I 
111TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5255 
To reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 7, 2010 
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts (for himself, Mr. KANJORSKI, Ms. WATERS, and 
Ms. MATSUI) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, 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 ‘‘Stable Flood Insurance 
Authorization Act of 2010’’. 
SEC. 2. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds that— 
(1) since the enactment of National Flood In-
surance Act of 1968, the National Flood Insurance 
Program has been the primary source of reliable, 
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reasonably priced flood insurance coverage for mil-
lions of American homes and businesses; 
(2) today over 5,500,000 homes and businesses 
in the United States rely on the National Flood In-
surance Program to provide a degree of financial se-
curity; 
(3) several years of below-average flood claims 
losses and increased voluntary participation in the 
National Flood Insurance Program have allowed the 
program to fully service the debt incurred following 
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and allowed the pro-
gram to pay $598,000,000 of the principal of that 
outstanding debt; 
(4) recent lapses in, and short-term reauthor-
izations of, the National Flood Insurance Program’s 
ability to write and renew flood insurance coverage 
are estimated by the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency and The National Realtors Association 
to have adversely impacted or delayed up to 1,350 
real estate closings per day; 
(5) though long-term authorization and signifi-
cant reforms are needed to further improve the fi-
nancial outlook of the National Flood Insurance 
Program, while such comprehensive reforms are con-
sidered, reliable, annual authorization of the pro-
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gram is an essential element to stabilizing the al-
ready fragile United States housing market; 
(6) increased flooding in areas outside des-
ignated special flood hazard areas prompted the Ex-
ecutive and the Congress in 2002 to begin calling for 
the National Flood Insurance Program to develop 
and disseminate revised, updated flood insurance 
rate maps that reflect the real risk of flooding for 
properties not previously identified as being located 
with in a special flood hazard area; 
(7) dissemination of accurate, up-to-date flood 
risk information remains a primary goal of the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Program and such informa-
tion should be disseminated as soon as such infor-
mation is collected and available; and 
(8) communities should be required to make 
their residents aware of updated flood-risk data 
while communities are assessing and incorporating 
updated flood-risk data into long-term community 
planning. 
SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PRO-
GRAM. 
(a) PROGRAM EXTENSION.—Section 1319 of the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4026) is 
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amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 2008’’ and inserting 
‘‘September 30, 2010’’. 
(b) FINANCING.—Section 1309(a) of such Act (42 
U.S.C. 4016(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘September 30, 
2008’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2010’’. 
(c) EXTENSION OF PILOT PROGRAM FOR MITIGA-
TION OF SEVERE REPETITIVE LOSS PROPERTIES.—Sec-
tion 1361A of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
(42 U.S.C. 4102a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (k)(1), by striking ‘‘2005, 
2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009’’ and inserting ‘‘2010’’; 
and 
(2) by striking subsection (l). 
SEC. 
4. 
CONSIDERATION 
OF 
CONSTRUCTION, 
RECON-
STRUCTION, AND IMPROVEMENT OF FLOOD 
PROTECTION SYSTEMS IN DETERMINATION 
OF FLOOD INSURANCE RATES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1307 of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4014) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subsection (e)— 
(A) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘con-
struction of a flood protection system’’ and in-
serting ‘‘construction, reconstruction, or im-
provement of a flood protection system (without 
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respect to the level of Federal investment or 
participation)’’; and 
(B) in the second sentence— 
(i) by striking ‘‘construction of a flood 
protection system’’ and inserting ‘‘con-
struction, reconstruction, or improvement 
of a flood protection system’’; and 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘based on the present 
value of the completed system’’ after ‘‘has 
been expended’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)— 
(A) in the first sentence in the matter pre-
ceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘(without re-
spect to the level of Federal investment or par-
ticipation)’’ before the period at the end; 
(B) in the third sentence in the matter 
preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, wheth-
er coastal or riverine,’’ after ‘‘special flood haz-
ard’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘a Fed-
eral agency in consultation with the local 
project sponsor’’ and inserting ‘‘the entity or 
entities that own, operate, maintain, or repair 
such system’’. 
