An act to amend the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 and the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize the appropriation of funds to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out the earthquake hazards reduction program and the fire prevention and control program, and for other purposes.
Public Law 96-472 · S. 1393 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 19, 1980 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Sen. Howard Cannon (D-NV)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
(Senate agreed to House amendments with an amendment)
=Title I: Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program= - Amends the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977 to designate the Federal Emergency Management Agency as the agency with the primary responsibilities to conduct and coordinate the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program.
Requires the Director of such agency to: (1) recommend to the President the role and responsibility of each appropriate Federal department, agency, and entity with respect to each object and element of the program; (2) provide for the cooperation and coordination with, and assistance to, interested governmental entities in all States; (3) compile by September 30, 1981, and update and submit to Congress annually a written program plan with budget options; and (4) recommend appropriate roles for other levels of government, individuals, and private organizations.
Directs that the research elements of the program include the development techniques for the delineation of the potential effects of earthquakes, and their application on a regional basis.
Authorizes the Director of the United States Geological Survey to issue an earthquake prediction or advisory as he deems necessary. Requires the Director to recommend specific actions to the State and local officials and residents of an area for which a prediction has been made.
Includes within the mitigation elements of the program: (1) the transmittal to Congress by the Director of an intraagency coordination plan for earthquake hazard mitigation and response; and (2) the development and implementation by the Director of a preparedness plan for response to earthquake predictions which includes a prototype plan for a major metropolitan area with specific adaptations for other high risk metropolitan areas.
Eliminates the reporting to Congress requirement when proposed action under such plan has not been initiated.
Requires the Director to conduct and submit to Congress a study recommending amendments to the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 to include funding for the period of time following a validated earthquake prediction.
Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for: (1) the continuation of the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in Construction and the Building Seismic Safety programs; (2) plans and preparedness for earthquake disasters; (3) prediction response planning; (4) architectural and engineering planning and practice programs; (5) development and application of a public education program; (6) earthquake policy research by the National Science Foundation; (7) use by the Center for Building Technology, National Bureau of Standards; (8) the United States Geological Survey; (9) the National Science Foundation; and (10) the National Bureau of Standards.
Permits the transfer of funds between categories as specified.
=Title II: Fire Prevention and Control= - Amends the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 1981 for: (1) a three-year concentrated demonstration program of fire prevention and control in two States with high fire death rates; (2) rural fire prevention and control; and (3) research and development activities at the Fire Research Center of the National Bureau of Standards. Establishes minimum amounts to be spent on such programs.
=Title III: Multihazard Research, Planning, and Mitigation= - Authorizes the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to initiate studies to define and develop a multihazard research, planning, and implementation process within the Agency, develop prototype multihazard mitigation projects for State and local governments, and prepare a report on the status of the Agency's emergency information and communication satellites.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 13 actions.
- Oct 19, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-472.
- Oct 10, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- Oct 9, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- Oct 8, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 2, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to Senate amendments.
- Sep 30, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendments with an amendment.
- Jun 30, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H.R. 7114.
- FloorFloor · Measure called up by unanimous consent in House.
- May 22, 1980FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 15, 1980CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- Jun 21, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.