Carolyn Kousky, Executive Director, Wharton Risk Center
Karen McHugh, Missouri State NFIP
Coordinator
Ariel Rivera-Miranda, Founder and Agency Principal, Deer Insurance
Roy Wright, President & CEO, Insurance
Institute for Business and Home Safety
Legislation:
H.R.
, the “The National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of
2022.” (Rep. Waters)
H.R.
7842,
the “The Protecting Families and the Solvency of the National Flood
Insurance Program Act of 2022.” (Rep. Casten)
H.R.
, the “The National Flood Insurance Program Administrative Reform Act
of 2022.” (Rep. Velázquez)
H.R.
, a bill to cancel the indebtedness of the National Flood Insurance
Program, and for other purposes. (Rep. Waters)
H.R.
, a bill to limit the annual increases in premiums and surcharges
under the National Flood Insurance Program, and for other purposes.
The last long-term reauthorization of the NFIP
occurred when Congress passed the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform
Act of 2012 (BW-12), which was subsequently amended by the Homeowner
Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (HFIAA). Since the end of
fiscal year (FY) 2017, the NFIP has had 19
short-term reauthorizations and has even experienced brief lapses.
According to the National Association of Realtors, an estimated 40,000
home sales are lost or interrupted every month that the
NFIP’s authority lapses. The
NFIP’s authorization is currently set to
expire on September 30, 2022. In the event of a lapse, the
NFIP will be unable to enter into new flood
insurance contracts, which will lead to widespread market instability
due to the stalling of mortgage processing for homes that are
statutorily required to have flood insurance.
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act, which included $3.5 billion for flood
mitigation and $500 million in grants to states for revolving loans for
hazard mitigation through a new program called the Safeguarding Tomorrow
through Ongoing Risk Mitigation (STORM) Act. On November 19, 2021, the
House passed the Build Back Better Act, which includes provisions to
forgive the NFIP’s $20.5 billion in debt and
invests $600 million in setting up an affordability program for
low-income policyholders, as well as $600 million toward updating flood
maps. According to FEMA, the
NFIP saves the nation an estimated $1.87
billion annually in flood losses avoided because of the
NFIP’s building and floodplain management
regulations.
Until 2021, FEMA had not updated its
methodology for setting NFIP premium rates
since the 1970s, when it adopted a risk rating method that accounts only
for the 1% annual chance of fluvial and coastal flooding. In
coordination with the US Army Corps of Engineers, US Geological Survey,
and other experts, FEMA has now developed a
new risk rating methodology, known as Risk Rating 2.0 (RR2).
RR2 went into effect for new policyholders on
October 1, 2021, and for new policyholders on April 1, 2022.
RR2 is designed to more accurately “reflect an
individual property’s risk, reflect more types of flood risk in rates,
use the latest actuarial practices to set risk-based rates, provide
rates that are easier to understand for agents and policyholders, and
reduce complexity for agents to generate a flood insurance quote.”
House Financial Services Committee
Housing, Community Development and Insurance Subcommittee
The Homeland Security Act, as amended by the Post-Katrina Emergency
Management Reform Act, directs FEMA to reduce
the loss of life and property and protect the nation from all hazards,
including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other disasters
through a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of
preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation. As of
January 2022, FEMA employed more than 22,000
personnel – including term and intermittent employees – to carry out the
Agency’s mission.
The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(Stafford Act) authorizes the Federal government to provide assistance
to State, territorial, and local governments, tribal nations, eligible
private nonprofit organizations, and individuals affected by an incident
that receives a Presidential major disaster or emergency declaration.
The Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 (DRRA, Division D of P.L.
115-254) includes reforms to improve FEMA’s
ability to carry out its mission and better prepare the nation for
disasters. FEMA continues to make progress
implementing its provisions.
FEMA also delivers the National Flood
Insurance Program (NFIP), pre-disaster and post-disaster mitigation
grant programs, flood mapping, disaster planning, exercise management
and coordination, urban search and rescue coordination, the Homeland
Security Grant Program, the Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program,
and other grants, training, and exercise programs.
