119-s1545

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1545 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1545

 To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to ensure community 
 accountability for areas repeatedly damaged by floods, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 April 30, 2025

Mr. Scott of South Carolina (for himself and Mr. Schatz) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
 Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to ensure community 
 accountability for areas repeatedly damaged by floods, and for other 
 purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Repeatedly Flooded Communities 
Preparation Act''.

SEC. 2. COMMUNITY ACCOUNTABILITY FOR REPEATEDLY FLOODED AREAS.

    (a) In General.--

Section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act 
of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4102) is amended by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (e) Community Accountability for Repeatedly Damaged Areas.--
 ``

    (1) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection--
 ``
        (A) the term `covered community' means a 
 community--
 ``
            (i) that is participating in the national 
 flood insurance program under 

section 1315; and
 ``
            (ii) within which are located--
 ``
            (I) not fewer than 50 repetitive 
 loss structures with respect to each of 
 which, during any 10-year period, there 
 have been not fewer than 2 claims for 
 payments under flood insurance coverage 
 for a total amount that is more than 
 $1,000;
 ``
            (II) not fewer than 5 severe 
 repetitive loss structures for which 
 mitigation activities meeting the 
 standards for approval under 

section 1366
            (c) (2)
        (A) have not been conducted; 
 or
 ``
            (III) a public facility or a 
 private nonprofit facility that has 
 received assistance for repair, 
 restoration, reconstruction, or 
 replacement under 

section 406 of the 
 Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
 5172) relating to more than 1 flooding 
 event during the most recent 10-year 
 period;
 ``
        (B) the terms `private nonprofit facility' and 
 `public facility' have the meanings given those terms 
 in 

section 102 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5122); 
 and
 ``
            (C) the term `severe repetitive loss structure' 
 has the meaning given the term in 

section 1366

    (h) .
 ``

    (2) Requirements for covered communities.--The 
 Administrator shall, by regulation, require a covered community 
 to--
 ``
        (A) determine the areas within the covered 
 community in which properties described in paragraph

    (1)
        (A)
            (ii) or flood-damaged facilities are located in 
 order to identify areas that are repeatedly damaged by 
 floods;
 ``
        (B) assess, with assistance from the 
 Administrator, the continuing risks to the repeatedly 
 damaged areas identified under subparagraph
        (A) ;
 ``
            (C) develop a community-specific plan for 
 mitigating continuing flood risks to the repeatedly 
 damaged areas identified under subparagraph
        (A) ;
 ``
            (D) submit the plan described in subparagraph
            (C) , and any plan updates, to the Administrator at 
 appropriate intervals;
 ``
        (E) implement the plan described in subparagraph
            (C) and any updates to the plan; and
 ``
        (F) subject to 

section 552a of title 5, United 
 States Code, make the plan described in subparagraph
            (C) , any updates to the plan, and reports on progress 
 in reducing flood risk available to the public.
 ``

    (3) Incorporation into existing plans.--A covered 
 community may incorporate a plan developed under paragraph

    (2)
            (C) , including any updates to such a plan, into a mitigation 
 plan developed under--
 ``
        (A) section 1366; and
 ``
        (B) section 322 of the Robert T. Stafford 
 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
 5165).
 ``

    (4) Assistance to communities.--
 ``
        (A) Data.--To assist a covered community in 
 developing a plan required under paragraph

    (2)
            (C) , 
 including any updates to such a plan, the Administrator 
 shall, upon request, provide the covered community with 
 appropriate data regarding the property addresses and 
 dates of claims associated with insured properties 
 within the covered community.
 ``
        (B) Mitigation grants.--In making a determination 
 regarding financial assistance under this Act, the 
 Administrator may consider the extent to which a 
 covered community--
 ``
            (i) has complied with this subsection; 
 and
 ``
            (ii) is working to remedy problems with 
 respect to repeatedly flooded areas.
 ``

    (5) Sanctions.--
 ``
        (A) In general.--The Administrator may, by 
 regulations issued in accordance with the procedures 
 required under 

section 553 of title 5, United States 
 Code, impose appropriate sanctions on a covered 
 community that fails to--
 ``
            (i) comply with this subsection; or
 ``
            (ii) make sufficient progress in reducing 
 the flood risks to areas in the covered 
 community that are repeatedly damaged by 
 floods.
 ``
        (B) Suspension and probation.--The sanctions 
 described in subparagraph
        (A) may include suspension 
 from the national flood insurance program or probation 
 under that program, as provided under 

section 59.24 of 
 title 44, Code of Federal Regulations, as in effect on 
 the date of enactment of this subsection.
 ``
            (C) Notice.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--Before imposing any 
 sanctions under this paragraph, the 
 Administrator shall provide the covered 
 community that is subject to the sanctions with 
 notice of the violation that may subject the 
 covered community to the sanctions.
 ``
            (ii) Contents.--The notice required under 
 clause
            (i) shall include recommendations for 
 actions that the covered community receiving 
 the notice may take in order to bring the 
 covered community into compliance.
 ``
            (D) Considerations.--In determining appropriate 
 sanctions to impose under this paragraph, the 
 Administrator shall consider the resources available to 
 the covered community that is subject to the sanctions, 
 including--
 ``
            (i) any Federal funding received by the 
 covered community;
 ``
            (ii) the portion of the covered community 
 that lies within an area having special flood 
 hazards; and
 ``
            (iii) any other factor that makes it 
 difficult for the covered community to conduct 
 mitigation activities for flood-prone 
 structures.
 ``

    (6) Reports to congress.--Not later than 6 years after 
 the date of enactment of this subsection, and not less 
 frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the 
 Administrator shall submit to Congress a report regarding the 
 progress made by covered communities with respect to 
 implementing plans developed under paragraph

    (2)
            (C) , including 
 any updates to those plans.''.

    (b) Regulations.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 
of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency shall issue regulations necessary to carry out subsection

    (e) of 

section 1361 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 
4102), as added by subsection

    (a) of this section.
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