 and local levels that have helped lay the foundation for a federally-coordinated effort to increase the ,nation's resiliency to extreme weather events1 such as the ,hurricane ,sandy ,rebuilding ,task ,force1 the ,presidential ,policy ,directive on ,national ,preparedness 7referred to in this ,act as ,,ppd-#h71 the ,national ,preparedness ,system1 the whole community approach led by the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 and the ,silver ,jackets ,program by the ,army ,corps of ,engineers4 ,other recent reports on this subject include the ,national ,academies of ,sciences' reports ,disaster ,resilience3 ,a ,national ,imperative and ,building ,community ,disaster ,resilience through ,public-,private ,collaboration4 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to minimize the economic and social costs and future losses of life1 property1 well-being1 business activity1 and economic growth by making the ,united ,states more resilient to the impacts of extreme weather events over the short- and long-term1 thereby creating business and job growth opportunities by-- 7#a7 ensuring that the ,federal ,government is optimizing its use of existing resources and funding to support ,state and local officials1 businesses1 tribal nations1 and the public to become more resilient1 including-- 7,a7 encouraging the consideration of1 and ways to incorporate1 extreme weather resilience across ,federal operations1 programs1 policies1 and initiatives2 7,b7 promoting improved coordination of existing and planned ,federal extreme weather resilience and adaptation efforts that impact extreme weather resilience and ensuring their coordination with1 and support of1 ,state1 local1 regional1 and tribal efforts2 7,c7 minimizing ,federal policies that may unintentionally hinder or reduce resilience1 such as damaging wetlands or other critical green infrastructure1 or lead ,federal agencies to operate at cross purposes in achieving extreme weather resilience2 and 7,d7 building upon existing related efforts1 such as the ,hurricane ,sandy ,rebuilding ,task ,force1 the ,,ppd-#h1 the ,national ,preparedness ,system1 and the whole community approach2 7#b7 communicating the latest understanding and likely short- and long-term human and economic impacts and risks of extreme weather to businesses and the public2 7#c7 supporting decisionmaking that improves resilience by providing forecasts and projections1 data decision-support tools1 and other information and mechanisms2 and 7#d7 establishing a consistent vision and strategic plan for extreme weather resilience across the ,federal ,government4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,extreme weather ,the term extreme weather includes severe and unseasonable weather1 heavy precipitation1 hurricanes1 storm surges1 tornadoes1 other windstorms 7including derechos71 extreme heat1 extreme cold1 and other qualifying weather events as determined by the interagency group established under section #d7;a77#a74 7#b7 ,resilience ,the term resilience means the ability to prepare and plan for1 absorb1 recover from1 and more successfully adapt to adverse events in a timely manner4 #d4 ,extreme weather resilience gap and overlap analysis 7a7 ,interagency working group 7#a7 ,in general 7,a7 ,establishment ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy 7referred to in this section as the ,director71 with input from the ,department of ,homeland ,security1 shall establish and chair an interagency working group with ,cabinet-level representation from all relevant ,federal agencies4 7,b7 ,duties ,the working group shall-- 7i7 come together to provide a strategic vision of extreme weather resilience2 7ii7 conduct a gap and overlap analysis of ,federal agencies' current and planned activities related to achieving short- and long-term resilience to extreme weather and its impacts on the ,nation1 such as storm surge1 flooding1 drought1 and wildfires2 and 7iii7 develop a ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,plan in accordance with section #e7;a74 7#b7 ,additional representation from executive office of the president ,the interagency working group established under paragraph 7#a7 shall include representatives of the relevant offices and councils within the ,executive ,office of the ,president1 including-- 7,a7 the ,office of ,management and ,budget2 7,b7 the ,national ,security ,staff2 7,c7 the ,council of ,economic ,advisors2 7,d7 the ,council on ,environmental ,quality2 and 7,e7 the ,domestic ,policy ,council4 7#c7 ,consultation with tribal1 state1 and local representatives 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,federal interagency working group established under paragraph 7#a7 shall work closely with an advisory group to take into account the needs