I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9809 
To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to expand opportunities 
for families living in areas of high flood risk to access Federal assistance 
for voluntary relocation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 25, 2024 
Mr. CASTEN (for himself and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addi-
tion to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to 
expand opportunities for families living in areas of high 
flood risk to access Federal assistance for voluntary relo-
cation, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Protecting Families 
and the Solvency of the National Flood Insurance Pro-
gram Act of 2024’’. 
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SEC. 2. VOLUNTARY BUYOUTS IN LIEU OF FLOOD CLAIMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1312 of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4019) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) EXPEDITED VOLUNTARY BUYOUTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator may 
offer a voluntary buyout option to a policyholder for 
an insured property if the following requirements 
have been met: 
‘‘(A) 
DETERMINATION.—The 
Adminis-
trator has determined, based on the pre-flood 
value of the insured property, the damage claim 
history of the insured property, and projected 
future claims for the insured property, that 
purchasing the insured property would result in 
long-term benefits to the National Flood Insur-
ance Fund. 
‘‘(B) PROPERTY
ELIGIBILITY.—The in-
sured property— 
‘‘(i) has been identified as a repetitive 
loss or severe repetitive loss property, as 
such terms are defined in section 1366(h); 
‘‘(ii) has been designated, by the par-
ticipating community in which such in-
sured property is located, as substantially 
damaged structure; or 
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‘‘(iii) would be filing a claim for the 
maximum level of coverage, if not pur-
chased by the Administrator. 
‘‘(C) COMMUNITY ELIGIBILITY.—The par-
ticipating community in which such insured 
property is located has agreed to— 
‘‘(i) take title to the insured property; 
and 
‘‘(ii) prioritize mitigation to such in-
sured property or to the area in which 
such insured property is located through 
actions or plans determined appropriate by 
the Administrator, including— 
‘‘(I) a repetitive loss area anal-
ysis plan conducted for and consistent 
with criteria for the community rating 
system 
authorized 
under 
section 
1315(b) (42 U.S.C. 4022(b)); 
‘‘(II) a locally adopted plan com-
pleted in compliance with require-
ments of section 1361(e) (42 U.S.C. 
4102(e)); 
‘‘(III) a locally adopted flood risk 
mitigation plan consistent with the re-
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quirements of section 1366(b) (42 
U.S.C. 4104c(b)); 
‘‘(IV) an ongoing local or State 
program for property buyouts to ad-
dress flooding problems that conforms 
with such requirement as the Admin-
istrator may establish; or 
‘‘(V) such other action or plan as 
the Administrator may require. 
‘‘(2) SHFA STATUS.—If each of the require-
ments described in paragraph (1) is satisfied, the 
Administrator may offer a voluntary buyout option 
to a policy holder for an insured property even if 
such insured property is not located in a special 
flood hazard area. 
‘‘(3) 
AMOUNT
OF
BUYOUT
OFFER.—The 
amount of a buyout offer made by the Administrator 
under this subsection for an insured property may 
exceed the amount of the claim made by the policy 
holder with respect to such insured property. 
‘‘(4) USE OF FUND AMOUNTS.—The Adminis-
trator may use amounts in the National Flood In-
surance Fund to provide payment for any buyout of-
fered by the Administrator and accepted by a policy-
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holder that meets the requirements of this sub-
section. 
‘‘(5) NO DELAY OR REDUCTION.—The Adminis-
trator shall ensure that any buyout offer made to a 
policyholder under this subsection does not delay or 
reduce the amount of any payment for the claim 
made by such policyholder. 
‘‘(6) SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.—When decid-
ing whether to offer a buyout of an insured property 
under this subsection, the Administrator may con-
sider— 
‘‘(A) the current reserves and financial sta-
tus of the National Flood Insurance Fund; 
‘‘(B) the expected number of buyout re-
quests; and 
‘‘(C) opportunities to supplement available 
National Flood Insurance Fund amounts with 
other disaster or mitigation assistance available 
from Federal and non-Federal sources. 
‘‘(7) TRANSFER
OF
PROPERTY.—If a policy-
holder accepts a voluntary buyout offered by the Ad-
ministrator under this section for an insured prop-
erty, the Administrator shall take ownership of the 
property and not later than 90 days after taking 
ownership of such property, transfer ownership of 
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such property to a unit of local government for man-
agement in compliance with the requirements under 
section 404(b)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. 
‘‘(8) RULEMAKING.—The Administrator may 
issues such rules as the Administrator determines 
necessary to carry out this subsection.’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall take effect 1 year after the date of the 
enactment of this section. 
SEC. 3. COMMUNITY ACTION TO ADDRESS REPETITIVELY 
FLOODED AREAS. 
