(c) REPORT BY COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—Not later 
than 6 months after the date on which the Administrator 
submits the report required under subsection (b), the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall— 
(1) review the report submitted by the Adminis-
trator; and 
(2) submit to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the 
Committee on Financial Services of the House of 
Representatives a report that contains— 
(A) an analysis of the report submitted by 
the Administrator; 
(B) any comments or recommendations of 
the Comptroller General relating to the report 
submitted by the Administrator; and 
(C) any other recommendations of the 
Comptroller General relating to community- 
based flood insurance policies. 
SEC. 24. DESIGNATION OF FLOOD INSURANCE ADVOCATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall designate 
a Flood Insurance Advocate to advocate for the fair treat-
ment of policy holders under the National Flood Insurance 
Program and property owners in the mapping of flood 
hazards, the identification of risks from flood, and the im-
plementation of measures to minimize the risk of flood.
(b) DUTIES
AND RESPONSIBILITIES.—The duties 
and responsibilities of the Flood Insurance Advocate des-
ignated under subsection (a) shall be to— 
(1) educate property owners and policyholders 
under the National Flood Insurance Program on— 
(A) individual flood risks; 
(B) flood mitigation; 
(C) measures to reduce flood insurance 
rates through effective mitigation; 
(D) the flood insurance rate map review 
and amendment process; and 
(E) any changes in the flood insurance 
program as a result of any newly enacted laws 
(including this Act); 
(2) assist policy holders under the National 
Flood Insurance Program and property owners to 
understand the procedural requirements related to 
appealing preliminary flood insurance rate maps and 
implementing measures to mitigate evolving flood 
risks; 
(3) assist in the development of regional capac-
ity to respond to individual constituent concerns 
about flood insurance rate map amendments and re-
visions;
(4) coordinate outreach and education with 
local officials and community leaders in areas im-
pacted by proposed flood insurance rate map amend-
ments and revisions; and 
(5) aid potential policy holders under the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Program in obtaining and 
verifying accurate and reliable flood insurance rate 
information when purchasing or renewing a flood in-
surance policy. 
SEC. 25. EXCEPTIONS TO ESCROW REQUIREMENT FOR 
FLOOD INSURANCE PAYMENTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 102(d)(1) of the Flood 
Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4012a(d)(1)) 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), in the second sen-
tence, by striking ‘‘subparagraph (C)’’ and inserting 
‘‘subparagraph (B)’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in clause (ii), by redesignating sub-
clauses (I) and (II) as items (aa) and (bb), re-
spectively, and adjusting the margins accord-
ingly; 
(B) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as 
subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and adjust-
ing the margins accordingly;
(C) in the matter preceding subclause (I), 
as redesignated by subparagraph (B), by strik-
ing ‘‘(A) or (B), if—’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘(A)— 
‘‘(i) if—’’; 
(D) by striking the period at the end and 
inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(E) by adding at the end the following 
‘‘(ii) in the case of a loan that— 
‘‘(I) is in a junior or subordinate 
position to a senior lien secured by 
the same residential improved real es-
tate or mobile home for which flood 
insurance is being provided at the 
time of the origination of the loan; 
‘‘(II) is secured by residential im-
proved real estate or a mobile home 
that is part of a condominium, cooper-
ative, or other project development, if 
the residential improved real estate or 
mobile home is covered by a flood in-
surance policy that— 
‘‘(aa) meets the require-
ments that the regulated lending
institution is required to enforce 
under subsection (b)(1); 
‘‘(bb) is provided by the con-
dominium association, coopera-
tive, homeowners association, or 
other applicable group; and 
‘‘(cc) the premium for which 
is paid by the condominium asso-
ciation, cooperative, homeowners 
association, or other applicable 
group as a common expense; 
‘‘(III) is secured by residential 
improved real estate or a mobile home 
that is used as collateral for a busi-
ness purpose; 
‘‘(IV) is a home equity line of 
credit; 
‘‘(V) is a nonperforming loan; or 
‘‘(VI) has a term of not longer 
than 12 months.’’. 
(b) APPLICABILITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) 
REQUIRED
APPLICATION.—The 
amendments to section 102(d)(1) of the Flood 
Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C.
4012a(d)(1)) made by section 100209(a) of the 
Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 
2012 (Public Law 112–141; 126 Stat. 920) and 
by subsection (a) of this section shall apply to 
any loan that is originated, refinanced, in-
creased, extended, or renewed on or after Janu-
ary 1, 2016. 