of ,state and local entities across all regions of the ,united ,states4 ,the advisory group shall consist of-- 7i7 #a representative from the ,national ,emergency ,management ,association2 7ii7 #g representatives from ,states and ,state associations2 and 7iii7 #h representatives from local entities and associations1 including representation from a tribal nation and at least #a major metropolitan area4 7,b7 ,key sectors ,the representatives described in subparagraph 7,a7 shall1 in the aggregate1 represent all of the key sectors set forth in subsection 7b77#a74 7,c7 ,meetings ,the ,director shall meet with the representatives described in subparagraph 7,a7 not fewer than #i times during the development of-- 7i7 the gap and overlap analysis under this section2 and 7ii7 the ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan under section #e4 7#d7 ,cooperation by federal agencies ,in carrying out the activities described in subsection 7b71 ,federal agency representatives participating in the working group shall be forthright and shall fully cooperate with the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy4 7#e7 ,detailees ,upon the request of the ,director1 each agency or entity referred to in paragraph 7#a7 shall provide the working group with a detailee1 without reimbursement from the working group1 to support the activities described in subsection 7b71 section #e1 and section #g7;a74 ,such detailee shall retain the rights1 status1 and privileges of his or her regular employment without interruption4 7#f7 ,volunteer services ,notwithstanding section #acdb of title #ca1 ,united ,states ,code1 the working group may investigate and use such voluntary services as the working group determines to be necessary4 7b7 ,gap and overlap analysis ,in conducting the gap and overlap analysis required under subsection 7a77#a71 ,federal agency representatives shall-- 7#a7 develop a ,federal ,government-wide working vision for resilience to the impacts of extreme weather events in the short- and long-term1 in accordance with the purpose set forth in section #b7;b71 through an effort led by the ,director and the interagency working group1 which includes goals and objectives for key sectors4 ,key sectors shall include-- 7,a7 agriculture2 7,b7 forestry and natural resources management2 7,c7 water management1 including supply and treatment2 7,d7 energy supply and transmission2 7,e7 infrastructure1 including natural and built forms of water and wastewater1 transportation1 coastal infrastructure1 and other landscapes and ecosystems services2 7,f7 public health and healthcare delivery1 including mental health and hazardous materials management2 7,g7 communications1 including wireless communications2 7,h7 housing and other buildings2 7,i7 national security2 7,j7 emergency preparedness2 7,k7 insurance2 and 7,l7 other sectors that the ,director considers appropriate2 7#b7 consider and identify the interdependencies among the key sectors when developing the vision referred to in paragraph 7#a72 7#c7 create summaries of the existing and planned efforts and programmatic work underway or relevant to supporting ,state and local stakeholders in achieving greater extreme weather resilience in the short and long term for each sector identified under paragraph 7#a7 and across the sectors1 specifically including summaries of-- 7,a7 individual ,federal agency programs1 policies1 regulations1 and initiatives1 and research and data collection and dissemination efforts2 7,b7 areas of collaboration and coordination across ,federal agencies2 and 7,c7 areas of coordination with ,state and local agencies1 private entities1 and regional cooperation2 7#d7 identify specific ,federal programs1 statutes1 regulations1 policies1 and initiatives which may unintentionally hinder resilience efforts1 including an analysis of disincentives1 barriers1 and incompatible programs1 policies1 or initiatives across agencies and sectors2 7#e7 examine how the severity and frequency of extreme weather events at the local and regional level may change in the future and communicate these potential risks to stakeholders2 7#f7 work together to identify and evaluate existing ,federal tools and data to describe1 analyze1 forecast1 and model the potential impacts identified under paragraph 7#e7 and develop recommendations to strengthen their ability to provide reliable and accurate forecasts at the national1 regional1 ,state1 and local levels2 7#g7 identify gaps and overlaps in ,federal agency work1 resources1 and authorities that impair the ability of the ,united ,states to meet the vision for short- and long-term extreme weather resilience1 by comparing the goals and objectives identified for each sector and across sectors with the summaries identified in paragraph 7#c71 