I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION H. R. 10235 
To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping of urban flooding 
and associated property damage and the availability of that mapped 
data to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help understand and 
mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2024 
Mr. QUIGLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency to carry out a pilot program to 
enhance the mapping of urban flooding and associated 
property damage and the availability of that mapped 
data to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help 
understand and mitigate the risk of such flooding, and 
for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Flood Mapping Mod-
ernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program 
Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. FLOOD MAPPING MODERNIZATION AND HOME-
OWNER EMPOWERMENT PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency. 
(2) COASTAL.—The term ‘‘coastal’’ means, with 
respect to a unit of general local government, that 
the unit borders a body of water that— 
(A) is more than 2,000 square miles in 
size; and 
(B) is not a river. 
(3) PELAGIC.—The term ‘‘pelagic’’ means, with 
respect to a unit of general local government, that— 
(A) the unit is a coastal unit; and 
(B) the body of water that the unit borders 
is— 
(i) an ocean; or 
(ii) a large, open body of water, in-
cluding a bay or a gulf, that empties into 
an ocean. 
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(4) PILOT
PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro-
gram’’ means the pilot program carried out by the 
Administrator under this section. 
(5) URBAN
FLOODING.—The term ‘‘urban 
flooding’’— 
(A) means the inundation, by water, of 
property in a built environment, particularly in 
a densely populated area, that— 
(i) is caused by falling rain— 
(I) collecting on an impervious 
surface; or 
(II) increasing the level of a body 
of water that is located near that built 
environment; and 
(ii) overwhelms the capacity of drain-
age systems in the built environment, such 
as storm sewers; 
(B) includes— 
(i) a situation in which stormwater 
enters a building through a window, door, 
or other opening; 
(ii) the backup of water through a 
sewer pipe, shower, toilet, sink, or floor 
drain; 
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(iii) the seepage of water through a 
wall or a floor; 
(iv) the accumulation of water on 
property or a public right-of-way; and 
(v) the overflow from a body of water, 
such as a river, lake, or ocean; and 
(C) does not include flooding in an unde-
veloped or agricultural area. 
(6) URBANIZED AREA.—The term ‘‘urbanized 
area’’ means an area that has been defined and des-
ignated as an urbanized area by the Bureau of the 
Census during the most recently completed decennial 
census. 
(b) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Administrator 
shall 
carry out a pilot program to make grants to units of local 
government to— 
(1) enhance the production of maps relating to 
urban flooding and associated property damage; and 
(2) increase the availability of the maps de-
scribed in paragraph (1) to homeowners, businesses, 
and units of local government to enable those enti-
ties to minimize the risk of urban flooding. 
(c) OBJECTIVES.—Amounts from grants made under 
the pilot program may be used only to carry out activities 
that meet the following objectives: 
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(1) Developing a methodology for assessing the 
risk of urban flooding through the deployment of 
technology-based mapping tools that— 
(A) are easily understandable by the pub-
lic; and 
(B) effectively convey information regard-
ing the level of flood risk. 
(2) Providing structure-specific projections of 
annual chance flood frequency. 
(3) Providing structure-based flood risk assess-
ments. 
(4) Providing program design for the mitigation 
of the risk of urban flooding. 
(5) Incorporating information regarding climate 
trends into urban flooding risk assessments. 
(6) Making the information described in this 
subsection publicly available on the internet through 
a web-based portal so as to increase transparency re-
garding homeowner flood risks. 
(d) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under the pilot pro-
gram may be made only to— 
(A) a unit of general local government that 
is located in an urbanized area with a popu-
lation of more than 50,000 individuals; or 
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(B) a stormwater management authority of 
a unit of general local government described in 
subparagraph (A). 
(2) ONE-TIME
GRANTS.—A grant under the 
pilot program may not be made to— 
(A) any unit of general local governmental, 
or the stormwater management authority of a 
unit of general local government, that pre-
viously received a grant under the pilot pro-
gram; 
(B) any unit of general local government if 
the stormwater management agency for that 
unit previously received a grant under the pilot 
program; or 
(C) any stormwater management agency of 
a unit of general local government if that unit 
previously received a grant under the pilot pro-
gram. 
(3) TREATMENT
OF
CERTAIN
STORMWATER 
MANAGEMENT AUTHORITIES.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—In the case of a 
stormwater management authority that oper-
ates with respect to more than 1 unit of general 
local government, the application of that au-
thority shall be considered for purposes of para-
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graph (2) of this subsection and subsections (f), 
(g), and (h)(1) to be made for the largest unit 
of general local government with respect to 
which that authority operates. 
(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in 
subparagraph (A) may be construed to limit the 
ability of a stormwater management authority 
described in that subparagraph to carry out ac-
tivities under a demonstration project in any 
other jurisdiction in, or with respect to any 
other unit of local government with, which that 
authority operates. 
(e) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 
the pilot program, a unit of general local government or 
a stormwater management agency shall submit to the Ad-
ministrator an application in such form and containing 
such information as the Administrator shall require. 
(f) SELECTION OF RECIPIENTS.— 
(1) ANNUAL
SELECTION.—Subject to para-
graph (2), and to the submission of approvable ap-
plications, in each fiscal year for which amounts are 
made available for grants under the pilot program, 
the Administrator shall select, from among applica-
tions submitted under subsection (e) for that fiscal 
year, 3 units of general government or stormwater 
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management authorities to receive grants under the 
pilot program. 