(B) OPTIONAL APPLICATION.— 
(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this subpara-
graph— 
(I) the terms ‘‘Federal entity for 
lending regulation’’, ‘‘improved real 
estate’’, ‘‘regulated lending institu-
tion’’, and ‘‘servicer’’ have the mean-
ings given the terms in section 3 of 
the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4003); 
(II) the term ‘‘outstanding loan’’ 
means a loan that— 
(aa) is outstanding as of 
January 1, 2016; 
(bb) is not subject to the re-
quirement to escrow premiums 
and fees for flood insurance 
under section 102(d)(1) of the
Flood Disaster Protection Act of 
1973 (42 U.S.C. 4012a(d)(1)) as 
in effect on July 5, 2012; and 
(cc) would, if the loan had 
been originated, refinanced, in-
creased, extended, or renewed on 
or after January 1, 2016, be sub-
ject to the requirements under 
section 102(d)(1)(A) of the Flood 
Disaster Protection Act of 1973, 
as amended; and 
(III) 
the 
term 
‘‘section 
102(d)(1)(A) of the Flood Disaster 
Protection Act of 1973, as amended’’ 
means section 102(d)(1)(A) of the 
Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 
(42 
U.S.C. 
4012a(d)(1)(A)), 
as 
amended by— 
(aa) section 100209(a) of 
the Biggert-Waters Flood Insur-
ance Reform Act of 2012 (Public 
Law 112–141; 126 Stat. 920); 
and 
(bb) subsection (a) of this 
section.
(ii) OPTION
TO
ESCROW
FLOOD
IN-
SURANCE PAYMENTS.—Each Federal enti-
ty for lending regulation (after consulta-
tion and coordination with the Federal Fi-
nancial Institutions Examination Council) 
shall, by regulation, direct that each regu-
lated lending institution or servicer of an 
outstanding loan shall offer and make 
available to a borrower the option to have 
the borrower’s payment of premiums and 
fees for flood insurance under the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4001 et seq.), including the escrow of such 
payments, be treated in the same manner 
provided under section 102(d)(1)(A) of the 
Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973, as 
amended. 
(2) REPEAL
OF
2-YEAR
DELAY
ON
APPLICA-
BILITY.—Subsection (b) of section 100209 of the 
Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 
2012 (Public Law 112–141; 126 Stat. 920) is re-
pealed. 
(3) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this 
section or the amendments made by this section 
shall be construed to supersede, during the period
beginning on July 6, 2012 and ending on December 
31, 2015, the requirements under section 102(d)(1) 
of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 
U.S.C. 4012a(d)(1)), as in effect on July 5, 2012. 
SEC. 26. FLOOD MITIGATION METHODS FOR BUILDINGS. 
(a) GUIDELINES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 1361 of the Na-
tional Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4102) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection: 
‘‘(d) FLOOD MITIGATION METHODS
FOR BUILD-
INGS.—The Administrator shall establish guidelines for 
property owners that— 
‘‘(1) provide alternative methods of mitigation, 
other than building elevation, to reduce flood risk to 
residential buildings that cannot be elevated due to 
their structural characteristics, including— 
‘‘(A) types of building materials; and 
‘‘(B) types of floodproofing; and 
‘‘(2) inform property owners about how the im-
plementation of mitigation methods described in 
paragraph (1) may affect risk premium rates for 
flood insurance coverage under the National Flood 
Insurance Program.’’.
(2) ISSUANCE.—The Administrator shall issue 
the guidelines required under section 1361(d) of the 
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4102(d)), as added by the amendment made by 
paragraph (1) of this subsection, not later than the 
expiration of the 1-year period beginning on the date 
of the enactment of this Act. 
(b) CALCULATION OF RISK PREMIUM RATES.—Sec-
tion 1308 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
(42 U.S.C. 4015), as amended by the preceding provisions 
of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the 
following new subsection: 
‘‘(k) CONSIDERATION OF MITIGATION METHODS.— 
In calculating the risk premium rate charged for flood in-
surance for a property under this section, the Adminis-
trator shall take into account the implementation of any 
mitigation method identified by the Administrator in the 
guidance issued under section 1361(d) (42 U.S.C. 
4102(d)).’’. 
SEC. 27. MAPPING OF NON-STRUCTURAL FLOOD MITIGA-
TION FEATURES. 
Section 100216 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insur-
ance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101b) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(1)(A)—
(A) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(B) by redesignating clause (v) as clause 
(vi); 
(C) by inserting after clause (iv) the fol-
lowing new clause: 
‘‘(v) areas that are protected by non- 
structural flood mitigation features; and’’; 
and 
(D) in clause (vi) (as so redesignated), by 
inserting before the semicolon at the end the 
following: ‘‘and by non-structural flood mitiga-
tion features’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
through (C) as subparagraphs (B) through (D), 
respectively; 
(B) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘subparagraph (B)’’; and 
(C) by inserting before subparagraph (B) 
(as so redesignated) the following new subpara-
graph:
‘‘(A) work with States, local communities, 
and property owners to identify areas and fea-
tures described in subsection (b)(1)(A)(v);’’. 
SEC. 28. CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS. 
Section 1308 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 4015), as amended by the preceding pro-
visions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(l) CLEAR COMMUNICATIONS.—The Administrator 
shall clearly communicate full flood risk determinations to 
individual property owners regardless of whether their pre-
mium rates are full actuarial rates.’’. 
SEC. 29. PROTECTION OF SMALL BUSINESSES, NON-PROF-
ITS, HOUSES OF WORSHIP, AND RESIDENCES. 
