Title: Scientific Flood Mapping Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Scientific Flood Mapping Act
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to jointly prepare a report describing the process by which FEMA shall transfer to the USGS all functions related to the preparation of flood maps as required under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 that FEMA was previously responsible for performing. FEMA must transfer such functions by 18 months after enactment of this bill.
The bill changes the membership composition of the Technical Mapping Advisory Council.
The bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act to direct the USGS to charge policy holders a fee for the purpose of recovering the cost of mapping activities. FEMA shall deposit the fees collected into a Flood Insurance Risk Mapping Fund which shall be available to the USGS for mapping activities.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5559 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5559

To transfer functions related to the preparation of flood maps from the 
    Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the 
    Director of the United States Geological Survey, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 18, 2018

 Mr. Crawford introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Natural Resources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To transfer functions related to the preparation of flood maps from the 
    Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the 
    Director of the United States Geological Survey, 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 ``Scientific Flood Mapping Act''.

SEC. 2. TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS RELATED TO PREPARATION OF FLOOD MAPS.

    (a) Transfer Plan.--Not later than 6 months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency and the Director of the United States Geological 
Survey shall--
            (1) jointly prepare a report describing the process by 
        which the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency shall transfer to the Director of the United States 
        Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior all 
        functions related to the preparation of flood maps as required 
        under section 1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 
        (42 U.S.C. 4101) that the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency was responsible for performing on 
        date of the enactment of this Act; and
            (2) submit such report to Congress.
    (b) Transfer of Functions.--Not later than 18 months after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency shall transfer to the Director of the 
United States Geological Survey of the Department of the Interior the 
functions described in subsection (a).
    (c) Personnel.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the personnel 
        employed in connection with the offices and functions of the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency that are transferred under 
        this Act shall be transferred to the United States Geological 
        Survey.
            (2) Transition.--The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency is authorized to use the services of such 
        personnel employed in connection with the offices and functions 
        of the Federal Emergency Management Agency that are transferred 
        under this Act for such period of time as may reasonably be 
        needed to facilitate the orderly transfer of such functions.
            (3) Effect.--Any full-time or part-time personnel employed 
        in permanent positions shall not be separated or reduced in 
        grade or compensation because of the transfer under this Act 
        during the 1-year period beginning on the date of the enactment 
        of this Act.
    (d) Property and Records.--The contracts, liabilities, records, 
property, and other assets and interests of, or made available in 
connection with, the functions transferred under this Act shall be 
transferred to the United States Geological Survey for appropriate 
allocation.

SEC. 3. CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Technical Mapping Advisory Council.--Section 100215 of the 
Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101a) is 
amended by striking ``Administrator'' each place it appears, except for 
subsections (b) and (e), and inserting ``Director of the United States 
Geological Survey''.
    (b) National Flood Mapping Program.--Section 100216 of the Biggert-
Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101b) is amended 
by striking ``Administrator'' each place it appears, except for 
subsection (f) of such section, and inserting ``Director of the United 
States Geological Survey''.
    (c) Coordination.--Section 100220 of the Biggert-Waters Flood 
Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101c) is amended by striking 
``Administrator'' each place it appears and inserting ``Director of the 
United States Geological Survey''.
    (d) Remapping.--Section 100229 of the Biggert-Waters Flood 
Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (126 Stat. 945) is amended by striking 
``Administrator'' each place it appears and inserting ``Director of the 
United States Geological Survey''.
    (e) Identification of Flood-Prone Areas.--Section 1360 of the 
National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4101) is amended by 
striking ``Administrator'' each place it appears, except for 
subsections (d) and (k) of such section, and inserting ``Director of 
the United States Geological Survey''.
    (f) Appeals.--Section 1363 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 
1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Administrator'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Director of the United States Geological Survey''; 
        and
            (2) in subsection (f), by striking ``Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency'' and inserting ``United States Geological 
        Survey''.
    (g) Scientific Resolution Panel.--Section 1363A of the National 
Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4101-1) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Administrator'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Director of the United States Geological Survey'';
            (2) by striking ``Federal Emergency Management Agency'' 
        each place it appears, except for subsection (d), and inserting 
        ``Director of the United States Geological Survey''; and
            (3) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) by striking ``the Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency shall ensure that for each such community that--
                '';
                    (B) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``the Director 
                of the United States Geological Survey shall ensure 
                that for each such community that'' after the 
                enumerator; and
                    (C) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``the Federal 
                Emergency Management Agency shall ensure that for each 
                such community that''.
    (h) Initial Flood Insurance Rate Maps.--The National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968 is amended--
            (1) in section 1307(f) (42 U.S.C. 4014(f)), by inserting 
        ``or the Director of the United States Geological Survey'' 
        after ``published by the Administrator''; and
            (2) in section 1312(b) (42 U.S.C. 4019(b)), by inserting 
        ``or the Director of the United States Geological Survey'' 
        after ``published by the Administrator'' both places it 
        appears.
    (i) Identification of Special Flood Hazards.--The National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968 is amended--
            (1) in paragraphs (1) and (2) of section 1364(a) (42 U.S.C. 
        4101a(a)(1) and (2)), by striking ``identified by the 
        Administrator'' both places such term appears and inserting 
        ``identified by the Director of the United States Geological 
        Survey''; and
            (2) in section 1365(a) (42 U.S.C. 4104b(a)), by striking 
        ``identified by the Administrator'' and inserting ``identified 
        by the Director of the United States Geological Survey''.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL MAPPING ADVISORY COUNCIL.

    Section 100215 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 
2012 (42 U.S.C. 4101a) is amended--
            (1) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Membership.--The members of the Council shall consist of the 
following, or a designee of the following--
            ``(1) The Director of the United States Geological Survey.
            ``(2) The Administrator.
            ``(3) The Secretary of Agriculture.
            ``(4) The Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and 
        Atmosphere.
            ``(5) The Chief of Engineers of the Army Corps of 
        Engineers.'';
            (2) by amending subsection (e) to read as follows:
    ``(e) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Council shall be the 
Director of the United States Geological Survey.''; and
            (3) in subsection (h)--
                    (A) by striking ``, and may take action by a vote 
                of the majority of the members''; and
                    (B) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Voting.--The Council may take action by a vote of the 
        majority of the members, except that the Chairperson shall only 
        vote in the case of a tie vote among the other members of the 
        Council.''.

SEC. 5. FEDERAL POLICY FEE.

    The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)(B)(iii) of section 1307 (42 U.S.C. 
        4014), by striking ``which shall be recovered by a fee charged 
        to policyholders and such fee shall not be subject to any 
        agent's commissions, company expense allowances, or State or 
        local premium taxes,''; and
            (2) in section 1360, by adding at the end the following:
    ``(k) Federal Policy Fee.--
            ``(1) In general.--To the extend provided in advance in an 
        appropriation Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the 
        Director of the United States Geological Survey, shall charge 
        policy holders a fee for the purpose of recovering the cost of 
        mapping activities under this section.
            ``(2) Consultation.--As part of the consultation under 
        paragraph (1), the Director of the United States Geological 
        Survey shall determine the amount of such fee.
            ``(3) Other considerations.--The fee under this subsection 
        shall not be subject to any agent's commissions, company 
        expense allowances, or State or local premium taxes.
            ``(4) Transfer of funds.--The Administrator shall deposit 
        the fees collected pursuant to paragraph (1) into a separate 
        account in the Treasury to be called the `Flood Insurance Risk 
        Mapping Fund', which shall be available to the Director of the 
        United States Geological Survey for mapping activities under 
        this section without further appropriation.''.
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