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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3456 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3456

 To improve the process for claims for losses under the National Flood 
               Insurance Program, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 9, 2015

 Mr. Donovan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
 To improve the process for claims for losses under the National Flood 
               Insurance Program, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Flood Insurance Mitigation and 
Policyholder Protection Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. CLAIMS ADJUSTMENT AND ENGINEERING REPORTS.

    Section 1312 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4019) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Claims Adjustment and Engineering Reports.--The Administrator 
shall require that, in the case of any on-site inspection of a property 
by a claims adjustor or engineer for the purpose of assessing any claim 
for losses covered by a policy for flood insurance coverage provided 
under this title, any report shall be provided to the insured under the 
policy, as follows:
            ``(1) Timing.--Such report may not be transmitted to any 
        other person, employer, agency, or entity, before it is 
        transmitted to the insured.
            ``(2) Prohibition on alterations; certification.--The 
        report may not include alterations by, or at the request of, 
        anyone other than such preparer and shall include a 
        certification, signed by the preparer of the report, that it 
        does not contain any such alterations.
            ``(3) Transmittal.--The report shall be transmitted to the 
        insured in a manner as the Administrator shall provide that 
        provides reasonable assurance that it was transmitted directly 
        to the insured by the preparer.
            ``(4) Reports covered.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        the term `report' means any report or document in connection 
        with such claim that is based on such on-site inspection, 
        including any adjustment report, field report, and engineering 
        report or survey. Such term also includes any draft, 
        preliminary version, or copy of any such report or survey, any 
        amendments or additions to any such report or survey,''.

SEC. 3. JUDICIAL REVIEW.

    (a) Government Program With Industry Assistance.--Section 1341 of 
the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4072) is amended by 
inserting before ``, may institute'' the following: ``or, in the case 
of a denial of a claim for losses that is appealed to the 
Administrator, within one year after the date of a final determination 
upon appeal denying such claim in whole or in part''.
    (b) Industry Program With Federal Financial Assistance.--Section 
1333 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4053) is 
amended by inserting before ``, may institute'' the following: ``or, in 
the case of a denial of a claim for losses that is appealed to the 
Administrator, within one year after the date of a final determination 
upon appeal denying such claim in whole or in part''.

SEC. 4. ISSUANCE OF GUIDELINES FOR FLOOD MITIGATION METHODS FOR 
              BUILDINGS.

    The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall 
issue the guidelines required under 1361(d) of the National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4102(d)), as added by section 26(a)(1) 
of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (Public Law 
113-89; 128 Stat. 1032), not later than the expiration of the 60-day 
period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.
                                 <all>
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