The FY 2023 President’s Budget includes
increased funding for programs and activities that support the goals
outlined in the 2022-2026 FEMA Strategic Plan:
Civil Rights and Reasonable Accommodation Services and Support ($3.9M, 3
FTE)
Funds enable the Office of Equal Rights to enforce and ensure compliance
with FEMA’s civil rights responsibilities and
proactively and comprehensively respond to civil rights complaints filed
by disaster survivors and members of the public regarding
FEMA programs.
Privacy Organization Program ($2.0M, 4 FTE)
FEMA will significantly advance its Privacy
Program by expanding participation and customer support for
FEMA operations and State, local, tribal, and
territorial (SLTT) stakeholders to enhance privacy compliance and
bolster privacy safeguards during rapid-paced response and recovery
efforts. FEMA will use an additional $2.2M
from DRF carryover balances to support this
program in FY 2023 for a total increase of
$4.2M.
Funds will assist FEMA in providing more
equitable investment in disadvantaged communities and aid underserved
and marginalized communities to develop the structures, relationships,
and planning processes that promote equitable access to recovery
resources post-disaster. FEMA will also focus
SLTT capacity building to mitigate existing
gaps in steady-State services and resources to communities.
Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis ($74.5M)
The Budget includes an additional $74.5M to further
FEMA’s inventory of maps showing future
conditions for a program total of $507.7M. These funds may also be used
to support the Federal Flood Risk Mitigation Standard (FFRMS) and its
climate-informed science activities with the purpose of preparing for
future flood conditions.
Equitable Investment in Risk Reduction ($5.0M, 12
FTE)
Funding will support sustained and equitable investment in risk
reduction through catalyzing community partnerships. Funds will also
support creation of efficiencies and increase capabilities within
FEMA’s Regional and program offices that
assist our SLTT partners, while maximizing all
available resources across three key assistance programs – Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program, National Dam Safety Program, and
BRIC grant programs.
Flood Hazard Mapping and Floodplain Management Expansion ($4.3M, 30
FTE)
Funding for the NFIP will allow the program to
be staffed to complete the mapping projects initiated to deliver
credible, up-to-date flood hazard information to communities and to
manage development in a way that reduces flood losses, equitably reduces
disaster suffering, encourages nature-based solutions and builds
community resilience.
FY 2023 Major Disaster Estimate ($19.7B, 9,010
FTE) The Budget reflects a major disaster
allocation totaling $19.7B to address ongoing Stafford Act disasters.
The FY 2023 requirement includes more than
$941.0M over the FY 2022 Budget for the
response to COVID-19 and other recovery
projects. Cost estimates are derived from spend plans prepared by
FEMA Regions working with affected states and
localities for ongoing catastrophic disasters, historical average of
obligations for non-catastrophic disasters, allocation for
BRIC, and a reserve to ensure
FEMA maintains the ability to fund initial
response operations for new significant events.
Mount Weather Emergency Operations Center (MWEOC) ($53.0M)
MWEOC has 565 acres and is a national asset
providing resilient infrastructure, facilities, logistics support,
communications, operations centers, and support personnel for a wide
variety of vital government functions. It supports 30 plus different
departments and agencies’ continuity missions. FY
2023 funds support facilities construction and modernization
projects at the site.
Emergency Food and Shelter Program – Humanitarian Relief ($24.0M)
The Budget includes an increase of $24.0M to provide critical resources
to migrants crossing the southern border and communities providing
humanitarian relief to the thousands of families and individuals that do
so, as well as any other humanitarian crisis that may arise. Funds will
support providing food, shelter, transportation,
COVID-19 testing, and care associated with
recommended quarantining and isolation of this population.
Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Revitalization ($8.0M, 4
FTE) To advance the Administration priorities
of climate resilience and equity, EMI
Revitalization will modernize e-Campus systems, expand satellite
partnerships, streamline course catalog, develop executive crisis
leadership program, and facilitate emergency management thought
leadership. This work will transform EMI to a
National Emergency Management college, continuing
EMI’s 70-year history of educating and
training the national security workforce to meet the current risks of
climate change and other emergent, persistent, and frequent hazards.
