Bilirakis: Flood Insurance Program Must be Transparent

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Bilirakis (R-FL), today introduced legislation to ensure accountability and transparency at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Flood Insurance Integrity Act will require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP); specifically, as it relates to how flood insurance maps are updated.

"This bill will provide transparency and shed much needed light on how flood rate maps are updated. Flood insurance rates are a large financial concern for a number of my constituents, and the NFIP must be administered with integrity," said Bilirakis. "This is a good government bill. Americans who need flood insurance should be able to know how those costs are calculated. The American people deserve nothing less than transparency and accountability from government agencies."

The introduction of the Flood Insurance Integrity Act comes after H.R. 3370, the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013, was signed into law on March 21, 2014. H.R. 3370 provided much needed relief to Americans who were suffering from flood insurance rate increases in the tens of thousands of dollars because of FEMA's disastrous implementation of the Biggert-Waters Act. The Flood Insurance Integrity Act will ensure oversight of FEMA to help prevent flawed implementation and administration of the NFIP in the future.