[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18660]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          HOMEOWNER FLOOD INSURANCE AFFORDABILITY ACT OF 2013

  Mrs. GILLIBRAND. Madam President, I rise today to join my colleagues 
from Louisiana and New Jersey--who know as well as anyone about all the 
struggle of rebuilding after a major disaster--in calling on the Senate 
to pass the Homeowners Flood Insurance Affordability Act before the 
Senate adjourns next week. I am deeply dismayed that my colleagues on 
the other side of the aisle have objected to allowing the Senate to 
vote on this common-sense and bipartisan bill to help homeowners.
  I want to especially thank Senator Landrieu for her strong leadership 
and support for families who took the worst of Superstorm Sandy--a 
massive storm that claimed the lives of 61 New Yorkers, shattered 
countless others, damaged or destroyed 300,000 homes, and hurt a 
quarter million businesses.
  While the road to recovery is long and hard, New Yorkers are strong. 
I know we will rebuild better and stronger. But we in Congress have to 
continue to do our part. And to this day, more than a year later, 
homeowners are still struggling to rebuild, facing costly repairs to 
storm damage and what could be even costlier flood insurance premiums.
  They survived Sandy, are trying to put their lives back together, but 
the premium increases mandated by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance 
Reform Act of 2012 is what threatens to force many New Yorkers out of 
their homes and the communities they love.
  We can and must prevent this--by passing our legislation to prevent a 
spike in flood insurance premiums until after FEMA fulfills its 
responsibility, and reports to Congress with a plan to make these rates 
more affordable. That's just common sense, and it's the right thing to 
do for homeowners across the Northeast, who are still putting their 
lives back together in the wake of this storm. The last thing they need 
is another burden like this.
  I hope our colleagues reconsider their objection, and allow us to 
vote on this bipartisan bill and join us in helping these families 
rebuild and stay in their homes.

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