On the recordJuly 12, 2011
I want to thank Congresswoman Biggert for bringing this bill to the floor. I look forward to supporting this important legislation that will address many of the issues I have been experiencing in my district, and ones that I know are occurring all across the country. In Iowa, we are all too familiar with the flood insurance program because of the devastating floods of 2008, and again on the Missouri River in western Iowa this summer. We also have many communities throughout the State going through the mapping process. Unfortunately, due to a lack of adequate notification during the process of flood mapping, many homeowners continue to be surprised when they find out that their homes are newly placed in a floodplain and they will be required to purchase flood insurance. My amendment will help ensure communities and property owners that are affected by new maps are made aware of the process taking place from the beginning. Currently, FEMA is only required to publish notice of new flood elevations in a local newspaper. For one community in my district, this translated literally to a paragraph in the legal notice section. My amendment will require FEMA to notify not only the local paper, but also a local television and radio station, because I think it's time we update this law to be more reflective of all the media our constituents use daily. Ensuring communities have the information needed at the beginning is one step.…
