[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 30, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H1288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      FLOOD INSURANCE FOR FARMERS

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a bipartisan bill 
that I have been working on with my colleague from California (Mr. 
Garamendi). This week, we introduced H.R. 830, the Flood Insurance for 
Farmers Act.
  Currently, FEMA's requirements for flood hazard areas essentially 
prohibit farmers from expanding or improving operations on what they 
deem as floodplains, often requiring barns and silos to be raised 
upwards of 10 feet, which can be very cost prohibitive for farmers and 
prevent needed buildings. This legislation would remove this 
unnecessary red tape, while also allowing farmers to pay more 
reasonable flood insurance rates that align with their true level of 
risk.
  If levees in the area provide a 50-year level of flood protection, 
FEMA would then charge rates based on that risk level instead of the 
lack of 100-year flood protection of the existing levee system, which, 
essentially, means zero availability for flood insurance.
  From the north State to the Sacramento Valley and beyond, this 
legislation is good for agriculture production in California. I urge 
its passage.

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