This bill matters because it seeks to increase transparency around flood risk and the federal flood insurance program, which is crucial as climate change continues to impact flood patterns and severity. If passed, voters would have access to more detailed, localized information about flood hazards and past insurance claims, allowing them to assess risks more accurately when buying property or investing in mitigation.
Without this bill, much of this detailed flood risk and claims data remains less accessible to the public, researchers, and local planners. By making it public, the bill aims to empower individuals and communities to make better decisions, potentially leading to fewer flood damages, more effective mitigation efforts, and a more sustainable flood insurance program in the long run. It could also encourage innovation in flood prediction and protection technologies.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extracted
PROVISION 01
Requires the Administrator to make publicly available all data, models, and tools used for assessing flood risk and setting flood insurance premiums.
This provides unprecedented transparency into how flood risks are determined and how insurance costs are calculated, enabling better public understanding and independent analysis.
PROVISION 02
Mandates an open source data system for immediate electronic access to flood risk data, including policy and claims history (amount and date only), and identification of properties with repeated flood losses.
This creates an accessible platform for the public and researchers to analyze flood trends and property-specific risks without revealing personal information.
PROVISION 03
Establishes a publicly searchable database for community-level information, detailing compliance status, enforcement actions, and the number of pre- and post-flood map properties in special flood hazard areas.
This allows the public to evaluate how effectively their local communities are managing flood risks and adhering to federal flood insurance requirements.
PROVISION 04
Ensures all disclosed information identifies properties at the ZIP Code or census block level and includes community/state names, while protecting individually identifiable information about property owners.
This balances the need for localized flood risk data with the necessity of safeguarding individual privacy.
This bill matters because it seeks to increase transparency around flood risk and the federal flood insurance program, which is crucial as climate change continues to impact flood patterns and severity. If passed, voters would have access to more detailed, localized information about flood hazards and past insurance claims, allowing them to assess risks more accurately when buying property or investing in mitigation.
Without this bill, much of this detailed flood risk and claims data remains less accessible to the public, researchers, and local planners. By making it public, the bill aims to empower individuals and communities to make better decisions, potentially leading to fewer flood damages, more effective mitigation efforts, and a more sustainable flood insurance program in the long run. It could also encourage innovation in flood prediction and protection technologies.
KEY PROVISIONS
AI-extracted
high
Requires the Administrator to make publicly available all data, models, and tools used for assessing flood risk and setting flood insurance premiums.
This provides unprecedented transparency into how flood risks are determined and how insurance costs are calculated, enabling better public understanding and independent analysis.
high
Mandates an open source data system for immediate electronic access to flood risk data, including policy and claims history (amount and date only), and identification of properties with repeated flood losses.
This creates an accessible platform for the public and researchers to analyze flood trends and property-specific risks without revealing personal information.
med
Establishes a publicly searchable database for community-level information, detailing compliance status, enforcement actions, and the number of pre- and post-flood map properties in special flood hazard areas.
This allows the public to evaluate how effectively their local communities are managing flood risks and adhering to federal flood insurance requirements.
high
Ensures all disclosed information identifies properties at the ZIP Code or census block level and includes community/state names, while protecting individually identifiable information about property owners.
This balances the need for localized flood risk data with the necessity of safeguarding individual privacy.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section
The Administrator must establish and maintain a publicly searchable database for community information.
GLOSSARY
AI-written
Loss ratio
A measure of how much money a flood insurance program pays out in claims compared to how much it collects in premiums over a fiscal year.
Multiple-loss property
A property that has been repeatedly damaged by floods, specifically defined as a repetitive loss structure or a severe repetitive loss structure under federal law.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)
A federal program that provides flood insurance to property owners, renters, and businesses in communities that participate in the program and adopt and enforce floodplain management ordinances.
Open source data system
A system where information is freely available for the public to access, use, modify, and share, typically through electronic means.
Special flood hazards
Areas identified by the federal government as having a high risk of flooding, often depicted on Flood Insurance Rate Maps.
Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM)
An official map of a community on which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has delineated both the special flood hazard areas and the risk premium zones.
Mitigation
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTS
SEP 26, 25
Introduced in House
INTROREFERRAL
SEP 26, 25
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Actions taken to reduce the severity or impact of a natural disaster, such as elevating a home or participating in a government buyout program for a repeatedly flooded property.
