Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of Representatives Terry and Berg's amendment to H.R. 1309. As you may know, the Missouri River Basin is in the midst of record flooding. In order to determine a trigger date for a flood-in-progress, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program sent an examiner to Garrison Dam in North Dakota at the end of May on a fact-finding mission. After looking at the dam and both sides of the river, the adjuster determined a flood was in progress and declared June 1st as the trigger date for the entire Missouri River Basin. The flooding along the Missouri River stretches more than one thousand miles and is affecting multiple states. Very few homes in South Dakota were underwater on June 1st, yet this trigger date is used to determine if flood insurance policies are valid, regardless of location and when flooding actually began. Not all my constituents along the Missouri River have flood insurance. Some, however, had the foresight to purchase a policy prior to being underwater, and, more importantly, prior to FEMA's declaration that June 1st was the universal flood-in-progress date. Flood insurance requires a 30-day wait period before the policy becomes effective. Individuals who purchased flood insurance on May 1st will be covered for their losses in this flood, but those who waited until May 2nd are out of luck. This amendment rectifies this problem.…”