commencing legal action on any disputed claim under such 
a policy.’’. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL OF CLAIMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1312 of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4019), as 
amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is 
further amended— 
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘The Ad-
ministrator’’ and inserting ‘‘Subject to other pro-
visions of this section, the Administrator’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
subsection: 
‘‘(c) DEADLINE FOR APPROVAL OF CLAIMS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall pro-
vide that, in the case of any claim for damage to or 
loss of property under flood insurance coverage made 
available under this title, an initial determination re-
garding approval of a claim for payment or dis-
approval of the claim be made, and notification of 
such determination be provided to the insured making 
such claim, not later than the expiration of the 120- 
day period (as such period may be extended pursuant 
to paragraph (2)) beginning upon the day on which 
the policyholder submits a signed proof of loss detail-
ing the damage and amount of the loss. Payment of 
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approved claims shall be made as soon as possible 
after such approval. 
‘‘(2) EXTENSION OF DEADLINE.—The Adminis-
trator shall provide that the period referred to in 
paragraph (1) may be extended by a single additional 
period of 15 days in cases where extraordinary cir-
cumstances are demonstrated. The Administrator 
shall, by regulation, establish criteria for dem-
onstrating such extraordinary circumstances and for 
determining to which claims such extraordinary cir-
cumstances apply.’’. 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by 
paragraph (1) shall apply to any claim under flood 
insurance coverage made available under the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.) 
pending on the date of the enactment of this Act and 
any claims made after such date of enactment. 
SEC. 511. GAO STUDY OF SIMPLIFICATION OF NATIONAL 
FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study of options for simplifying flood 
insurance coverage made available under the National 
Flood Insurance Act, which shall include the following: 
(1) An analysis of how the administration of the 
National Flood Insurance Program can be sim-
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plified—statutorily, regulatorily, and administra-
tively—for private flood insurance policyholders, com-
panies, agents, mortgage lenders, and flood insurance 
vendors. 
(2) An assessment of ways in which flood insur-
ance coverage made available under the National 
Flood Insurance Act and the program for providing 
and administrating such coverage may be harmonized 
with private insurance industry standards. 
(3) Identification and analysis of ways in which 
the structure of the National Flood Insurance Pro-
gram may be simplified, including analysis of the ef-
ficacy and effects each of the following actions: 
(A) Eliminating the use of two deductibles 
under the Program. 
(B) Including in claims for flood-damages 
full replacement cost for property not damaged, 
but rendered unusable, by the flooding. 
(C) Using umbrella policies that allow mul-
tiple structures on a property to be insured 
under the same policy. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 18- 
month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Comptroller General shall submit a report to the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House of Represent-
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atives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs of the Senate regarding the findings and conclusions 
of the study conducted pursuant to this section. 
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Union Calendar No. 217 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 2874 
[Report No. 115–304] 
A BILL 
To achieve reforms to improve the financial sta-
bility of the National Flood Insurance Program, 
to enhance the development of more accurate es-
timates of flood risk through new technology and 
better maps, to increase the role of private mar-
kets in the management of flood insurance risks, 
and to provide for alternative methods to insure 
against flood peril, and for other purposes. 
SEPTEMBER 11, 2017 
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Com-
mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 
and ordered to be printed 
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