On the recordJune 27, 2012
I rise today to discuss the National Flood Insurance Program and the status of the bill that is in the Senate today. This is a bill the Banking Committee has been working on, and we certainly appreciate the chairman and ranking member and all of the members of the Banking Committee for working on this very important piece of legislation. I will note that when the bill came through the Banking Committee, the chairman and ranking member asked that no amendments be offered and that these be handled on the Senate floor at a later time. Here we are today, and it is time for us to handle those amendments and those changes to this very important piece of legislation. Unfortunately, we hear rumors that in the House and the various negotiations going on with the Transportation bill--as well as the student loan bill--they are trying to include the flood insurance bill with those. I think that is a tragic mistake. I think that endangers the very high chances of those two bills passing the Senate. In fact, what endangers the passage is the national flood insurance bill needs work. We need to let the Senate work on it. We need to let the Senate be the Senate and offer amendments and debate, and we need to bring this bill to a final vote. But we also need the opportunity, as Senators, to offer amendments to this very important piece of legislation.…
