‘‘(4) educate such owners and renters regarding 
the benefits and costs of maintaining or acquiring 
flood insurance, including, where applicable, lower- 
cost preferred risk policies under this title for such 
properties and the contents of such properties; and 
‘‘(5) encouraging such owners and renters to 
maintain or acquire such coverage. 
‘‘(c) COST SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In any fiscal year, the Di-
rector may not provide a grant under this section to 
a local governmental agency in an amount exceeding 
3 times the amount that the agency certifies, as the 
Director shall require, that the agency will con-
tribute from non-Federal funds to be used with 
grant amounts only for carrying out activities de-
scribed in subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—For purposes of 
this subsection, the term ‘non-Federal funds’ in-
cludes State or local government agency amounts, 
in-kind contributions, any salary paid to staff to 
carry out the eligible activities of the grant recipient, 
the value of the time and services contributed by vol-
unteers to carry out such services (at a rate deter-
mined by the Director), and the value of any do-
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nated material or building and the value of any lease 
on a building. 
‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE COST LIMITATION.—Notwith-
standing subsection (b), the Director may use not more 
than 5 percent of amounts made available under sub-
section (g) to cover salaries, expenses, and other adminis-
trative costs incurred by the Director in making grants 
and provide assistance under this section. 
‘‘(e) APPLICATION AND SELECTION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall provide 
for local governmental agencies described in sub-
section (a) to submit applications for grants under 
this section and for competitive selection, based on 
criteria established by the Director, of agencies sub-
mitting such applications to receive such grants. 
‘‘(2) SELECTION CONSIDERATIONS.—In select-
ing applications of local government agencies to re-
ceive grants under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
consider— 
‘‘(A) the existence of a cooperative tech-
nical partner agreement between the local gov-
ernmental agency and the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency; 
‘‘(B) the history of flood losses in the rel-
evant area that have occurred to properties, 
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both inside and outside the special flood haz-
ards zones, which are not covered by flood in-
surance coverage; 
‘‘(C) the estimated percentage of high-risk 
properties located in the relevant area that are 
not covered by flood insurance; 
‘‘(D) demonstrated success of the local 
governmental agency in generating voluntary 
purchase of flood insurance; and 
‘‘(E) demonstrated technical capacity of 
the local governmental agency for outreach to 
individual property owners. 
‘‘(f) DIRECT OUTREACH BY FEMA.—In each fiscal 
year that amounts for grants are made available pursuant 
to subsection (h), the Director may use not more than 50 
percent of such amounts to carry out, and to enter into 
contracts with other entities to carry out, activities de-
scribed in subsection (b) in areas that the Director deter-
mines have the most immediate need for such activities. 
‘‘(g) REPORTING.—Each local government agency 
that receives a grant under this section, and each entity 
that receives amounts pursuant to subsection (f), shall 
submit a report to the Director, not later than 12 months 
after such amounts are first received, which shall include 
such information as the Director considers appropriate to 
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describe the activities conducted using such amounts and 
the effect of such activities on the retention or acquisition 
of flood insurance coverage. 
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
is authorized to be appropriated for grants under this sec-
tion $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 through 
2015.’’. 
SEC. 15. NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF FLOOD INSURANCE 
AND ESCROW IN RESPA GOOD FAITH ESTI-
MATE. 
Subsection (c) of section 5 of the Real Estate Settle-
ment Procedures Act of 1974 (12 U.S.C. 2604(c)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
‘‘Each such good faith estimate shall include the following 
conspicuous statements and information: (1) that flood in-
surance coverage for residential real estate is generally 
available under the national flood insurance program 
whether or not the real estate is located in an area having 
special flood hazards and that, to obtain such coverage, 
a home owner or purchaser should contact the national 
flood insurance program; (2) a telephone number and a 
location on the Internet by which a home owner or pur-
chaser can contact the national flood insurance program; 
and (3) that the escrowing of flood insurance payments 
is required for many loans under section 102(d) of the 
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Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, and may be a con-
venient and available option with respect to other loans.’’. 
SEC. 16. AUTHORIZATION OF ADDITIONAL FEMA STAFF. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Di-
rector of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
may employ such additional staff as may be necessary to 
carry out all of the responsibilities of the Director pursu-
ant to this Act and the amendments made by this Act. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to Director such 
sums as may be necessary for costs of employing such ad-
ditional staff. 
SEC. 17. PLAN TO VERIFY MAINTENANCE OF FLOOD INSUR-
ANCE ON MISSISSIPPI AND LOUISIANA PROP-
ERTIES 
RECEIVING 
EMERGENCY 
SUPPLE-
MENTAL FUNDS. 
