National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2021
Latest action. Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.
National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2021
This bill generally revises the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and reauthorizes the program through FY2026.
The bill addresses NFIP coverage, cost, and availability, including by
generally prohibiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from raising certain premiums, surcharges, and fees more than 9% a year for five years;
revising flood insurance coverage limits;
establishing a means-tested program to provide financial assistance to low income households through policy discounts; and
revising standards and certification requirements for flood insurance rate maps.
The bill also revises administrative provisions of the NFIP, including by
allowing for the continuous operation of the NFIP during a lapse in appropriations, and
prohibiting the Department of the Treasury from charging FEMA interest for NFIP debt for five years.
The bill sets forth requirements for Write Your Own companies related to reimbursements, agent commissions, and penalties for underpayment of claims. (A Write Your Own company writes and services federal standard flood insurance policies in its own name.)
The bill establishes state or tribal government revolving funds for flood mitigation activities and also provides for loans, grants, and other incentives regarding mitigation.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on November 1, 2021. 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 August 4, 2022: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- 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 117th Congress (2021-22), 362 of the 15,242 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 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?
Robert Menendez (D-NJ) introduced it on November 1, 2021, and 8 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 3 Democrats, 5 Republicans.
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 November 1, 2021, 1774 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 1498 days ago, on August 4, 2022.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 117th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2023 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
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers