Frank Lautenberg: “I rise today to oppose to the flood insurance language that is included in the conference report to accompany H.R. 4348…”

“I rise today to oppose to the flood insurance language that is included in the conference report to accompany H.R. 4348, which the Senate will consider today. The Senate had been debating a stand-alone bill to reform the National Flood Insurance Program for several days, but we were prevented from voting on amendments to the bill and ultimately passing the legislation. Since agreement on a process for considering flood insurance amendments was blocked, we are now forced into an up-or-down vote on a conference report that contains provisions that will save or create millions of jobs in the transportation sector and keep Federal student loan rates from doubling. I will support the conference report because of those provisions, but I oppose the flood insurance portions. Last September, I saw firsthand how Hurricane Irene's floods devastated communities in my State of New Jersey. President Obama and I toured the wreckage together. It was heartbreaking. We saw families with their belongings on their front lawns, and much of their homes destroyed. Unfortunately, Hurricane Irene was not the only storm to cause major flooding in New Jersey recently. In just the last 3 years, FEMA has declared five federal disasters that caused major flooding in New Jersey. For many of the people who have been hit by these floods, their homes are all they have. Many of them have owned their homes for generations. They have raised their children and built their lives in them.…”