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
and the Director of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency shall jointly develop and implement a plan to 
verify that persons receiving funds under the Homeowner 
Grant Assistance Program of the State of Mississippi or 
the Road Home Program of the State of Louisiana from 
amounts allocated to the State of Mississippi or the State 
of Louisiana, respectively, from the Community develop-
ment fund under the Emergency Supplemental Appropria-
tions Act to Address Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico and 
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Pandemic Influenza, 2006 (Public Law 109–148) are 
maintaining flood insurance on the property for which 
such persons receive such funds as required by each such 
Program. 
SEC. 18. FLOOD INSURANCE ADVOCATE. 
Chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 is amended by inserting after section 1330 (42 
U.S.C. 4041) the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 1330A. OFFICE OF THE FLOOD INSURANCE ADVO-
CATE. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF POSITION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There shall be in the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency an Office of 
the Flood Insurance Advocate which shall be headed 
by the National Flood Insurance Advocate. The Na-
tional Flood Insurance Advocate shall report directly 
to the Director and shall, to the extent amounts are 
provided pursuant to subsection (f), be compensated 
at the same rate as the highest rate of basic pay es-
tablished for the Senior Executive Service under sec-
tion 5382 of title 5, United States Code, or, if the 
Director so determines, at a rate fixed under section 
9503 of such title. 
‘‘(2) APPOINTMENT.—The National Flood In-
surance Advocate shall be appointed by the Director, 
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and without regard to the provisions of title 5, 
United States Code, relating to appointments in the 
competitive service or the Senior Executive Service. 
‘‘(3) 
QUALIFICATIONS.—An 
individual 
ap-
pointed under paragraph (2) shall have a back-
ground in customer service as well as insurance. 
‘‘(4) STAFF.—To the extent amounts are pro-
vided pursuant to subsection (f), the National Flood 
Insurance Advocate may employ such personnel as 
may be necessary to carry out the duties of the Of-
fice. 
‘‘(b) FUNCTIONS OF OFFICE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—It shall be the function of 
the Office of the Flood Insurance Advocate to— 
‘‘(A) assist insureds under the national 
flood insurance program in resolving problems 
with the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency relating to such program; 
‘‘(B) identify areas in which such insureds 
have problems in dealings with the Agency re-
lating to such program; and 
‘‘(C) identify potential legislative, adminis-
trative, or regulatory changes which may be ap-
propriate to mitigate such problems. 
‘‘(2) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 
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‘‘(A) ACTIVITIES.—Not later than Decem-
ber 31 of each calendar year, the National 
Flood Insurance Advocate shall report to the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Bank-
ing, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate 
on the activities of the Office of the Flood In-
surance Advocate during the fiscal year ending 
during such calendar year. Any such report 
shall contain full and substantive analysis, in 
addition to statistical information, and shall— 
‘‘(i) identify the initiatives the Office 
of the Flood Insurance Advocate has taken 
on improving services for insureds under 
the national flood insurance program and 
responsiveness of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency with respect to such 
program; 
‘‘(ii) identify areas of the law or regu-
lations relating to the national flood insur-
ance program that impose significant com-
pliance burdens on such insureds or the 
Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
including specific recommendations for 
remedying these problems; and 
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hsrobinson on DSK69SOYB1PROD with BILLS
‘‘(iii) include such other information 
as the National Flood Insurance Advocate 
may deem advisable. 
‘‘(B) DIRECT SUBMISSION OF REPORT.— 
Each report required under this paragraph 
shall be provided directly to the committees 
identified in subparagraph (A) without any 
prior review or comment from the Director, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, or any other 
officer or employee of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency or the Department of 
Homeland Security, or the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget. 
‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Pursuant to section 1310(a)(4), the 
Director may use amounts from the National Flood Insur-
ance Fund to fund the activities of the Office of the Flood 
Advocate in each of fiscal years 2011 through 2016, ex-
cept that the amount so used in each such fiscal year may 
not exceed $5,000,000 and shall remain available until ex-
pended. Notwithstanding any other provision of this title, 
amounts made available pursuant to this subsection shall 
not be subject to offsetting collections through premium 
rates for flood insurance coverage under this title.’’. 
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SEC. 19. STUDY REGARDING MANDATORY PURCHASE RE-
QUIREMENT FOR NATURAL 100-YEAR FLOOD-
PLAIN 
AND 
NON-FEDERALLY 
RELATED 
LOANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General shall 
conduct a study to assess the impact, effectiveness, and 
feasibility of, and basis under the Constitution of the 
United States for, amending the provisions of the Flood 
Disaster Protection Act of 1973 regarding the properties 
that are subject to the mandatory flood insurance coverage 
purchase requirements under such Act to extend such re-
quirements to any property that is located in any area hav-
ing special flood hazards and which secures the repayment 
of a loan that is not described in paragraph (1), (2), or 
(3) of section 102(b) of such Act, and shall determine how 
best to administer and enforce such a requirement, taking 
into consideration other insurance purchase requirements 
under Federal and State law. 
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall submit 
a report to the Congress regarding the results and conclu-
sions of the study under subsection (a) not later than the 
expiration of the 6-month period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
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