Section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 4102) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(e) COMMUNITY ACTION FOR REPEATEDLY FLOOD-
ED AREAS.— 
‘‘(1) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
COVERED
COMMU-
NITIES.—The Administrator shall, by rule, require 
each covered community to— 
‘‘(A) determine the areas within the cov-
ered community in which properties described 
in the definition of covered community are lo-
cated in order to identify areas that are repeat-
edly damaged by floods; 
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‘‘(B) assess, with assistance from the Ad-
ministrator, future conditions which may rep-
resent continuing risks to the repeatedly dam-
aged areas identified pursuant to subparagraph 
(A); 
‘‘(C) develop a community-specific plan for 
mitigating continuing flood risks to the repeat-
edly damaged areas identified pursuant to sub-
paragraph (A); 
‘‘(D) submit the plan described in subpara-
graph (C) and any plan updates to the Admin-
istrator at appropriate intervals; 
‘‘(E) implement the plan described in sub-
paragraph (C); and 
‘‘(F) subject to section 552a of title 5, 
United States Code, make the plan described in 
subparagraph (C), any updates to the plan, and 
reports on progress in reducing flood risk avail-
able to the public. 
‘‘(2) COORDINATION WITH EXISTING PLANNING 
EFFORTS.—As determined by the Administrator, a 
covered community may address the planning re-
quirements of this subsection in coordination with 
other planning efforts, including— 
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‘‘(A) a plan developed under section 1366 
of this title (42 U.S.C. 4104c); 
‘‘(B) a plan developed under section 322 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165); or 
‘‘(C) a plan completed for, conducted for, 
and consistent with criteria for the community 
rating system authorized under section 1315(b) 
of this title (42 U.S.C. 4022(b)). 
‘‘(3) AUTHORIZATION AND ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
may issue appropriate policies and regulations 
to assist covered communities in identification 
of repeatedly flooded areas and in implementing 
practical plans for addressing the identified 
flooding problems. 
‘‘(B) TYPES OF ASSISTANCE.—Assistance 
authorized under this section may include— 
‘‘(i) sharing of information in accord-
ance with the requirements of section 552a 
of title 5, United States Code, and the sub-
chapter II of chapter 35 of title 44, United 
States Code; 
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‘‘(ii) consideration of possible sources 
of financial assistance to communities, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) potential lowering of non- 
Federal cost shares for mitigation of 
properties; and 
‘‘(II) potential priority for appli-
cable grant mitigation funding man-
aged by the Administrator; 
‘‘(iii) additional technical assistance to 
communities the Administrator may deem 
most at-risk for repeated flooding events; 
‘‘(iv) reasonable considerations and 
targeted assistance for communities de-
fined as underserved or high-risk under 
section 203(a) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(a)); and 
‘‘(v) special assistance aimed at imple-
menting Executive Order 13985 (January 
20, 2021) on Advancing Racial Equity and 
Support for Underserved Communities 
Through the Federal Government, as de-
fined by the Administrator. 
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‘‘(C) SPECIAL
CONSIDERATIONS.—In de-
termining an appropriate level of assistance for 
a covered community, as provided in subpara-
graph (B), the Administrator shall consider the 
extent to which the community is working to 
remedy problems associated with repeated 
flooding and the resources available to the cov-
ered community, including— 
‘‘(i) any Federal or State funding re-
ceived by the covered community; 
‘‘(ii) the portion of the covered com-
munity that is located within areas having 
special flood hazards; and 
‘‘(iii) any other factor that makes it 
difficult for the covered community to con-
duct mitigation activities for flood-prone 
structures. 
‘‘(4) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 
3 years after the date of enactment of this sub-
section, and not less frequently than once every 2 
years thereafter, the Administrator shall submit to 
the Congress a report regarding the progress made 
by covered communities with respect to imple-
menting plans developed under paragraph (2)(C) 
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and, to the extent possible, the trends in numbers of 
repetitive loss and severe repetitive loss properties. 
‘‘(5) COVERED COMMUNITY DEFINED.—In this 
subsection, the term ‘covered community’ means a 
community— 
‘‘(A) that is participating in the national 
flood insurance program and in compliance with 
all requirements of this Act; and 
‘‘(B) within which are located— 
‘‘(i) not less than 50 repetitive loss 
structures; or 
‘‘(ii) not fewer than 5 severe repetitive 
loss structures for which mitigation activi-
ties meeting the standards for approval 
under section 1366(c)(2)(A) have not been 
conducted; and 
‘‘(C) which has been identified by the Ad-
ministrator as a priority for assessment and 
mitigation in accordance with the rules required 
under this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 4. FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—Section 1366(a)(2) of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104c(a)(2)) is 
amended— 
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(1) by inserting ‘‘repetitive loss structures,’’ 
after ‘‘damage to’’; and 
(2) by inserting before ‘‘; and’’ the following: ‘‘, 
and other structures within an area that has been 
identified by the State or community as a repetitive 
loss area or has been determined by the Adminis-
trator to pose a significant risk of recurrent flood-
ing’’. 