specifically identifying gaps relating to-- 7,a7 individual ,federal agency programs1 policies1 and initiatives1 and research data collection and dissemination efforts2 7,b7 areas of collaboration and coordination across ,federal agencies2 7,c7 areas of coordination with ,state and local agencies and private entities1 and regional cooperation2 7#h7 determine potential measures to address the issues referred to in paragraph 7#d7 and to address the gaps and overlaps referred to in paragraph 7#g7 by-- 7,a7 designating individual or multiple ,federal agencies to address these gaps2 7,b7 building upon existing delivery mechanisms2 7,c7 evaluating options for programs1 policies1 and initiatives that may particularly benefit extreme weather resilience efforts1 including the role of ecosystem-based approaches2 7,d7 recommending modifications to existing ,federal agency programs1 statutes1 regulations1 policies1 and initiatives to better support extreme weather resiliency2 7,e7 requesting new authorities and resource requirements1 if needed2 and 7,f7 identifying existing ,federal government processes that can be built upon to address the purpose of this ,act2 and 7#i7 establish1 with the assistance of the ,general ,services ,administration or such other ,federal agency as the ,director may designate1 a ,federal advisory working group to provide ongoing collective input to the process4 7c7 ,working group ,the ,federal advisory working group established pursuant to subsection 7b77#i7 shall consist of relevant private sector1 academic1 ,state and local government1 tribal nation1 regional organization1 vulnerable population1 and nongovernmental representatives1 with representation from each sector described in paragraph 7#a74 ,the ,director may designate an existing ,federal advisory committee under which the working group would operate independently1 with the same rights and privileges held by members of the advisory committee4 ,the members of the working group established pursuant to subsection 7b77#i7 may not simultaneously serve as members of the advisory committee designated pursuant to this subsection4 ,the activities of the working group should complement and not duplicate the stakeholder process conducted under ,,ppd-#h4 #e4 ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan 7a7 ,in general ,based on the results of the gap and overlap analysis conducted under section #d1 the ,director1 working with the interagency working group established under such section1 and considering the efforts described in section #b7;a77#i71 shall develop a ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan 7referred to in this section as the ,plan7-- 7#a7 to build upon existing ,federal ,government processes referred to in section #d7;b77#h77;,f7-- 7,a7 to address the results of the gap and overlap analysis under section #d2 and 7,b7 to incorporate the activities required under subsection 7c72 7#b7 to best utilize existing resources and programs through improved interagency coordination and collaboration2 7#c7 to improve ,federal coordination with existing regional entities1 ,state and local governments1 networks1 and private stakeholders2 7#d7 to make data and tools accessible and understandable and to help facilitate information exchange for tribal1 ,state1 and local officials1 businesses1 and other stakeholders in a manner that addresses the needs expressed by these stakeholders2 7#e7 to facilitate public-private partnerships2 7#f7 to improve ,federal agencies' economic analytical capacity to assess-- 7,a7 the likelihood and potential costs of extreme weather impacts by region and nationally2 and 7,b7 the relative benefits of potential resilience measures to multiple stakeholders2 7#g7 to provide tools to stakeholders-- 7,a7 to conduct analyses similar to those described in paragraph 7#f72 and 7,b7 to support decisionmaking2 7#h7 to support resiliency plans developed by ,state and local governments1 regional entities1 and tribal nations1 to the extent possible2 and 7#i7 to request further resources1 if necessary1 to fill in gaps to enable national resilience to extreme weather1 including resilience of tribal nations1 and particularly vulnerable populations1 and the use of green infrastructure and ecosystem-based solutions4 7b7 ,cooperation ,any ,federal agency representative contacted by the ,director1 in the course of developing the ,plan1 shall be forthright and shall fully cooperate with the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy1 as requested4 7c7 ,required activities 7#a7 ,responsibilities ,the ,plan shall include specific ,federal agency and interagency responsibilities1 identify potential new authorities1 if necessary1 and employ risk analysis-- 7,a7 to address the gaps identified through the gap and