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(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall promul-
gate regulations to carry out the amendments made by 
subsection (a). Section 5 may not be construed to annul, 
alter, affect, authorize any waiver of, or establish any ex-
ception to, the requirement under the preceding sentence. 
(c) IMPLEMENTATION.—The Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency shall implement 
this section and the amendments made by this section in 
a manner that will not materially weaken the financial po-
sition of the national flood insurance program or increase 
the risk of financial liability to Federal taxpayers. 
SEC. 5. AUTHORITY TO ESTABLISH PREMIUM RATES BY NO-
TICE. 
Subsection (a) of section 1308 of the National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4015(a)) is amended, 
in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or 
notice’’ after ‘‘prescribe by regulation’’. 
SEC. 6. 3-YEAR DELAY IN EFFECTIVE DATE OF MANDATORY 
PURCHASE REQUIREMENT FOR NEW FLOOD 
HAZARD AREAS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102 of the Flood Disaster 
Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4012a) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new subsection: 
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‘‘(i) DELAYED EFFECTIVE DATE OF MANDATORY 
PURCHASE REQUIREMENT
FOR NEW FLOOD HAZARD 
AREAS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any area 
that was not previously designated as an area having 
special flood hazards and that, pursuant to any 
issuance, revision, updating, or other change in flood 
insurance maps that takes effect on or after Sep-
tember 1, 2008, becomes designated as an area hav-
ing special flood hazards, if each State and local 
government having jurisdiction over any portion of 
the geographic area has complied with paragraph 
(2), such designation shall not take effect for pur-
poses of subsection (a), (b), or (e) of this section, or 
section 202(a) of this Act, until the expiration of the 
3-year period beginning upon the date that such 
maps, as issued, revised, update, or otherwise 
changed, become effective. 
‘‘(2) NOTICE REQUIREMENTS.—A State or local 
government shall be considered to have complied 
with this paragraph with respect to any geographic 
area described in paragraph (1) only if the State or 
local government has, before the effective date of the 
issued, revised, updated, or changed maps, and in 
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accordance with such standards as shall be estab-
lished by the Director— 
‘‘(A) developed an evacuation plan to be 
implemented in the event of flooding in such 
portion of the geographic area; and 
‘‘(B) developed and implemented an out-
reach and communication plan to advise occu-
pants in such portion of the geographic area of 
potential flood risks, the opportunity to pur-
chase flood insurance, and the consequences of 
failure to purchase flood insurance. 
‘‘(3) RULE
OF
CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
paragraph (1) may be construed to affect the appli-
cability of a designation of any area as an area hav-
ing special flood hazards for purposes of the avail-
ability of flood insurance coverage, criteria for land 
management and use, notification of flood hazards, 
eligibility for mitigation assistance, or any other pur-
pose or provision not specifically referred to in para-
graph (1).’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The second sen-
tence of subsection (h) of section 1360 of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4101(h)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘Such’’ and inserting ‘‘Except for no-
tice regarding a change described in section 102(i)(1) of 
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the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 
4012a(i)(1)), such’’. 
(c) NO REFUNDS.—Nothing in this section or the 
amendments made by this section may be construed to au-
thorize or require any payment or refund for flood insur-
ance coverage purchased for any property that covered any 
period during which such coverage is not required for the 
property pursuant to the applicability of the amendment 
made by subsection (a). 
SEC. 7. NOTIFICATION TO HOMEOWNERS REGARDING MAN-
DATORY PURCHASE REQUIREMENT APPLICA-
BILITY AND RATE PHASE-INS. 
Section 201 of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4105) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(f) ANNUAL NOTIFICATION.—The Director, in con-
sultation with affected communities, shall establish and 
carry out a plan to notify residents of areas having special 
flood hazards, on an annual basis— 
‘‘(1) that they reside in such an area; 
‘‘(2) of the geographical boundaries of such 
area; 
‘‘(3) of the provisions of section 102 requiring 
purchase of flood insurance coverage for properties 
located in such an area, including the date on which 
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such provisions apply with respect to such area, tak-
ing into consideration section 102(i); and 
‘‘(4) of a general estimate of what similar 
homeowners in similar areas typically pay for flood 
insurance coverage.’’. 
Æ 
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