Letter to the Honorable W. Craig Fugate, Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency - Quit Stalling on Flood Insurance Policy Protection

Letter

Dear Administrator Fugate:

It has come to our attention that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to charge participants in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) increased rates prescribed by the Biggert Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-141). We understand that implementing the recently enacted Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (P.L. 113-89) will take time. It is completely unacceptable, however, that since President Obama signed the law on March 21, 2014, you have not made it a priority to protect these policy holders. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act stops most of the significant rate increases enacted through Biggert-Waters. Furthermore, FEMA officials have informed our offices that these unaffordable, outdated rates will continue until new guidance is issued -- which could be months. We have also been told that if our constituents do not pay the increased rates prescribed by Biggert Waters, their policies will lapse. If their policies lapse, they will lose their opportunity to access the rates allowed under the recently passed legislation.

Attention needs to be paid to this issue immediately, and you must develop a plan to quickly implement the new law and to shield the policy holders protected by the law if they cannot afford to continue making these astronomical payments.

Congress has acted in an overwhelmingly bipartisan manner to protect these policy holders. FEMA must act with the same sense of urgency. We request a meeting, as soon as possible, with you to discuss a plan for your agency to implement the new law and reinstating rates as Congress intended. Please respond to this request by Friday, April 18, 2014. We await your reply.

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