overlap analysis2 and 7,b7 to improve ,federal interagency coordination and ,federal coordination with ,state1 regional1 local1 and tribal partners4 7#b7 ,available funding opportunities 7,a7 ,identification ,the ,director shall identify-- 7i7 existing ,federal grant programs and other funding opportunities available to support ,state and local government extreme weather resiliency planning efforts2 or 7ii7 projects to advance extreme weather resiliency4 7,b7 ,publication ,the ,director shall publish the information described in subparagraph 7,a7 in the information portal identified in paragraph 7#c74 7,c7 ,responsibilities ,each participating agency shall-- 7i7 consider incorporating criteria or guidance into existing relevant ,federal grant and other funding opportunities to better support ,state and local efforts to improve extreme weather resiliency2 and 7ii7 evaluate and modify existing ,federal funding opportunities1 as appropriate1 to maximize the return on investment for pre-disaster mitigation activities4 7#c7 ,information portal 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,plan shall-- 7i7 include the establishment of an online1 publicly available information portal for use by ,federal agencies1 their partners1 and stakeholders1 that directs users to key data and tools to inform resilience-enhancing efforts2 and 7ii7 build off and be complementary to existing ,federal efforts1 including data4gov4 7,b7 ,maintenance ,the coordinating entity identified under paragraph 7#c7 shall be responsible for establishing and maintaining the information portal4 7,c7 ,information supplied ,information shall be supplied as requested by ,federal agencies1 their partners1 academia1 and private stakeholders1 in coordination with regional1 ,state1 local1 and tribal agencies4 7,d7 ,contents ,the information portal established under this paragraph shall direct users to coordinated and systematic information on-- 7i7 best or model practices2 7ii7 data2 7iii7 case studies2 7iv7 indicators2 7v7 scientific reports2 7vi7 resilience and vulnerability assessments2 7vii7 guidance documents and design standards2 7viii7 incentives2 7ix7 education and communication initiatives2 7x7 decision support tools1 including risk management1 short- and long-term economic analysis1 and predictive models2 7xi7 planning tools2 7xii7 public and private sources of assistance2 and 7xiii7 such other information as the coordinating entity considers appropriate4 7#d7 ,coordinating entity ,the ,plan shall include the identification of a ,federal agency1 interagency council1 office1 or program1 which participated in the gap and overlap analysis and ,plan development4 ,such entity shall-- 7,a7 coordinate the implementation of the ,plan2 7,b7 track the progress of such implementation2 and 7,c7 transfer responsibilities to another ,federal agency1 interagency council1 office1 or program to serve as the coordinating entity if the entities participating in the working group agree that circumstances necessitate such a change4 7#e7 ,resiliency officer ,each ,federal agency that assists with the gap and overlap analysis required under section #d shall designate1 from among the agency's senior management1 a ,senior ,resiliency ,officer1 who shall-- 7,a7 facilitate the implementation of the agency's responsibilities under paragraph 7#a72 7,b7 monitor the agency's progress and performance in implementing its responsibilities under paragraph 7#a72 7,c7 report the agency's progress and performance to the head of the agency and the coordinating entity identified under paragraph 7#c72 and 7,d7 serve as the agency lead in ongoing coordination efforts within the ,federal agency and between the coordinating entity1 other ,federal agencies1 public and private partners1 and stakeholders4 7d7 ,publication 7#a7 ,draft plan ,not later than #dbj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall publish a draft of the ,plan developed under this section in the ,federal ,register4 7#b7 ,public comment period ,during the #fj-;day period beginning on the date on which the draft ,plan is published under paragraph 7#a71 the ,director shall-- 7,a7 solicit comment from the public2 and 7,b7 conduct a briefing for ,congress to explain the provisions contained in the draft ,plan4 7#c7 ,final plan ,not later than #abj days after the end of the public comment period described in paragraph 7#b71 the ,director shall publish the final ,plan in the ,federal ,register4 7e7 ,implementation ,not later than #fcj days after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall begin implementing the final ,plan published under subsection 7d77#c74 7f7 ,financing ,to the extent possible-- 7#a7 ,federal funding should be used to leverage private sector financing for resilience building