South OC Times

U.S. Representatives Young Kim and Jason Crow have introduced the Championing Local Efforts to Advance Resilience (CLEAR) Act, a bipartisan initiative aimed at enhancing community preparedness for extreme weather events. The legislation mandates the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide grants to state, local, and tribal governments for establishing or maintaining resiliency offices.

Congresswoman Young Kim emphasized the importance of community readiness: “Our communities need to be able to prepare for, withstand, and rebuild after extreme weather events, such as wildfires and landslides.” She expressed pride in collaborating with Rep. Crow on this bipartisan effort.

Congressman Jason Crow highlighted the necessity of proactive measures 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.” He cited Colorado's Resiliency Office as a successful model.

The CLEAR Act proposes several measures including a competitive grant program designed to assist states, territories, and tribes in creating resilience offices. It also focuses on developing tools for projecting future conditions and implementing programs addressing risks. Regular assessments of various sectors' vulnerabilities are required under the bill. Additionally, it encourages grantees to engage with a task force comprising disadvantaged communities, industry experts, labor stakeholders, and Tribal nations.