Letter to Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Shelby
Letter
July 28, 2011
The Honorable Tim Johnson
Chairman
Senate Banking Committee
534 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Richard Shelby
Ranking Member
Senate Banking Committee
304 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Chairman Johnson and Ranking Member Shelby:
I support your efforts to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As you develop the bill, I ask that you consider enhanced federal agency cooperation in the flood mapping process and a phase-in of insurance premiums for newly mapped communities.
I encourage you to look at creating a Technical Mapping Advisory Protocol Council comprised of state, local, and federal members. Such a council would propose new mapping protocols, taking into account advisement from local stakeholders.
Another provision I would encourage you to include is a phase-in of flood insurance premiums for communities newly mapped as a flood zone. Many of these communities are home to low-income families, for whom flood insurance is a sizeable financial commitment. A phase-in of these mandatory premiums is a reasonable accommodation to provide the community time to adjust to the new requirement.
For these communities, the financial burden is two-fold. While residents are required to purchase flood insurance, local government must contemplate improvements to deficient flood control infrastructure. I support a requirement that FEMA delay the flood insurance purchase requirement if a community is working toward improvement of its flood control infrastructure.
Illinois is no stranger to flood damage. In April and May of this year, the Mississippi, Ohio, and Illinois Rivers breached levees and overtopped banks in many communities in the Southern part of the state. People in many Illinois communities are still cleaning up and recovering from those major floods. A reauthorization of the NFIP will strengthen the program and will help bring certainty to the recovering housing market by ensuring that potential home buyers can get the flood insurance they need to secure financing to buy a home.
Thank you for your leadership in crafting this important bill, and for your consideration of these priorities. If you have any questions, please feel free to call on me or my staff at 4-9531.
Sincerely,
Richard J. Durbin
United States Senator
Source