§ 3303b. Reports

• (a)
  • (1) Not later than 1 year after December 16, 2016 , and biennially thereafter, the Secretary in coordination with the committee, shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report describing the state of levees in the United States and the effectiveness of the levee safety initiative, including—
    • (A) progress achieved in implementing the levee safety initiative;
    • (B) State, regional, and tribal participation in the levee safety initiative;
    • (C) recommendations to improve coordination of levee safety, floodplain management, and environmental protection concerns, including—
      • (i) identifying and evaluating opportunities to coordinate public safety, floodplain management, and environmental protection activities relating to levees; and
      • (ii) evaluating opportunities to coordinate environmental permitting processes for operation and maintenance activities at existing levee projects in compliance with all applicable laws; and
    • (D) any recommendations for legislation and other congressional actions necessary to ensure national levee safety.
  • (2) Each report under paragraph (1) shall include a report of the committee that describes the independent recommendations of the committee for the implementation of the levee safety initiative.
• (b) Not later than 3 years after June 10, 2014 , to the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary and the Administrator, in coordination with the committee, shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report that includes recommendations regarding the advisability and feasibility of, and potential approaches for, establishing a joint national dam and levee safety program.
• (c) Not later than 2 years after December 16, 2016 , the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to Congress a report on opportunities for alignment of Federal programs to provide incentives to State, regional, tribal, and local governments and individuals and entities—
  • (1) to promote shared responsibility for levee safety;
  • (2) to encourage the development of strong State, regional, and tribal levee safety programs;
  • (3) to better align the levee safety initiative with other Federal flood risk management programs; and
  • (4) to promote increased levee safety through other Federal programs providing assistance to State, regional, tribal, and local governments.
• (d) Not later than 1 year after December 16, 2016 , the Secretary shall submit to Congress and make publicly available a report that includes recommendations that identify and address any legal liability associated with levee engineering projects that prevent—
  • (1) levee owners from obtaining needed levee engineering services; or
  • (2) development and implementation of a State, regional, or tribal levee safety program.