21st Century Flood Reform Act
Latest action. Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
21st Century Flood Reform Act
TITLE I--POLICYHOLDER PROTECTIONS AND INFORMATION
(Sec. 101) This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) through FY2022.
(Sec. 102) The bill changes annual minimums and limits on premium increases for specified policies subsidized through NFIP to: (1) increase the minimum from 5% to 5.5% for the second year after enactment, (2) increase the minimum from 5% to 6% for the third year, (3) increase the minimum from 5% to 6.5% for the fourth year and beyond, and (4) decrease the limit on annual premium increases from 18% to 15%.
(Sec. 103) The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must provide financial assistance through state programs for low income families to purchase NFIP insurance.
(Sec. 104) FEMA must publish an annual explanation of flood insurance premiums and hold public meetings.
(Sec. 105) FEMA must incorporate in premium rates the differences in coastal and riverine (inland) flood risk.
(Sec. 106) FEMA's implementation of monthly premium payment schedules is exempted from rulemaking. FEMA may implement this schedule as a pilot program. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must report on the costs associated with monthly payment of premiums. FEMA must annually report on these costs.
(Sec. 107) FEMA must clearly communicate to policyholders their property's full flood risk, the history of flood claims on their property, and the effect of filing further claims.
(Sec. 108) FEMA must make data on historical claims, required coverage, and previous damage available to the current owner of the property within 30 days of a request.
(Sec. 109) State or local governments must require a seller or lessor to disclose to a purchaser or lessee any previous flood damage or flood insurance claims, and any obligation to purchase flood insurance. This requirement, whether by statute or regulation, must be adopted for the area to qualify for participation in NFIP.
(Sec. 110) FEMA may create a community-wide flood insurance pilot program that covers all residential and non-residential properties and satisfies the mandatory purchase requirement. (Federal agencies that oversee mortgage lending must mandate the purchase of flood insurance for properties located in special flood hazard areas.)
The summary continues for 70 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on November 14, 2017. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on November 15, 2017: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 115th Congress (2017-18), 442 of the 11,421 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.9 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Sean Duffy (R-WI) introduced it on June 12, 2017. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on June 12, 2017, 3377 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3221 days ago, on November 15, 2017.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 115th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2019 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers