[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 4, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H2143]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FLOOD INSURANCE BILL
(Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as an
original cosponsor of H.R. 3370, the Homeowner Flood Insurance
Affordability Act of 2014.
Over the past decade, the National Flood Insurance Program has
bordered on insolvency, and today it is over $24 million in debt.
Congress, in 2012, passed the Biggert-Waters Act, which created much-
needed reforms to the program that were designed to more accurately
reflect insurance risks and create fiscal solvency. The law mandated
that the Federal Emergency Management Agency perform an affordability
study before transitioning to the newly weighted system, which they
failed to do and has led to devastating flood insurance premium
increases.
Mr. Speaker, there are those who think we should do nothing and let
government mismanagement ruin the economic health of our communities.
We cannot run away from pressing challenges. To the contrary, we must
correct this policy failure in a manner that strikes a balanced
solution without adding one dime to the Federal deficit.
H.R. 3370 enables Congress to develop a long-term solution that
protects local economies and holds government accountable.
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