IB 
Union Calendar No. 634 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5846 
[Report No. 115–820] 
To require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study 
regarding the buyout practices of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 16, 2018 
Mr. BLUMENAUER (for himself, Mr. SANFORD, Mr. DUFFY, and Mr. DEFA-
ZIO) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Transportation and Infrastructure 
JULY 16, 2018 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed 
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 16, 2018] 
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A BILL 
To require the Comptroller General of the United States 
to conduct a study regarding the buyout practices of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and for 
other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Promoting Flood Risk 
Mitigation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. GAO STUDY REGARDING BUYOUT PRACTICES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Admin-
istrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy; 
(2) the term ‘‘appropriate committees of Con-
gress’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs of the Senate; 
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 
(C) the Committee on Financial Services of 
the House of Representatives; and 
(D) the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the House of Representatives; 
(3) the terms ‘‘buyout practice’’ and ‘‘buyout 
program’’ mean a practice or program, as applicable, 
under which the Administrator provides assistance to 
State and local governments so that those entities 
may acquire flood-damaged properties committed to 
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open space use in perpetuity in accordance with sec-
tion 404(b)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Re-
lief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
5170c(b)(2)); 
(4) the term ‘‘eligible property owner’’ means a 
policyholder under the National Flood Insurance Pro-
gram with a household income that is not more than 
120 percent of the mean household income for the 
community in which the primary residence of the pol-
icyholder is located; 
(5) the term ‘‘National Flood Insurance Pro-
gram’’ means the program established under the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 
et seq.); 
(6) the term ‘‘repetitive loss structure’’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 1370(a) of the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4121(a)); and 
(7) the term ‘‘severe repetitive loss structure’’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 1366(h) of the 
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4104c(h)). 
(b) STUDY REQUIRED.—The Comptroller General of 
the United States shall conduct a study to assess— 
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(1) the efficacy of buyout practices, as in effect 
on the date on which the study is conducted; and 
(2) ways to streamline the buyout practices de-
scribed in paragraph (1) in order to provide more 
timely assistance to a larger number of State and 
local governments. 
(c) CONSIDERATIONS AND ANALYSIS.—The study con-
ducted under subsection (b) shall consider and analyze the 
following: 
(1) To the extent possible, current (as of the date 
on which the study is conducted) and future trends 
with respect to repetitive loss structures and severe re-
petitive loss structures that are insured under the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Program, including, with re-
spect to both inland and coastal areas— 
(A) changes in flood risk, flood frequency, 
and flood magnitude since the inception of the 
National Flood Insurance Program; and 
(B) projections for changes in flood risk, 
flood frequency, and flood magnitude by 2025, 
2050, and 2075. 
(2) To the extent possible, buyout practices (as of 
the date on which the study is conducted), includ-
ing— 
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(II) a premium credit as an in-
centive to eligible property owners to 
agree to participate in the program; 
(iii) properties that are acquired— 
(I) shall be maintained as open 
space 
in 
accordance 
with 
section 
404(b)(2) of the Robert T. Stafford 
Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist-
ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170c(b)(2)); and 
(II) may be used for non-struc-
tural mitigation, conservation, and 
recreational purposes; and 
(iv) not fewer than 5 and not more 
than 10 State and local governments shall 
participate; and 
(B) the role that nonprofit organizations 
could play in making buyouts more readily 
available or more efficient, similar to the role 
that those organizations play in the acquisition 
of properties for conservation purposes. 
(5) The ecological, financial, and flood risk re-
duction benefits that buyout practices, as in effect on 
the date on which the study is conducted, provide, 
which shall— 
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(A) take into account the differences between 
inland and coastal areas; and 
(B) include— 
(i) examples in which ecosystem res-
toration and other nature-based approaches 
have enhanced the reduction of flood risk; 
and 
(ii) recommendations for best practices. 
(6) To the extent possible, an assessment of how 
the Administrator may use buyout programs to re-
duce future flood disaster recovery costs that are at-
tributable to future projections of flood risk as a re-
sult of sea level rise, population changes, subsidence, 
and other factors. 
(7) A cost-benefit analysis of mitigation and 
buy-out projects and programs, including an assess-
ment of opportunities and challenges for leveraging 
different Federal resources and funding to maximize 
the value of Federal investment in disaster mitiga-
tion. 
(d) REPORT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit to the ap-
propriate committees of Congress and the Adminis-
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trator a report that sets forth the analysis, conclu-
sions, and recommendations resulting from the study 
conducted under subsection (b). 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall detail the feasibility of the Ad-
ministrator establishing, and the processes required 
for the Administrator to establish, an alternative 
buyout program, such as the pilot program described 
in subsection (c)(4)(A). 
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Union Calendar No. 634 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5846 
[Report No. 115–820] 
A BILL 
To require the Comptroller General of the United 
States to conduct a study regarding the buyout 
practices of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, and for other purposes. 
JULY 16, 2018 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
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