Support for Incident Management (IM) Workforce ($6.4M, 37
FTE)
This increase funds information technology and human capital specialists
needed to recruit, hire, equip, and support a significant expansion of
FEMA’s IM Workforce. Funding will also support
non-pay costs associated with hiring, training, and equipping of
incident management workforce enabling FEMA to
successfully execute its disaster response and recovery functions.
FEMA will use an additional $10.0M from
DRF carryover balances to support the IM
Workforce for a total increase of $16.4M.
Non-Stafford Act Incident Management Assistance Team (IMAT) ($4.3M, 21
FTE)
Funds will provide FEMA with a ready-made
capability to support the growing number of contingencies related to
complex incidents that are not related to a specific disaster
declaration under the Stafford Act.
S.4000,
to require the establishment of cybersecurity information sharing
agreements between the Department of Homeland Security and Congress
S.4128,
to require the Comptroller General of the United States to provide
certain information with respect to unimplemented priority
recommendations as part of the Comptroller General’s annual reporting
to Congress
S.4166,
to authorize preparedness programs to support communities containing
technological hazards and emerging threats
S.471,
to allow Members of Congress to opt out of the Federal Employees
Retirement System, and allow Members who opt out of the Federal
Employees Retirement System to continue to participate in the Thrift
Savings Plan,
S.4057,
to develop a comprehensive, strategic plan for Federal electric
vehicle fleet battery management
S.3905,
to prevent organizational conflicts of interest in Federal acquisition
S.3890,
to improve intergovernmental cooperation and reduce duplicative
spending
S.4167,
to improve performance and accountability in the Federal Government
S.3552,
to provide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs
for assistance in areas of persistent poverty
S.1116,
to amend chapter 81 of title 5, United States Code, to create a
presumption that a disability or death of a Federal employee in fire
protection activities caused by any of certain diseases is the result
of the performance of such employees duty
S.4205,
to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency to establish a working group relating to best practices and
Federal guidance for animals in emergencies and disasters
H.R.5673,
to amend the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency
Assistance Act to make technical corrections to the hazard mitigation
revolving loan fund program
H.R.5343,
to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to submit a
report to Congress on case management personnel turnover of the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
H.R.2142,
to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located
at 170 Manhattan Avenue in Buffalo, New York, as the “Indiana
Hunt-Martin Post Office Building”
an original bill entitled, “DHS Trade and Economic Security Council
Act”
an original bill entitled, “Disclosing Foreign Influence in Lobbying
Act”
The nomination hearing for Biniam Gebre, of Virginia, to be
Administrator for Federal Procurement Policy, which had been originally
scheduled for the previous week, was announced for this date but then
postponed again without notice.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee
In Fiscal Year 2023, we are now poised to build on early progress with a
President’s budget for the Department of Transportation that totals $142
billion, including $36.8 billion in advance appropriations provided by
BIL in that year.
Safety remains our top priority, and the budget includes funding to
help address the crisis of deaths on America’s roadways, as outlined
in our National Roadway Safety Strategy. That includes $3 billion for
the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
With $4 billion for RAISE and the new Mega
program, we will rebuild century old infrastructure and lay the
groundwork for America to compete and win in decades ahead.
With $23.6 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration, we will
further enhance aviation safety, combat the effects of aviation on the
climate, and improve airport infrastructure.
With $4.45 billion in Capital Investment Grants, we will advance 15
major transit projects that shorten commutes, increase access to jobs,
and reduce congestion on the road for millions of Americans.
We will invest $17.9 billion to reverse decades of underinvestment in
intercity passenger rail and make fast, reliable train service
available to more people.
We will provide $1 billion to build out a nationwide network of
electric vehicle chargers, so that Americans in every part of the
country have access to the lower monthly costs of electric vehicles.
We will also begin implementing our ambitious new fuel efficiency
standards, which are projected to save the typical household hundreds
of dollars in gas costs and prevent 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon
dioxide from reaching our atmosphere.
