Washington, DC – Yesterday, the United States Senate passed bipartisan legislation aimed at fixing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Congressman Lynch released the following statement in response to its passage:

“I am encouraged by the passage of the Senate version of legislation that would delay increases in flood insurance premiums until the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) puts in place a plan to ensure they are implemented in an affordable manner. This is an important step towards ensuring that American homeowners receive much needed relief in the face of skyrocketing insurance premium rates.

There still remains work to be done. Homeowners, including many in my district, will not see real relief unless the House of Representatives now takes action. Two of the most important provisions in Biggert-Waters required that FEMA use the best available technology to accurately determine flood hazard areas and, secondly, to conduct an affordability study to ensure that any remapping process would be manageable for impacted homeowners. Inexplicably, FEMA has ignored both of those provisions. They instead have instituted inaccurate flood maps and have no plans to complete the affordability study even as they implement unaffordable rates. It was not what Congress intended. 

That is why I support the companion version of this bill in the House, H.R. 3370, the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act, which has 181 co-sponsors including 55 Republicans. I join with my Democratic and Republican colleagues in urging House leadership to take action immediately.”