I ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Rev. Samuel Tolbert, pastor of the Greater St. Mary's Missionary Baptist Church in Lake Charles, LA, on his recent election as the 15th president of the National Baptist Convention of…

I am going to hold FEMA accountable for that.

We really have to be careful with this.

it is not a coastal issue. It is not only a coastal issue. It is an interior issue. It is a national issue.

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Thursday, July 24, 2014, at 10 a.m., in room…

It shouldn't require an act of Congress to get them to do something that would be common sense.

But the law does say very clearly here that it has to be in plain English.

the reason we tend to want not to build in velocity zones is because that is the most vulnerable area to any type of flooding.

A lot of that is in South Mississippi. Senator Cochran knows this.

Yes, I agree with that.

I see several other colleagues on the floor. I wish to speak for about 3 minutes on behalf of the nominee who was just confirmed. The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. deGravelles Nomination

We also removed the property sales trigger, which had frozen real estate markets and threatened to rob many middle-class families.

I believe it is imperative that Congress remain active and engaged to ensure this agency and its partners have the resources they need.

We want to make sure that the rates that people are paying reflect the fact that they aren't living at the flood level.

The goal of the Menendez bill was to have a program that people could afford, a very big difference in goals.

This isn't just a problem for the 7 percent or the 450 counties, it is not just coastal issue, it is an interior issue, and it is a national issue.

The people on the inside of the levee should have much lower rates with that levee built than without that levee.

I find it puzzling, after working so hard to pass a law that specifically caps rate increases and encourages FEMA to strive to keep flood insurance affordable, that we are still hearing about outrageous increases that threaten to do more…

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. The hearing will be held on Tuesday, July 29, 2014, at 2:30 p.m., in…

this one-size-fits-all approach on this flood insurance is not going to work. We have to have a multi-plan.

I come to the floor today to discuss the importance of community banks to our financial system and economy. Community banks are critical to the economic recovery and success of our local economies and small businesses. As our Nation…

it is truly my distinct privilege to be able to speak on behalf of John Weadon deGravelles, a nominee for the Middle District Court in Louisiana. I am very gratified that my colleagues gave him a very strong vote of approval--a unanimous…

But I am committed, as you all know, as a subcommittee chair of the committee that funds the flood maps, to continue to hold these hearings regularly in hopes that we can have accurate flood maps prior to 2017 when this program has to be…

this program, I think people have to get a reset button on this program.

I would like to announce for the information of the Senate and the public that a hearing has been scheduled before Subcommittee on National Parks. The hearing will be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 2:30 p.m. in room SD-366 of the…