Washington, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Young Kim (CA-40) and Jason Crow (CO-06) introduced the bipartisan Championing Local Efforts to Advance Resilience (CLEAR) Act to help communities better prepare for and respond to extreme weather events.
The CLEAR Act directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide grants for state, local, and tribal governments to create or maintain resiliency offices.
“Our communities need to be able to prepare for, withstand, and rebuild after extreme weather events, such as wildfires and landslides,” said Congresswoman Young Kim. “I’m proud to join Rep. Crow on the bipartisan CLEAR Act to help meet local needs and promote resiliency against natural disasters.”
“As fires, floods, and other extreme weather events continue to impact communities nationwide, it’s important we take proactive steps to ensure states can withstand extreme weather events and that they have the tools to come back stronger,” said Congressman Jason Crow. “We’ve seen this model work in Colorado with our state’s Resiliency Office. Now I’m proud to partner with Congresswoman Young Kim to introduce the CLEAR Act, bipartisan legislation that will empower communities to be fully prepared for when disaster strikes.”
Specifically, the bill would:
- Establish a competitive grant program to help States, Territories, and Tribes create and maintain resilience offices, develop tools to project future conditions, and implement programming to address risks and vulnerabilities;
- Require regular assessments of risks and vulnerabilities across a variety of sectors, including environmental and natural hazards, social infrastructure, housing, and the economy; and,
- Empower local stakeholders by encouraging grantees to form and regularly consult with a task force composed of disadvantaged communities, industry experts, labor stakeholders, and Tribal nations.
Read the full bill text HERE.
