Title: Community Flood Insurance Savings Act of 2017
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
Community Flood Insurance Savings Act of 2017
This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide grants to associations of states and local communities for the purpose of employing program coordinators for the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System. The Community Rating System provides flood insurance premium rate discounts to communities that exceed NFIP floodplain management requirements.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3135 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3135

  To authorize the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
 Agency to make grants to consortia of States and communities to hire 
individuals to coordinate the Community Rating System program under the 
National Flood Insurance Program for the States and communities who are 
           members of the consortia, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 29, 2017

     Mr. Keating (for himself and Ms. Maxine Waters of California) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
 Agency to make grants to consortia of States and communities to hire 
individuals to coordinate the Community Rating System program under the 
National Flood Insurance Program for the States and communities who are 
           members of the consortia, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Community Flood Insurance Savings 
Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY RATING SYSTEM PROGRAM COORDINATORS.

    Section 1315 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4022) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(c) Grants for Community Rating System Program Coordinators.--
            ``(1) Authority.--The Administrator shall carry out a 
        program to make grants to consortia of States and communities 
        for use only for costs of employing or otherwise retaining an 
        individual or individuals to coordinate and carry out 
        responsibilities relating to participation in the community 
        rating system program under subsection (b) for States and 
        communities that are members of such consortia.
            ``(2) Eligibility.--The Administrator shall establish such 
        criteria as the Administrator considers appropriate for a 
        consortium of States and communities to be eligible for grants 
        under this subsection, which shall include requiring a 
        consortium to provide evidence to the Administrator that the 
        consortium has sufficient authority and administrative 
        capability to use grant amounts in accordance with this 
        subsection on behalf of its member jurisdictions.
            ``(3) Timing.--A consortium receiving a grant under this 
        section shall establish the position or positions described in 
        paragraph (1), and employ or otherwise retain an individual or 
        individuals to fill such position or positions, not later than 
        the date that all such grant amounts are expended.
            ``(4) Applications.--The Administrator shall provide for 
        consortia of States and communities to submit applications for 
        grants under this subsection, which shall include--
                    ``(A) the evidence referred to in paragraph (2);
                    ``(B) such assurances as the Administrator shall 
                require to ensure compliance with the requirement under 
                paragraph (3);
                    ``(C) such assurances as the Administrator shall 
                require to ensure that the consortia will provide 
                funding sufficient to continue the position or 
                positions funded with the grant amounts, in the same 
                annual amount as under such grant funding, after such 
                grant funds are expended; and
                    ``(D) such other information as the Administrator 
                may require.
            ``(5) Selection.--From among eligible consortia of States 
        and communities submitting applications pursuant to paragraph 
        (3), the Administrator shall select consortia to receive grants 
        under this subsection in accordance with such competitive 
        criteria for such section as the Administrator shall establish.
            ``(6) Definition of community.--For purposes of this 
        section, the term `community' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 1366(h) (42 U.S.C. 4104c(h)), except that such term 
        includes counties and regional planning authorities that do not 
        have zoning and building code jurisdiction.
            ``(7) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated for grants under this subsection--
                    ``(A) $7,000,000 for the first fiscal year 
                commencing after the expiration of the 4-month period 
                beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act; and
                    ``(B) $7,000,000 for each of the four consecutive 
                fiscal years thereafter.''.
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