HR 4973 PCS 
‘‘(C) the mailing address and phone num-
ber of a person the owner may contact for more 
information or to initiate an appeal.’’. 
SEC. 18. NATIONAL LEVEE INVENTORY. 
To identify levees for the national flood insurance 
program, the Director of the Federal Emergency Manage-
ment Agency shall maintain and periodically publish an 
inventory of levees in the United States, and shall consult 
with the Secretary of the Army as necessary to maintain 
such inventory. 
SEC. 19. CLARIFICATION OF REPLACEMENT COST PROVI-
SIONS, FORMS, AND POLICY LANGUAGE. 
Not later than the expiration of the 3-month period 
beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
shall— 
(1) in plain language using easy to understand 
terms and concepts, issue regulations, and revise any 
materials made available by such Agency, to clarify 
the applicability of replacement cost coverage under 
the national flood insurance program; 
(2) in plain language using easy to understand 
terms and concepts, revise any regulations, forms, 
notices, guidance, and publications relating to the 
full cost of repair or replacement under the replace-
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ment cost coverage to more clearly describe such 
coverage to flood insurance policyholders and infor-
mation to be provided by such policyholders relating 
to such coverage, and to avoid providing misleading 
information to such policyholders; 
(3) revise the language in standard flood insur-
ance policies under such program regarding rating 
and coverage descriptions in a manner that is con-
sistent with language used widely in other home-
owners and property and casualty insurance policies, 
including such language regarding classification of 
buildings, basements, crawl spaces, detached ga-
rages, enclosures below elevated buildings, and re-
placement costs; and 
(4) include in each standard flood insurance 
policy a one-page description of the policy using 
plain language and easy to understand terms and 
concepts. 
SEC. 20. 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 of such Agency as may 
be necessary to carry out all of the responsibilities of the 
Director pursuant to this Act and the amendments made 
by this Act. There are authorized to be appropriated to 
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Director such sums as may be necessary for costs of em-
ploying such additional staff. 
SEC. 21. INVESTIGATION OF WRITE-YOUR-OWN INSURERS’ 
ADJUSTMENT OF CLAIMS RELATING TO HUR-
RICANE KATRINA. 
(a) INVESTIGATION.—The Inspector General of the 
Department of Homeland Security shall carry out an in-
vestigation of insurers making flood insurance coverage 
available under the Write-Your-Own program pursuant to 
section 1345 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
(42 U.S.C. 4081) and subpart C of part 62 of title 44, 
Code of Federal Regulations to determine— 
(1) whether any such insurers, in adjusting and 
settling claims resulting from Hurricane Katrina, 
improperly attributed damages from such hurricane 
to flooding covered under coverage provided under 
the national flood insurance program rather than to 
windstorms covered by other coverage provided by 
such insurers or by windstorm insurance pools in 
which such insurers participated; and 
(2) the extent to which such improper attribu-
tion of damages occurred. 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than the expiration of the 
6-month period that begins upon the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Inspector General of the Department 
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of Homeland Security shall submit to the Congress a re-
port setting forth the conclusions of the investigation pur-
suant to subsection (a). 
SEC. 22. ELIGIBILITY OF PROPERTY DEMOLITION AND RE-
BUILDING 
FOR 
MITIGATION 
ASSISTANCE 
PROGRAM. 
Section 1366(e)(5)(B) of the National Flood Insur-
ance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104c(e)(5)(B)) is amended 
by inserting after ‘‘flood risk’’ the following: ‘‘, or the dem-
olition and rebuilding of structures located in such areas 
to at least Base Flood Elevation or any greater elevation 
required by any local ordinance’’. 
SEC. 23. SAMPLING METHODS FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE. 
Section 1345 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081) is amended by adding at the end 
the following new subsection: 
‘‘(d) SAMPLING METHODS
FOR QUALITY ASSUR-
ANCE.—In selecting the cases and claims for operational 
reviews and claims re-inspections regarding the national 
flood insurance program under this title, the Director shall 
use a statistically valid probability sample whose results 
can be generalized to the entire population of reviews and 
claims from which the sample is drawn and whose sam-
pling error can be quantified.’’. 
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SEC. 24. EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR FILING PROOF OF 
LOSS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1312 of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4019) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by inserting ‘‘(a) PAYMENT.—’’ before ‘‘The 
Director’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
section: 
‘‘(b) FILING DEADLINE FOR PROOF OF LOSS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In establishing any require-
ments regarding notification, proof, or approval of 
claims for damage to or loss of property which is 
covered by flood insurance made available under this 
title, the Director may not require an insured to no-
tify the Director of such damage or loss, submit a 
claim for such damage or loss, or certify to or sub-
mit proof of such damage or loss, before the expira-
tion of the 180-day period that begins on the date 
that such damage or loss occurred. 
‘‘(2) 
EXCEPTIONS.— 
Notwithstanding 
any 
deadline established in accordance with paragraph 
(1), the Director may not deny a claim for damage 
or loss described in such paragraph solely for failure 
to meet such deadline if the insured demonstrates 
any good cause for such failure.’’. 
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(b) APPLICABILITY.—Subsection (b) of section 1312 
of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as added 
by subsection (a)(2) of this section, shall apply with re-
spect to any claim under which the damage to or loss of 
property occurred on or after September 18, 2003. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 27, 2006. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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Calendar No. 501 
109TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 4973 
AN ACT 
To restore the financial solvency of the national 
flood insurance program, and for other purposes. 
JUNE 28, 2006 
Received; read twice and placed on the calendar 
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