I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1402 
To transfer functions related to the preparation of flood maps from the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the 
Director of the United States Geological Survey, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 27, 2019 
Mr. CRAWFORD introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Nat-
ural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speak-
er, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the ju-
risdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To transfer functions related to the preparation of flood 
maps from the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to the Director of the United States 
Geological Survey, 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 ‘‘Scientific Flood Map-
ping Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS RELATED TO PREPARA-
TION OF FLOOD MAPS. 
(a) TRANSFER PLAN.—Not later than 6 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act the Administrator 
of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the 
Director of the United States Geological Survey shall— 
(1) jointly prepare a report describing the proc-
ess by which the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall transfer to 
the Director of the United States Geological Survey 
of the Department of the Interior all functions re-
lated to the preparation of flood maps as required 
under section 1360 of the National Flood Insurance 
Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4101) that the Adminis-
trator of the Federal Emergency Management Agen-
cy was responsible for performing on date of the en-
actment of this Act; and 
(2) submit such report to Congress. 
(b) TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency shall transfer to the Director of the United States 
Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior the 
functions described in subsection (a). 
(c) PERSONNEL.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 
the personnel employed in connection with the of-
fices and functions of the Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency that are transferred under this Act 
shall be transferred to the United States Geological 
Survey. 
(2) TRANSITION.—The Administrator of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency is author-
ized to use the services of such personnel employed 
in connection with the offices and functions of the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency that are 
transferred under this Act for such period of time as 
may reasonably be needed to facilitate the orderly 
transfer of such functions. 
(3) EFFECT.—Any full-time or part-time per-
sonnel employed in permanent positions shall not be 
separated or reduced in grade or compensation be-
cause of the transfer under this Act during the 1- 
year period beginning on the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(d) PROPERTY AND RECORDS.—The contracts, liabil-
ities, records, property, and other assets and interests of, 
or made available in connection with, the functions trans-
ferred under this Act shall be transferred to the United 
States Geological Survey for appropriate allocation. 
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SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) TECHNICAL MAPPING ADVISORY COUNCIL.—Sec-
tion 100215 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Re-
form Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101a) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘Administrator’’ each place it appears, except for sub-
section (b) of such section, and inserting ‘‘Director of the 
United States Geological Survey’’. 
(b) NATIONAL FLOOD MAPPING PROGRAM.—Section 
100216 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform 
Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101b) is amended by striking 
‘‘Administrator’’ each place it appears, except for sub-
section (f) of such section, and inserting ‘‘Director of the 
United States Geological Survey’’. 
(c) COORDINATION.—Section 100220 of the Biggert- 
Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 
4101c) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Director of the United States 
Geological Survey’’; and 
(2) in the heading for subsection (b), by strik-
ing ‘‘ADMINISTRATOR’’ and inserting ‘‘UNITED 
STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY’’. 
(d) REMAPPING.—Section 100229 of the Biggert- 
Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (126 Stat. 
945) is amended by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘Director of the United States 
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Geological Survey’’, except for the second place such term 
appears in subsection (b)(4)(A) of such section and sub-
sections (b)(4)(B) and (c)(2) of such section. 
(e) IDENTIFICATION
OF FLOOD-PRONE AREAS.— 
Section 1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
(42 U.S.C. 4101) is amended by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ 
each place it appears, except for subsection (d) of such 
section, and inserting ‘‘Director of the United States Geo-
logical Survey’’. 
(f) APPEALS.—Section 1363 of the National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Director of the United States 
Geological Survey’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘Federal 
Emergency Management Agency’’ and inserting 
‘‘United States Geological Survey’’. 
(g) 
SCIENTIFIC
RESOLUTION
PANEL.—Section 
1363A of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 
U.S.C. 4101–1) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Administrator’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘Director of the United States 
Geological Survey’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency’’ each place it appears, except for sub-
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‘‘(A) the Director of the United States Ge-
ological Survey;’’; and 
(iii) in subparagraph (F), as so redes-
ignated by clause (i) of this subpara-
graph— 
(I) in the matter preceding clause 
(i), by striking ‘‘16’’ and inserting 
‘‘17’’; 
(II) in clause (xiii), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(III) in clause (xiv), by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(IV) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing new clause: 
‘‘(xv) a member of a recognized pro-
fessional real estate brokerage associa-
tion.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph h(2), by striking ‘‘para-
graph 
(1)(E)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘paragraph 
(1)(F)’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (e) to read as fol-
lows: 
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‘‘(e) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the Council 
shall be the Director of the United States Geological Sur-
vey.’’. 
SEC. 5. FEDERAL POLICY FEE. 
The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is amend-
ed— 
(1) in section 1307(a) (42 U.S.C. 4014(a))— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(B)(iii)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘(including the costs of 
mapping activities under section 1360)’’; 
and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘which shall be recov-
ered by a fee charged to policyholders and 
such fee shall not be subject to any agents’ 
commissions, company expense allowances, 
or State or local premium taxes’’ and in-
serting ‘‘but not including the costs of 
mapping activities under section 1360’’; 
and 
(B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘that shall not be not 
subject to any agents’ commission, com-
pany expenses allowances, or State or local 
premium taxes’’; 
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(ii) by striking ‘‘(including’’ and in-
serting ‘‘but not including’’; and 
(iii) by striking the closing paren-
theses; and 
(2) in section 1360 (42 U.S.C. 4101), by add-
ing at the end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(k) MAPPING FEE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To the extent provided in 
advance in an appropriation Act, the Administrator, 
in consultation with the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey, shall charge policy holders 
a fee for the purpose of recovering the cost of map-
ping activities under this section. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—As part of the consulta-
tion under paragraph (1), the Director of the United 
States Geological Survey shall determine the amount 
of such fee. 
‘‘(3) OTHER CONSIDERATIONS.—The fee under 
this subsection shall not be subject to any agent’s 
commissions, company expense allowances, or State 
or local premium taxes. 
‘‘(4) TRANSFER
OF
FUNDS.—The Adminis-
trator shall deposit the fees collected pursuant to 
paragraph (1) into a separate account in the Treas-
ury to be called the ‘Flood Insurance Risk Mapping 
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Fund’, which shall be available to the Director of the 
United States Geological Survey for mapping activi-
ties under this section without further appropria-
tion.’’. 
Æ 
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