MEMA Act of 2019

To amend the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to make reforms to flood mapping programs, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Municipality Empowerment Mapping Achievement Act of 2019 MEMA Act of 2019 2. National Flood Mapping Program (a) In general Section 100216 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 ( 42 U.S.C. 4101b (1) in subsection (b)(1)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking to— to all areas of the United States; (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking and (C) in subparagraph (C), by striking accurate topography current and best remote sensing technology; and (D) by adding at the end the following: (D) when appropriate, partner with other Federal agencies and private entities in order to meet the objectives of the program. ; (2) by redesignating subsection (f) as subsection (g); and (3) by inserting after subsection (e) the following: (f) Incorporating building-Specific flood risk information (1) Establishment (A) In general Not later than 5 years after the date of enactment of the Municipality Empowerment Mapping Achievement Act of 2019 (B) Consultation with States and communities In designing and constructing the environment under subparagraph (A), the Administrator shall— (i) leverage and partner with States and communities that have successfully implemented the same approach; and (ii) consider adopting the techniques and technologies used by States and communities described in clause (i) and applying those techniques and technologies nationwide. (2) Digital display (A) In general In carrying out paragraph (1), the Administrator shall create a digital display prompted through dynamic querying of a spatial, relational building database that may not be publically disseminated and that includes— (i) special flood hazard areas and base flood elevations for purposes of lender compliance with the requirements under section 102 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 ( 42 U.S.C. 4012a (ii) structure-specific flood risk information, including, for each property address— (I) the spatial footprint and elevation of the structure relative to special flood hazard areas and base flood elevations; (II) the most current elevation certificate applicable to the property; (III) any letter of map changes; (IV) the full risk premium rate estimated for the structure under section 1307(a)(1) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4014(a)(1) (V) the disclosure described in section 1308(l) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4015(l) (aa) the extent to which, if any, the chargeable premium rate applicable to the property is less than the full risk premium rate under section 1307(a)(1) of that Act ( 42 U.S.C. 4014(a)(1) (bb) an explanation of the difference described in item (aa) and the methodology used to rate the property; (VI) the estimated cost to repair the structure in the case of damage from floods with recurrence intervals ranging from the 10 percent annual chance event to the 0.2 percent annual chance event; (VII) the cost-effectiveness of mitigating the structure using common methods and how the chargeable premium rate would change based on each mitigation method; and (VIII) the claims history of the structure, including the amount and date of each loss. (B) Privacy requirements With respect to the database described in subparagraph (A), including any data used to create that database, the Administrator may not disseminate the database to— (i) the public; or (ii) a private company for use by the private company. (3) Database (A) In general The Administrator shall— (i) develop a spatial, relational database of buildings in the national flood insurance program; and (ii) obtain the data necessary to support the digital display created under paragraph (2). (B) Data The data obtained under subparagraph (A) shall include, at a minimum— (i) footprints and elevations (including lowest adjacent grade and first floor) from Light Detection and Ranging (commonly known as LiDAR (ii) elevation certificates; (iii) parcel, address, and imagery data necessary for the identification, assessment, and reduction of flood hazards for individual properties; (iv) flood insurance rate maps, studies, and supporting data; (v) letters of map change; and (vi) any other data that the Administrator determines necessary to collect to meet the objectives of this section. (4) Data procurement The Administrator shall obtain any data necessary to establish the environment under paragraph (1), including by— (A) directing communities participating in the National Flood Insurance Program, by regulation, to collect and supply information, including elevation data, for each structure that obtains a construction or other development permit within— (i) a special flood hazard area; or (ii) an advisory special flood hazard area adopted by the community; (B) issuing guidelines and standards, as determined by the Administrator; (C) partnering with other Federal, State, local, and private stakeholders to the greatest extent possible to obtain and share existing data that meets or exceeds the standards determined by the Administrator under subparagraph (B); and (D) contracting with private companies to obtain new LiDAR data collections or elevation certificates. (5) NFIP premium credit The Administrator shall provide a 1-time premium credit of not more than $500 to a policyholder for the purchase of an elevation certificate. (6) Mass letters of map change In coordination with States and communities that have successfully implemented a dynamic, database-derived digital display environment for flood hazard risk production and dissemination, the Administrator shall issue guidelines for the adoption and integration into the National Flood Mapping Program of LiDAR-based letter of map amendment approaches. (7) Annual report The Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives an annual progress report on the implementation of this subsection, which shall include recommendations to reduce the cost and improve the implementation of this subsection. . (b) Reimbursement authority Section 1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 ( 42 U.S.C. 4101 (k) Reimbursement authority With respect to any State or local agency that assists the Administrator in carrying out the responsibilities of the Administrator under subsection (a)(2), the Administrator may reimburse the State or local agency for the cost of providing that assistance if the State or local agency, in providing the assistance, complies with— (1) any standards established by the Administrator under this section; and (2) the guidance document entitled Guidance for Flood Risk Analysis and Mapping: Physical Map Revision (PMR) .

Summary: Municipality Empowerment Mapping Achievement Act of 2019 or the MEMA Act of 2019 This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to publish National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rate maps for the entire United States (current law directs the mapping of certain risk areas). In developing these rate maps, FEMA must use the most current remote sensing technology. In coordination with the Technical Mapping Advisory Council, FEMA must establish a digital database to display the flood hazard risks of buildings in NFIP. The database must contain specified information about each property, including a certification of the building's elevation. FEMA must provide a one-time premium credit for the purchase of an elevation certificate by a policyholder. The bill allows reimbursement to local governments that assist FEMA in developing flood risk zone data.