WASHINGTON, DC — It has been an ongoing concern for Louisiana’s congressional delegation for years, reaching a long term agreement to operate and fund the National Flood Insurance Program.
For years, the congress has continued the program with a series of short-term agreements, sometimes just covering a period of a few months. The latest proposal would reauthorize the program for five years through 2024.
Part of the challenges of renewing the program involve proposed reforms. Some members of congress want to make changes to the program when it is renewed. But when consensus could not be reached, lawmakers were forced to reach short-term reauthorization agreements.
According to House Republican Whip Steve Scalise, along with adding a five-year term to the latest program, the proposal also includes other reforms, like allowing people to pay for their coverage with monthly payments just as they might with other insurance policies. It also includes $20 million for flood mitigation.
Scalise made it clear that the new proposal fails to include everything he hoped for, “…but this bill is a substantial improvement over current law, and the five million policyholders across the country deserve for their elected officials to do their jobs and stop punting the program for a few weeks and months at a time,” Scalise said in a written statement.
The bill has received a unanimous committee vote to advance, and Scalise says its future looks promising in the House. But Scalise says the Senate has not indicated whether it has enough support to pass the bill. He expects a vote on the House floor in the coming weeks.
If you’d like to read the House bill, click here.