WASHINGTON (Sept. 28, 2016) – The R Street Institute supports today’s introduction of H.R. 6196, the Repeatedly Flooded Communities Preparation Act, sponsored by Reps. Ed Royce, R-Calif., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. The following statement can be attributed to R Street Senior Fellow R.J. Lehmann:

“Repetitive loss properties comprise just 1 percent of all structures insured by the National Flood Insurance Program, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency estimates they account for as much as one-third of all flood claims. As the program endeavors to dig itself out from the more than $23 billion debt it currently owes to federal taxpayers, it’s essential that steps are taken to address and mitigate these losses. This smart, reasonable, bipartisan legislation would put the onus on communities with significant numbers of RLPs to identify needs for better drainage, stronger risk mitigation and, in some cases, properties that simply should be bought out, rather than continue to serve as a drain on taxpayers. We urge the U.S. House to give prompt attention to this important issue.”

Featured Publications