Title: Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act
This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to require a community that participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and has been repeatedly flooded, as specified by the bill, to: (1) assess the continuing risks to community areas repeatedly damaged by floods; and (2) develop and implement a publicly available, community-specific plan for mitigating continuing flood risks to such areas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must, upon request, provide a community with appropriate data to assist in preparation of the required plan.
In making decisions with respect to awarding mitigation grants under the Act, FEMA may consider the extent to which a community has complied with these requirements and is working to remedy problems with repeatedly flooded areas.
A community that does not comply with these requirements shall be subject to appropriate sanctions, including suspension from the National Flood Insurance Program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1558 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1558

 To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to ensure community 
accountability for areas repetitively damaged by floods, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2017

Mr. Royce of California (for himself and Mr. Blumenauer) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to ensure community 
accountability for areas repetitively damaged by floods, 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 ``Repeatedly Flooded Communities 
Preparation Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR REPETITIVELY FLOODED AREAS.

    (a) In General.--Section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4102) is amended by adding at the end the following 
new subsection:
    ``(e) Community Accountability for Repetitively Damaged Areas.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator shall, by regulation, 
        require any covered community (as such term is defined in 
        paragraph (3))--
                    ``(A) to identify the areas within the community 
                where properties described in paragraph (5)(B) or 
                flood-damaged facilities are located to determine areas 
                repeatedly damaged by floods and to assess, with 
                assistance from the Administrator, the continuing risks 
                to such areas;
                    ``(B) to develop a community-specific plan for 
                mitigating continuing flood risks to such repetitively 
                flooded areas and to submit such plan and plan updates 
                to the Administrator at appropriate intervals;
                    ``(C) to implement such plans;
                    ``(D) to make such plan, plan updates, and reports 
                on progress in reducing flood risk available to the 
                public, subject to section 552a of title 5, United 
                States Code.
            ``(2) Incorporation into existing plans.--Plans developed 
        pursuant to paragraph (1) may be incorporated into mitigation 
        plans developed under section 1366 of this Act (42 U.S.C. 
        4104c) and hazard mitigation plans developed under section 322 
        of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5165).
            ``(3) Assistance to communities.--
                    ``(A) Data.--To assist communities in preparation 
                of plans required under paragraph (1), the 
                Administrator shall, upon request, provide covered 
                communities with appropriate data regarding the 
                property addresses and dates of claims associated with 
                insured properties within the community.
                    ``(B) Mitigation grants.--In making determinations 
                regarding financial assistance under the authorities of 
                this Act, the Administrator may consider the extent to 
                which a community has complied with this subsection and 
                is working to remedy problems with addressing 
                repeatedly flooded areas.
            ``(4) Sanctions.--The Administrator shall, by regulations 
        issued in accordance with the procedures established under 
        section 553 of title 5, United States Code, regarding 
        substantive rules, provide appropriate sanctions for covered 
        communities that fail to comply with the requirements under 
        this subsection or to make sufficient progress in reducing the 
        flood risks to areas in the community that are repeatedly 
        damaged by floods. Such sanctions shall include suspension from 
        the national flood insurance program and probation under such 
        program, in the manner provided under section 59.24 of the 
        Administrator's regulations (44 C.F.R. 59.24).
            ``(5) Covered community.--For purposes of this subsection, 
        the term `covered community' means a community--
                    ``(A) that is participating, pursuant to section 
                1315, in the national flood insurance program; and
                    ``(B) within which are located--
                            ``(i) 50 or more repetitive loss structures 
                        (as such term is defined in paragraph (4));
                            ``(ii) 5 or more severe repetitive loss 
                        structures (as such term is defined in section 
                        1366(h)) for which mitigation activities 
                        meeting the standards for approval under 
                        section 1366(c)(2)(A) have not been conducted; 
                        or
                            ``(iii) a public facility or a private 
                        nonprofit facility (as such terms are as 
                        defined in section 102 of the Robert T. 
                        Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
                        Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122)), that has 
                        received assistance for repair, restoration, 
                        reconstruction, or replacement under section 
                        406 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief 
                        and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5172) 
                        in connection with more than one flooding event 
                        in the most recent 10-year period.
            ``(6) Repetitive-loss structure.--For purposes of this 
        subsection, the term `repetitive loss structure' has the 
        meaning given such term in section 1370 (42 U.S.C. 4121).
            ``(7) Reports to congress.--Not later than the expiration 
        of the 6-year period beginning upon the date of the enactment 
        of this subsection, and not less than every 2 years thereafter, 
        the Administrator shall submit a report to the Congress 
        regarding the progress in implementing plans developed pursuant 
        to paragraph (1)(B).''.
    (b) Regulations.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency shall issue regulations necessary to carry out 
subsection (e) of section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968, as added by the amendment made by subsection (a) of this section, 
not later than the expiration of the 12-month period that begins on the 
date of the enactment of this Act.
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