And to keep making progress on supply chains to help move goods faster
and fight inflation, we will invest a total of $680 million to
modernize ports, $3 billion to improve the roadways that carry the
majority of America’s freight, and a total of $1.5 billion for
CRISI grants to improve freight rail.
The 2023 President’s
Budget
requests $71.9 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), approximately $11.6 billion more than the 2022
annualized continuing resolution (CR) level, to support underserved
communities and equitable community development, increase access to and
production of affordable housing, promote homeownership and
wealth-building, advance sustainable communities, climate resilience,
and environmental justice, and strengthen
HUD’s internal capacity.
The budget includes:
$1.1 billion in targeted climate resilience and energy efficiency
improvements in public housing, tribal housing, and other assisted
housing;
$400 million to remove dangerous health hazards from homes, including
mitigating threats from fire, lead, carbon monoxide, and radon
The President’s 2023 Budget supports authorizing the Community
Development Block Grant—Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program. For more
than twenty years, the Congress has appropriated emergency
supplemental funds to HUD in response to
major disasters to address the unmet long term disaster recovery needs
of States, territories, local governments, and Tribes. Authorization
would improve the transparency and predictability of
CDBG-DR funds for impacted communities.
House Appropriations Committee
Senate Appropriations Committee
Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Chair of the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene an Executive
Session
at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, May 25, 2022, to
consider several pieces of legislation.
S.
4246
Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act
The Transportation Fuel Market Transparency Act creates the
Transportation Fuel Monitoring and Enforcement Unit in the
FTC, whose responsibilities would include
“Determining whether excessive concentration or exclusive control of
energy-related infrastructure may allow or result in anti-competitive
behaviors.”
Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Hearing
has been postponed to a date to be determined.
Chair: Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.)
Witness:
Deb Haaland, Secretary, U.S. Department of the Interior
The Department’s 2023
budget totals $18.1 billion
in current authority ($17.5 billion in net discretionary authority)—an
increase of $2.9 billion, or 19 percent, from the 2022 continuing
resolution. An additional $340.0 million is accessible through a budget
cap adjustment for wildfire suppression to ensure that funds are
available in the event the regular annual appropriation is inadequate to
meet suppression needs. The budget also provides an estimated $10.9
billion in permanent funding in 2023.
The Bureau of Land Management
budget
proposes $249.9 million for Energy and Minerals Management. Effectively
combating and mitigating climate change for the long term depends on
moving our Nation away from its heavy reliance on fossil fuels.
BLM plays a vital role in promoting and
facilitating the development of renewable energy by providing sites for
the environmentally sound development of renewable energy on public
lands. The 2023 budget includes $49.7 million for
BLM’s Renewable Energy program, which—along
with funding in the Resource Management Planning, Assessment, and
Monitoring program—will enable BLM to increase
and accelerate renewable energy development on public lands. The funds
will support the siting, leasing, and processing of renewable energy
rights-of-way applications and the oversight of projects and
transmission lines connecting to renewable energy projects.
BLM’s Renewable Energy Coordination Offices
(RECOs) will guide and execute this important work, including
coordinating with other Federal agencies to streamline the review
process for clean energy projects. The 2023 request for the Renewable
Energy program includes staffing support for a national
RECO at the BLM
headquarters level as well as State and regional RECOs.
BLM expects renewable energy demand and
workload to increase significantly as more utilities and States seek to
diversify or require increased renewable energy in their electric power
portfolios. The 2023 request will better ensure that
BLM has the manpower and resources to support
this workload.
The budget proposes $115.8 million for Oil and Gas Management. The
request will support continued progress in addressing legacy wells on
the Alaska North Slope. The request for Energy and Minerals also
includes $16.6 million for Coal Management and $16.7 million for Other
Mineral Resources Management.