(b) ELIGIBLE MITIGATION ACTIVITIES.—Subsection 
(c) of section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104c) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting 
‘‘FAIRNESS,’’ after ‘‘COST EFFECTIVENESS’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in clause (i)— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘, equitable,’’ 
after ‘‘feasible’’; and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘over the long 
term’’ after ‘‘cost-effective’’; and 
(ii) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘repet-
itive loss or’’ before ‘‘severe’’; and 
(C) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding benefits that provide needed assistance 
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to vulnerable populations’’ before the period at 
the end; 
(2) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (C)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘for public use,’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘, considering current 
and future risks’’ before the semicolon at 
the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (H) by inserting 
‘‘and’’ after the semicolon at the end; 
(C) in subparagraph (I) by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a period; and 
(D) by striking subparagraph (J); and 
(3) in paragraph (4), by adding after the pe-
riod, the following: ‘‘In any case in which elevation 
or rebuilding is required or authorized by the Ad-
ministrator or by State or local regulation or ordi-
nance, the appropriate level of elevation shall incor-
porate appropriate freeboard or other resilience fac-
tors based on an assessment using the best scientific 
information to determine risk levels over the ex-
pected lifetime of the structure.’’. 
(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Subsection (d) of 
section 1366 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
(42 U.S.C. 4104c(d)) is amended— 
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(1) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘In the case of mitigation 
activities to repetitive loss structures,’’ and in-
serting: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In the case of mitiga-
tion activities to repetitive loss structures,’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of miti-
gation activities to repetitive loss structures 
that lie within an area identified under a local 
plan adopted pursuant to section 1361(e), in an 
amount up to 100 percent of all eligible costs.’’. 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (4); and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) PROPERTIES WITHIN UNDERSERVED COM-
MUNITIES.—In an amount up to 100 percent of all 
eligible costs for a property— 
‘‘(A) located within a census tract with a 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention So-
cial Vulnerability Index score of not less than 
0.5001; or 
‘‘(B) that serves as a primary residence for 
a household with a household income of not 
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more than 100 percent of the applicable area 
median income.’’. 
SEC. 5. PREDISASTER MITIGATION. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 203(a) of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5133) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) UNDERSERVED
COMMUNITY.—The term 
‘underserved community’ means a population shar-
ing a particular characteristic, or a geographic com-
munity, that based on criteria established by the 
President, has been systematically denied a full op-
portunity to participate in aspects of economic, so-
cial, and civic life. 
‘‘(2) HIGH-RISK COMMUNITY.—The term ‘high 
risk community’ means a community that has sig-
nificant risk to health, safety, or economic stability 
from natural disasters and also has limited resources 
to plan for and mitigate against such risks, as deter-
mined by the President based on— 
‘‘(A) a consideration of past natural disas-
ters; 
‘‘(B) an evaluation of claims against the 
National Flood Insurance Fund; 
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‘‘(C) an evaluation of other Federal ex-
penditures for disaster response and recovery; 
or 
‘‘(D) an analysis of data related to size of 
the community, social vulnerability, poverty lev-
els, unemployment, housing shortages, or other 
factors that affect the community’s capacity to 
prepare for and recover from natural disas-
ters.’’. 
(b) STATE RECOMMENDATIONS.—Subparagraph (B) 
of section 203(d)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C 5133) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTIONS.—In providing assist-
ance to local governments under this section, 
the President may select a local government 
that has been identified as a underserved com-
munity or a high-risk community, or, if the 
President determines that extraordinary cir-
cumstances justify the selection and that mak-
ing the selection will further the purpose of this 
section, another community that has not been 
recommended by a Governor under this sub-
section.’’. 
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(c) CRITERIA FOR ASSISTANCE AWARDS.—Section 
203(g) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(g)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1) by inserting ‘‘, including 
the likelihood that identified hazards will increase in 
severity, frequency, or impact in the future’’ before 
the semicolon at the end; 
(2) in paragraph (8) by inserting ‘‘, including 
securing improved protections for vulnerable popu-
lations’’ before the semicolon at the end; and 
(3) in paragraph (9) by inserting ‘‘and high- 
risk communities’’ before the semicolon at the end. 
(d) FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 203(h)(2) of the 
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5133(h)(2)) is amended to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(2) UNDERSERVED
AND
HIGH-RISK
COMMU-
NITIES.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the Presi-
dent may contribute up to 100 percent of the total 
cost of a mitigation activity carried out in an under-
served community or in a high-risk community.’’. 
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SEC. 6. HAZARD MITIGATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 404(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re-
lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c(b)) 
is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by inserting after the pe-
riod at the end the following: ‘‘In providing such as-
sistance, the Administrator shall allow for partici-
pating property owners, as well as any affected ten-
ants, to be treated as displaced persons under the 
Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real property 
Acquisition Policies Act of 1970.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(4) SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In the case of 
an acquisition or relocation project undertaken in co-
operation with a community which meets the criteria 
set forth under subsection 1312(d) of the National 
Flood Insurance Act, the Administrator may recog-
nize for credit toward necessary local cost shares 
any properly documented expenditures related to 
such project which may have been made before the 
date of the grant award. Such expenditures may in-
clude costs related to structure inspections and ap-
praisals, title searches, outreach to potentially af-
fected property owners, real estate counseling and 
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other necessary assistance, and planning for reuse of 
the properties in compliance with this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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