1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safe Communities Act of 2017 . 2. Findings The Congress finds the following: (1) Land use and public facility planning at both the State and local levels have not had adequate financial resources to fully incorporate the threats posed both by natural and human-caused disasters, including acts of terrorism. Too frequently this has resulted in costly disaster relief programs and piecemeal, ad hoc security responses, such as unattractive physical barriers that disrupt and adversely impact the physical, social, economic, and civic lives in United States communities. (2) Although land use planning is rightfully within the jurisdiction of State and local governments, encouraging community safety by incorporating disaster mitigation and emergency preparedness into comprehensive land use planning and urban development should be supported by the Federal Government and State governments. (3) Disaster response and relief efforts impose significant costs to United States taxpayers. Federal expenditure is heavily weighted to post-disaster recovery, rather than mitigation. Planning should be undertaken to prevent property damage and human casualties, proactively incorporating mitigation strategies and methods from the professional fields of urban, community, and regional planning (including transportation and land use), architecture, landscape architecture, and urban design. (4) Disaster planning has traditionally been biased toward facilitating efficient responses and recovery, potentially to the detriment of other planning goals. Comprehensive planning can incorporate a range of effective practices for reducing risks posed by natural disasters and terrorist acts. The Federal Government and States should provide a supportive climate and statutory context for comprehensive planning. (5) Many States have land use statutes that do not currently support comprehensive planning for safe communities, and many States are undertaking efforts to update and reform statutes to better enable