I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6256 
To amend the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 to 
address ecosystem restoration projects, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 21, 2025 
Mr. DOWNING (for himself, Ms. BYNUM, Mr. STEIL, and Ms. PEREZ) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Finan-
cial Services 
A BILL 
To amend the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act 
of 2014 to address ecosystem restoration projects, 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 ‘‘Floodplain Enhance-
ment and Recovery Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 22 of the Homeowner 
Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 
4101e) is amended to read as follows: 
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‘‘SEC. 22. ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘eco-
system restoration project’ means a project proposed for 
the primary purpose of manipulating the physical, chem-
ical, or biological characteristics of a site with the goal 
of— 
‘‘(1) recovering natural and beneficial functions 
to a former or degraded aquatic resource or flood-
plain; or 
‘‘(2) enhancing, accelerating, reclaiming, or im-
proving a specific, natural, and beneficial function of 
an aquatic resource or floodplain. 
‘‘(b) EXEMPTION FROM FEES FOR FLOOD HAZARD 
CHANGE
REQUESTS
FOR
ECOSYSTEM
RESTORATION 
PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
a requester shall be exempt from submitting a review or 
processing fee for a request for a flood insurance rate map 
change based on an ecosystem restoration project. 
‘‘(c) EXEMPTION FROM CONDITIONAL APPROVAL 
FOR CERTAIN ECOSYSTEM RESTORATION PROJECTS.—A 
community may permit an ecosystem restoration project 
within an adopted regulatory floodway that would result 
in an increase in base flood elevations, if— 
‘‘(1) a professional engineer uses the best judg-
ment of the engineer to determine that the cumu-
lative effect of the proposed ecosystem restoration 
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project, when combined with all other existing devel-
opment, will not increase the water surface elevation 
of the base flood by more than 1 foot (or a greater 
amount or metric determined appropriate by the Ad-
ministrator); 
‘‘(2) no insurable structure or any critical infra-
structure is located in an area that would be ad-
versely impacted by the increased base flood ele-
vation; and 
‘‘(3) not later than 180 days after the date on 
which the ecosystem restoration project is completed, 
the community submits to the Administrator an 
analysis regarding the changed conditions caused by 
the ecosystem restoration project. 
‘‘(d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed to affect the procedure (as in effect 
on the day before the date of enactment of the Floodplain 
Enhancement and Recovery Act) for providing notification 
to a landowner with respect to development in a regulatory 
floodway.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 
The table of contents for the Homeowner Flood Insurance 
Affordability Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–89) is amend-
ed by striking the item relating to section 22 and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘Sec. 22. Ecosystem restoration projects.’’. 
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(c) GUIDANCE.— 
(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
(A) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Admin-
istrator’’ means the Administrator of the Fed-
eral Emergency Management Agency. 
(B) COVERED AGENCIES.—The term ‘‘cov-
ered agencies’’ means Federal and State nat-
ural resource agencies, as determined by the 
Administrator. 
(2) ISSUANCE.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, and after con-
sultation with the heads of covered agencies, the Ad-
ministrator shall issue guidance to implement sec-
tion 22 of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Afford-
ability Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 4101e), as amended 
by this section. 
Æ 
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