activities1 consistent with the implementation of the ,plan1 through public-private partnerships2 and 7#b7 ,federal grant and loan programs of the ,federal agencies participating in the interagency working group for this effort shall consider extreme weather resilience as a key factor when awarding funding1 including the projected extreme weather risk to a project over the course of its expected life4 7g7 ,tribal1 state1 and local responsibilities ,the ,plan may not place new unfunded requirements on ,state or local governments4 #f4 ,authorization of other activities 7a7 ,in general ,federal agencies are authorized to develop tools and disseminate information to improve extreme weather resilience in the key sectors set forth in section #d7;b77#a74 7b7 ,office of science and technology policy ,in conducting the gap and overlap analysis under section #d and developing the ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan under section #e1 the ,director may carry out additional activities in support of the purpose of this ,act4 #g4 ,reports 7a7 ,government accountability office report ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general of the ,united ,states shall submit a report to ,congress that-- 7#a7 identifies existing ,federal ,government programs and policies related to disaster relief1 response1 and recovery that impede improving short- and long-term extreme weather resilience2 and 7#b7 make recommendations for how the programs or policies could be structured differently to better support short- and long-term resilience after an extreme weather event4 7b7 ,initial report ,not later than #b years after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,director shall submit a report to ,congress that contains-- 7#a7 the results of the gap and overlap analysis2 7#b7 the final ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan2 7#c7 an update on the implementation of the plan2 and 7#d7 available resources for the sustained implementation of the plan4 7c7 ,triennial reports ,not later than #b years after the submission of the report under subsection 7a71 and every #c years thereafter1 the coordinating entity identified under section #e7;c77#c71 in cooperation with the interagency working group established under section #d7;a71 shall submit a report to ,congress that-- 7#a7 contains an update of the ,national ,extreme ,weather ,resilience ,action ,plan2 7#b7 describes the progress of the plan's implementation2 7#c7 improves upon the original analysis as more information and understanding about extreme weather events becomes available2 7#d7 establishes criteria for prioritization of activities described in the plan2 7#e7 reconsiders and makes changes to the plan based on the availability of new information described in paragraph 7#c72 and 7#f7 identifies cost-effective changes to laws1 policies1 or regulations that could advance the purpose of this ,act4 7d7 ,fema reports on funding 7#a7 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7,a7 ,the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency grant programs are a key vehicle that exists to fund activities related to resiliency planning and projects4 7,b7 ,in order to ensure that the ,united ,states becomes more resilient to extreme weather1 it is important to ensure that sufficient resources are available to support resiliency activities4 7#b7 ,reports ,at the end of each fiscal year1 the ,director of the ,federal ,emergency ,management ,agency 7,,fema7 shall submit a report to ,congress that-- 7,a7 identifies the amounts that were made available to the ,,fema during such fiscal year for ,state and local entities to use for activities that support the purposes of this ,act2 7,b7 identifies the amounts disbursed by ,,fema to ,state and local entities during such fiscal year for such activities2 7,c7 describes the resources requested by ,state and local entities for activities that support the purposes of this ,act2 and 7,d7 identifies the difference between the amounts disbursed by ,,fema and the amounts requested from ,,fema by ,state and local entities4 #h4 ,authorization of appropriations 7a7 ,amounts for analysis1 plan development and implementation1 and reports ,there are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for fiscal years #bjad through #bjaf-- 7#a7 to conduct the gap and overlap analysis required under section #d2 7#b7 to conduct the activities required under section #e1 including the creation and maintenance of the information portal2 and 7#c7 to prepare the reports to ,congress required under subsections 7b7 and 7c7 of section #g4 7b7 ,availability of funds ,amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall remain available for the purposes set forth in such subsection through ,december #ca1 #bjaf4