[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3415 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3415

  To suspend flood insurance rate map updates in geographic areas in 
                which certain levees are being repaired.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2009

 Mr. Costello introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To suspend flood insurance rate map updates in geographic areas in 
                which certain levees are being repaired.

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

SECTION 1. SUSPENSION OF FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAP UPDATES IN GEOGRAPHIC 
              AREAS IN WHICH CERTAIN LEVEES ARE BEING REPAIRED.

    Section 1360 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4101) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(k) Suspension of Flood Insurance Rate Map Updates in Certain 
Geographic Areas.--
            ``(1) Suspension.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
        Director shall not update a flood plain area or a flood risk 
        zone in accordance with subsection (f) in a geographic area 
        that meets the following conditions:
                    ``(A) The geographic area is intended to be 
                protected by a levee determined by the Army Corps of 
                Engineers to have a design deficiency.
                    ``(B) The entity responsible for the repair of such 
                levee has implemented a plan to repair the levee that--
                            ``(i) has been developed by the Army Corps 
                        of Engineers or a professional engineer 
                        licensed by a State licensing board;
                            ``(ii) has been approved by the Army Corps 
                        of Engineers or the Federal Emergency 
                        Management Agency;
                            ``(iii) is based on sufficient and 
                        reasonably current design data that accurately 
                        reflects the condition of such levee and other 
                        flood protection facilities in the geographic 
                        area;
                            ``(iv) upon competion of the repair will 
                        provide protection from the one percent annual 
                        chance flood for the geographic area; and
                            ``(v) includes an adequate financing 
                        mechanism to pay for the implementation of the 
                        plan.
                    ``(C) Each State or local government with 
                jurisdiction over any portion of the geographic area 
                has developed and implemented a surveillance and 
                operations plan to provide for timely alerts and 
                immediate remedial action when significant underseepage 
                or potential failure occurs in such portion of the 
                geographic area.
                    ``(D) Each State or local government with 
                jurisdiction over any portion of the geographic area 
                has an evacuation plan to be implemented in the event 
                of flooding in such portion of the geographic area.
                    ``(E) Each State or local government with 
                jurisdiction over any portion of the geographic area 
                has developed and implemented an outreach and 
                communication plan to advise occupants in such portion 
                of the geographic area of potential flood risks, the 
                opportunity to purchase flood insurance, and the 
                consequences of failure to purchase flood insurance.
            ``(2) Exceptions.--Paragraph (1) shall not apply with 
        respect to a geographic area if--
                    ``(A) the Director determines that such geographic 
                area is protected by a flood protection system that 
                provides protection from the one percent annual chance 
                flood; or
                    ``(B) the Director has suspended the updating of 
                flood plain areas or flood risk zones in such 
                geographic area in accordance with paragraph (1) for 
                seven consecutive years.''.
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