Lawmakers and advocacy groups continue to nudge Congress about the importance of passing another five-year extension to the National Flood Insurance Program, or NFIP.
The program, which offers homeowners in flood-prone areas affordable flood insurance, is set to expire on May 31 unless Congress passes another temporary or permanent extension.
U.S. Senators David Vitter (R-La.) and John Tester (D.-Mont.) held a hearing on the topic for the economic policy subcommittee of the Senate Banking Committee last week. The two lawmakers asked for another five-year reauthorization of the flood insurance program.
Sen. Vitter authored and obtained passage of a bill in 2011 that moved the deadline for the sunset of the program to May 31. However, Vitter’s intention is to get a longer extension approved that will last through the latter part of this decade.
Vitter’s office says the flood insurance program has been operating under a series of 13 extensions since 2004, which is the last time it passed Congress with a full reauthorization.