(2) AGGREGATE
LIMIT.—Subject only to the 
submission of approvable applications, the Adminis-
trator shall select, in the aggregate over the entire 
duration of the pilot program, 12 units of general 
government or stormwater management authorities 
to receive grants under the pilot program, as follows: 
(A) TIER 1.—Three of the applicants se-
lected shall be units of general local govern-
ment, or stormwater management authorities 
for those units, each of which has a population 
of more than 800,000 individuals, as follows: 
(i) PELAGIC
COASTAL
CITY.—One 
shall be— 
(I) a unit of general local govern-
ment that is a pelagic unit; or 
(II) a stormwater authority for a 
unit described in subclause (I). 
(ii) NON-PELAGIC
COASTAL
CITY.— 
One shall be— 
(I) a unit of general local govern-
ment that— 
(aa) is a coastal unit; and 
(bb) is not a pelagic unit; or 
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(II) a stormwater authority for a 
unit described in subclause (I). 
(iii) NON-COASTAL
CITY.—One shall 
be— 
(I) a unit of general local govern-
ment that is not a coastal unit; or 
(II) a stormwater authority for a 
unit described in subclause (I). 
(B) TIER 2.—Six of the applicants selected 
shall be units of general local government, or 
stormwater management authorities for those 
units, each of which has a population of more 
than 200,000 individuals and not more than 
800,000 individuals, as follows: 
(i) COASTAL
CITIES.—Three shall 
be— 
(I) units of general local govern-
ment that are coastal units; or 
(II) stormwater management au-
thorities for units described in sub-
clause (I). 
(ii) 
NON-COASTAL
CITIES.—Three 
shall be— 
(I) units of general local govern-
ment that are not coastal units; or 
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(II) stormwater management au-
thorities for units described in sub-
clause (I). 
(C) TIER 3.—Three of the applicants se-
lected shall be— 
(i) units of general local government, 
each of which has a population of more 
than 50,000 individuals and not more than 
200,000 individuals; or 
(ii) stormwater management authori-
ties for units described in clause (i). 
(g) PRIORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall se-
lect applicants for grants under the pilot program 
based on the extent to which the applications of 
those applicants shall achieve the objectives de-
scribed in subsection (c). 
(2) TIERS 2 AND 3.—In selecting applicants to 
receive grants under the pilot program under sub-
paragraphs (B) and (C) of subsection (f)(2), the Ad-
ministrator shall give priority to applicants— 
(A) that are highly vulnerable to sea level 
rise; 
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(B) within which are located a military in-
stallation or another facility relating to national 
security concerns; or 
(C) that have— 
(i) populations that are highly vulner-
able to urban flooding; and 
(ii) an uneven capacity for flood miti-
gation and response efforts resulting from 
socioeconomic factors. 
(h) AMOUNT.— 
(1) CONSIDERATIONS.—In determining the 
amount of a grant under the pilot program, the Ad-
ministrator shall consider the population of the 
grant recipient, which may be considered in terms of 
the tier under subsection (f)(2) with respect to the 
recipient. 
(2) FEDERAL SHARE.—The amount of a grant 
under the pilot program may not exceed 75 percent 
of the total cost incurred in carrying out the activi-
ties described in subsection (c). 
(i) DURATION.—The Administrator shall require 
each recipient of a grant under the pilot program to com-
plete the activities described in subsection (c), which shall 
be, subject to subsection (h)(2), carried out using the 
grant amounts, not later than 18 months after the date 
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on which the recipient initially receives the grant amounts 
under the pilot program. 
(j) USE OF CENSUS DATA.—The Administrator shall 
make all determinations regarding population under the 
pilot program by using data from the most recently com-
pleted decennial census by the Bureau of the Census. 
(k) GRANTEE REPORTS TO FEMA.—Each recipient 
of a grant under the pilot program shall, not later than 
30 months after the date on which the recipient initially 
receives the grant amounts, submit to the Administrator 
a report that describes— 
(1) the activities carried out with the grant 
amounts; 
(2) how the activities carried out with the grant 
amounts have met the objectives described in sub-
section (c); 
(3) any lessons learned in carrying out the ac-
tivities described in paragraph (2); and 
(4) any recommendations for future mapping 
modernization efforts by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency. 
(l) BIENNIAL REPORTS BY FEMA.—Not later than 
2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and not 
less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter until 
the date on which all activities carried out with amounts 
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from grants under the pilot program are completed, the 
Administrator shall submit to Congress and make avail-
able to the public on an internet website a report that— 
(1) describes— 
(A) the progress of the activities carried 
out with amounts from those grants; and 
(B) the effectiveness of technology-based 
mapping tools used in carrying out the activi-
ties described in subparagraph (A); and 
(2) with respect to the final report that the Ad-
ministrator is required to submit under this sub-
section, includes recommendations to Congress and 
the executive branch of the Federal Government for 
implementing strategies, practices, and technologies 
to mitigate the effects of urban flooding. 
(m) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that, because the pilot program is limited with re-
spect to scope and resources, communities that participate 
in the pilot program should acknowledge that the most 
successful efforts to mitigate the effects of urban flood-
ing— 
(1) take a structural-based mitigation approach 
with respect to construction, which includes— 
(A) recognizing any post-storm damage 
that may occur; and 
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