[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 13, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1306-E1307]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   FLOOD INSURANCE REFORM ACT OF 2011

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM REED

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 12, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1309) to 
     extend the authorization of the national flood insurance 
     program, to achieve reforms to improve the financial 
     integrity and stability of the program, and to increase the 
     role of private markets in the management of flood insurance 
     risk, and for other purposes:

  Mr. REED. Mr. Chair, I rise today to express my frustration regarding 
the FEMA flood remapping process, an issue that will impact my district 
and many others.
  We have recently debated and accepted multiple amendments and voted 
on H.R. 1309, the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2011. While I supported 
this bill and am grateful for all it does to help our constituents 
navigate through this very complex issue, I think we need to continue 
to examine the root of the problem, which is the flood mapping process 
that determines these areas require constituents to purchase flood 
insurance in the first place.
  I understand the importance of the FEMA flood maps. It is vital that 
we are able to identify flood risk areas and make sure people living in 
those areas are protected from catastrophic flooding. However, with 
these new maps, due to be completed in the near future, FEMA has 
changed the standards which affect more than 100,000 miles of levees 
across the United States.
  As a result, many of my constituents who have never had any issues 
with major flooding could be forced to purchase mandatory flood 
insurance costing thousands of dollars a year. This is despite the fact 
that these constituents enjoy the protection, in the case of a major 
flood, of a sound levee system.
  It may not be the exact protection that FEMA has begun demanding, but 
it is adequate as constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers following 
the flooding caused by Hurricane Agnes.
  Yet the new regulation requires these hardworking family homeowners 
to find a way to

[[Page E1307]]

pay for completely unnecessary flood insurance for a flood they will 
never see. It's a classic example of a concept which looks good on a 
white board in some Washington office but that has unintended negative 
consequences in the real world.
  While H.R. 1309 helps to alleviate some of these issues, we must get 
to the heart of the matter. I believe Mr. Walberg's amendment to H.R. 
1390 was an excellent step towards doing so and I was very pleased to 
lend my support to it.
  The Walberg amendment placed a moratorium on new updated maps until a 
Technical Mapping Advisory Council submits new mapping standards to 
FEMA and Congress, which allows for map revision and updates with local 
input. I also supported Mr. McGovern's amendment to gain reimbursement 
for communities when they rightfully challenge FEMA on its mapping 
errors.
  I am determined and will continue working for a long-term solution to 
the root of the problem, which is that these maps simply don't 
accurately reflect actual flood risks. The proposed maps certainly 
don't accurately reflect the flood risks, or lack thereof, in my 
district.

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