The 2023 Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
budget
requests $51.7 million for renewable energy activities, including
permitting for the siting and construction of offshore wind farms and
other renewable energy sources, such as wave and current energy, on the
Outer Continental Shelf. The 2023 budget proposes $63.6 million for
conventional energy development. The 2023 budget proposes $15.4 million
to support BOEM’s marine minerals activities,
which foster climate change resilience and restoration while supporting
conservation partnerships. Foundational to
BOEM’s offshore energy and mineral resource
activities are the Environmental Programs, for which the 2023 budget
requests $86.4 million.
The 2023 USGS
budget is
$1.7 billion; USGS estimates that staffing is
8,344 full-time equivalents (FTEs) . The budget prioritizes science
addressing climate change and invests in research and development to
support economic growth, inform balanced decisions regarding resources,
and ensure the well-being of the Nation.
The 2023 President’s Budget for the Fish and Wildlife
Service
totals $3.7 billion, including current appropriations of $2.0 billion
and $1.8 billion available under permanent appropriations, most of which
is provided directly to States for fish and wildlife restoration and
conservation. The budget for the principal FWS
operating account, Resource Management, is $1.7 billion. The National
Wildlife Refuge System is an FWS focal point
for the Civilian Climate Corps, a program to put people to work
improving America’s lands, waters, and infrastructure . The 2023 budget
for FWS includes $10.0 million—including $8.0
million in the request for Refuges and $2.0 million in the request for
the National Conservation Training Center in General Operations—to
develop the next generation of conservation workers and create a new
pathway to good-paying jobs. The 2023 request for Science Support is
$38.5 million. The program supports adaptive science work with
collaborative groups to design and implement conservation and habitat
management strategies that improve climate adaptation and resilience on
the ground.
Senate Appropriations Committee
Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee
From May 24th-June 6th we will be traveling along the route of the
Mountain Valley
Pipeline.
We seek to amplify the voices of frontline Appalachian communities and
others in their fight for environmental justice and renewable energy. We
will be working to challenge the environmental damages being done by all
fossil fuels, and to cancel the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP) and the
MVP Southgate extension, whose construction
has already devastated parts of WV, VA and NC.
Updates on the Walk’s progress are being posted on
Facebook and on
Twitter with the hashtag
#AppalachiaWalk.
Starting points:
5/24, Noon: 65 Community Drive, Ireland, WV
5/25, 9 AM: West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV
5/26, 9 AM: National Fish Hatchery, White Sulphur, WV
5/27, 9 AM: Greenbrier River, WV
5/28, 9 AM: Base of Peters Mountain, on the VA/WV border
5/29, 9 AM: Newport, VA
5/30, 9 AM: Roanoke, VA
5/31-6/1: Bent Mountain, VA
6/2-6/4: Richmond, VA
If you are trying to find the Walk, call Steve at (828) 777-7816 or Ted
at (973) 460-1458 or email [email protected].
All along the pipeline route we will inspect damages to water, air,
animals, and the Earth, and the people who depend on them; and we will
every morning have ceremonies honoring the heroes in our states who have
died during these fights to protect our Appalachia.
Communities affected by the Mountain Valley Pipeline and other
destructive/extractive industries are invited to participate in the
event in whatever way is best or most advantageous to them. For example,
they can join our walk or have the walk come to them.
We plan to use the two-week journey on foot and by vehicle to support
frontline communities first and foremost by listening. As appropriate,
walkers may be called upon to support local campaigns for economic,
racial and climate justice by amplifying their voices in various media,
standing alongside them at rallies and protests, participating in and
hosting workshops, and honoring the heroes of the struggle who are no
longer with us.
Walk organizers consist of dedicated environmental justice workers from
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and beyond, and members of
seasoned organizations such as 7 Directions of Service,
POWHR, Beyond Extreme Energy, Th!rd Act, NC
Alliance to Protect the People and the Places We Live, Chesapeake
Climate Action Network, and others.
On Tuesday, May 24, 2022, at 2:00 P.M. ET, via Cisco Webex, the
Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold a remote
legislative
hearing
and will consider the following legislation:
The legislation withdraws approximately 234,328 acres of federal land
and waters in a specified area in the Rainy River Watershed of Superior
National Forest in Minnesota from sulfide-ore copper mining.