Section 1308 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 4015), as amended by the preceding pro-
visions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the 
end the following new subsection: 
‘‘(m) PROTECTION OF SMALL BUSINESSES, NON- 
PROFITS, HOUSES OF WORSHIP, AND RESIDENCES.— 
‘‘(1) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the enactment of this section and semi-
annually thereafter, the Administrator shall monitor 
and report to Committee on Financial Services of 
the House Representatives and the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, 
the Administrator’s assessment of the impact, if any, 
of the rate increases required under subparagraphs 
(A) and (D) of section 1307(a)(2) and the sur-
charges required under section 1308A on the afford-
ability of flood insurance for— 
‘‘(A) small businesses with less than 100 
employees; 
‘‘(B) non-profit entities; 
‘‘(C) houses of worship; and 
‘‘(D) residences with a value equal to or 
less than 25 percent of the median home value 
of properties in the State in which the property 
is located. 
‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—If the Adminis-
trator determines that the rate increases or sur-
charges described in paragraph (1) are having a det-
rimental effect on affordability, including resulting 
in lapsed policies, late payments, or other criteria re-
lated to affordability as identified by the Adminis-
trator, for any of the properties identified in sub-
paragraphs (A) through (D) of such paragraph, the 
Administrator shall, not later than 3 months after 
making such a determination, make such rec-
ommendations as the Administrator considers appro-
priate to improve affordability to the Committee on 
Financial Services of the House Representatives and 
the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Af-
fairs of the Senate.’’. 
SEC. 30. MAPPING. 
Section 100216(d)(1) of the Biggert-Waters Flood 
Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101b(d)(1)) 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘subparagraph (A)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘subparagraph (D)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) by redesignating subparagraphs (A), (B), 
and (C) as subparagraphs (D), (E), and (G), respec-
tively; 
(3) by inserting before subparagraph (B), as so 
redesignated, the following new subparagraphs: 
‘‘(A) before commencement of any map-
ping or map updating process, notify each com-
munity affected of the model or models that the 
Administrator plans to use in such process and 
provide an explanation of why such model or 
models are appropriate; 
‘‘(B) provide each community affected a 
30-day period beginning upon notification under
subparagraph (A) to consult with the Adminis-
trator regarding the appropriateness, with re-
spect to such community, of the mapping model 
or models to be used; provided that consultation 
by a community pursuant to this subparagraph 
shall not waive or otherwise affect any right of 
the community to appeal any flood hazard de-
terminations; 
‘‘(C) upon completion of the first Inde-
pendent Data Submission, transmit a copy of 
such Submission to the affected community, 
provide the affected community a 30-day period 
during which the community may provide data 
to Administrator that can be used to supple-
ment or modify the existing data, and incor-
porate any data that is consistent with pre-
vailing engineering principles;’’; and 
(4) by inserting after subparagraph (E), as so 
redesignated, the following new subparagraph: 
‘‘(F) not less than 30 days before issuance 
of any preliminary map, notify the Senators for 
each State affected and each Member of the 
House of Representatives for each congressional 
district affected by the preliminary map in writ-
ing of—
‘‘(i) the estimated schedule for— 
‘‘(I) community meetings regard-
ing the preliminary map; 
‘‘(II) publication of notices re-
garding the preliminary map in local 
newspapers; and 
‘‘(III) the commencement of the 
appeals process regarding the map; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the estimated number of homes 
and businesses that will be affected by 
changes contained in the preliminary map, 
including how many structures will be that 
were not previously located in an area hav-
ing special flood hazards will be located 
within such an area under the preliminary 
map; and’’. 
SEC. 31. DISCLOSURE. 
(a) CHANGES
IN RATES RESULTING FROM THIS 
ACT.—Not later than the date that is 6 months before 
the date on which any change in risk premium rates for 
flood insurance coverage under the National Flood Insur-
ance Program resulting from this Act or any amendment 
made by this Act is implemented, the Administrator shall
make publicly available the rate tables and underwriting 
guidelines that provide the basis for the change. 
(b) REPORT ON POLICY AND CLAIMS DATA.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator 
shall submit to the Congress a report on the feasi-
bility of— 
(A) releasing property-level policy and 
claims data for flood insurance coverage under 
the National Flood Insurance Program; and 
(B) establishing guidelines for releasing 
property-level policy and claims data for flood 
insurance coverage under the National Flood 
Insurance Program in accordance with section 
552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
known as the Privacy Act of 1974). 
(2) CONTENTS.—The report submitted under 
paragraph (1) shall include— 
(A) an analysis and assessment of how re-
leasing property-level policy and claims data for 
flood insurance coverage under the National 
Flood Insurance Program will aid policy holders 
and insurers to understand how the Adminis-
tration determines actuarial premium rates and 
assesses flood risks; and
(B) recommendations for protecting per-
sonal information in accordance with section 
552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly 
known as the Privacy Act of 1974). 
Passed the House of Representatives March 4, 
2014. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 3370 
AN ACT 
To delay the implementation of certain provisions 
of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform 
Act of 2012, and for other purposes.