Bills · S 4248
IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS
Senate BillS 4248Transportation and Public Works
Enhancing Long-Term, Efficient, and Viable Alternatives to Empower Flood-Prone Communities Act of 2026
This bill ensures the government treats house-raising and property buyouts with the same priority as building levees, while requiring the Army Corps to restart any recently paused flood protection projects.AI-written
INTRO MAR 26· LAST ACTION MAR 26
READING
20MIN
COSPONSORS
1
READER REACTIONS0 TOTAL
NO VOTES YET · BE THE FIRST
- Introduced only
tl;dr
AI-writtenForces the Army Corps of Engineers to restart and finish flood protection projects that focus on raising homes and buying out high-risk properties, preventing the government from abandoning nature-friendly alternatives to giant sea walls.
LEGISLATIVE PROGRESS
STEP 2 / 8Introduced
In Committee
Reported
Passed Senate
Passed House
Conference
To President
Became Law
WHAT THE BILL DOES
AI-writtenTraditional flood walls and levees are extremely expensive to build and maintain, and they can sometimes make flooding worse for people living further downstream. Nonstructural solutions like house-raising are often cheaper, better for the environment, and are sometimes the only realistic option for small rural towns that don't qualify for a multi-billion dollar levee.
If this becomes law, it prevents the federal government from pausing or cancelling these residential safety projects without a very good reason. This provides more stability for families waiting on government assistance to protect their homes from the next big storm.
KEY PROVISIONS
4AI-extractedPROVISION 01
Mandatory resumption of projects
It forces the Army Corps to restart any nonstructural flood projects that were paused or cancelled after January 2025.
PROVISION 02
Equal consideration for nonstructural solutions
It legally requires the government to treat house-raising and buyouts as being just as important as building dams and levees.
PROVISION 03
Frequent status reporting
The Army Corps must provide written updates to local partners every 45 days to prevent projects from stalling in secret.
PROVISION 04
Prohibition on narrowing study scopes
The Secretary of the Army cannot remove nonstructural options from a study just to make the project seem simpler or cheaper.
SPONSORSHIP
1 + 1
D· Rhode Island
YRS IN OFFICE
19
BILLS LED
99
COSPONSOR BREAKDOWNBIPARTISAN · 0%
DEM 0 REP 1 IND 0
ACTION TIMELINE
2 EVENTSMAR 26
Introduced in Senate
MAR 26
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
BILL INFO
TypeSenate Bill
NumberS 4248
Congress119th
StatusIn Committee
IntroducedMar 26, 2026
Last actionMar 26, 2026
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IN COMMITTEE· 119TH CONGRESS · ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE · INTRODUCED MAR 26, 2026
Senate BillS 4248Transportation and Public Works
Enhancing Long-Term, Efficient, and Viable Alternatives to Empower Flood-Prone Communities Act of 2026
This bill ensures the government treats house-raising and property buyouts with the same priority as building levees, while requiring the Army Corps to restart any recently paused flood protection projects.AI-written
INTRODUCED MAR 26, 2026· LAST ACTION MAR 26, 2026
PASSAGE CHANCES
—%
READING
20 min
COSPONSORS
1
COMPLEXITY
Moderate
