[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT FOR MITIGATED PROPERTIES ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BRIAN BABIN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 27, 2017

  Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor today to introduce the 
Community Empowerment for Mitigated Properties Act of 2017.
   When the Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) buys up 
repeatedly flooded--and uninsurable--residential lots, the houses are 
demolished and these properties become permanently barred from 
development. The properties become open lots and give flood waters a 
place to be absorbed, but the strict requirements and regulations on 
development of the land can leave a patchwork of empty spaces and an 
uncertain future about their upkeep and maintenance.
   This legislation would ensure that FEMA provide notice to municipal 
land maintenance authorities that a flood mitigation purchase has been 
made inside their jurisdiction, and how disagreements between local 
government's competing land maintenance standards can be mediated. 
Enactment of this legislation would help communities in my district and 
around the country to better deal with these situations, and I look 
forward to advancing it through the Transportation and Infrastructure 
committee and this House.
   In conclusion, I would like to acknowledge a former member of my 
staff, Daniel Amico, for his hard work on this legislation. Daniel has 
moved on to pursue a new opportunity, but I wish him well and thank him 
for his efforts on my behalf preparing this bill.

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