Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that—(1)advance payments made by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (referred to in this section as FEMA) have proven to be beneficial to those impacted by disasters;(2)FEMA has provided millions of dollars in advance payments to policyholders under the National Flood Insurance Program who have started the claims process under that Program; (3)the payments described in paragraph (2) are critical in helping policyholders as they begin to clean up and repair homes that have been devastated by natural disasters;(4)while advance payments have proven to be beneficial to those impacted by disasters, there are still significant limitations to the process; and(5)there are technological advances that can enhance the advance payments program, and FEMA should harness those advances to improve the customer experience and streamline FEMA’s payments program with the overall goal of easing burdens on those whose lives have been shattered by natural disasters.

Pilot program for remote National Flood Insurance Program claims

Part C of chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

1349.

Advance payments pilot program

(a)

Definitions

In this section: (1)

Covered data

The term covered data means real-time, rapid monitoring data, including data obtained through remote sensing technology.(2)

Covered property

The term covered property means a property for which the Administrator has received covered data indicating that flooding has occurred. (3)

Eligible policyholder

The term eligible policyholder means a person holding coverage made available under the national flood insurance program, where the property that is the subject of that coverage is a covered property.(b)

Pilot program

(1)

Establishment

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator shall establish a pilot program that uses covered data to—(A)increase the speed with which claims payments under the national flood insurance program are delivered to eligible policyholders;(B)increase the amount, and enhance the delivery, of advance claims payments under the national flood insurance program made to eligible policyholders; and(C)further explore how covered data can be used to enhance customer service and efficiency with respect to the claims process under the national flood insurance program.(2)

Termination

The pilot program established under paragraph (1) shall terminate on the date that is 1 year after the date on which the Administrator establishes the pilot program.(c)

Report

Not later than 180 days after the date on which the pilot program established under subsection (b) terminates, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report that describes any measurable changes that such pilot program has had on— (1)administrative costs with respect to the national flood insurance program; or (2)the timeliness with which the Administrator pays claims under the national flood insurance program.(d)

Overpayment forgiveness

Notwithstanding any provision of section 1310, the Administrator may use amounts in the National Flood Insurance Fund to forgive any amounts overpaid to an eligible policyholder as a result of a pre-inspection advance payment provided under this section.