Dear  

The state and federal governments continue to review impacts of flood insurance premium rate increases under the federal Biggert-Waters Act of 2012 (BW-12), which aimed to make FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) more financially stable by reflecting true flood risk insurance costs in communities.
 
On Jan. 30, the U.S. Senate approved the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (S. 1926) by a 67-32 vote, which would delay for four years implementation of flood insurance premiums until FEMA completes the affordability study required under BW-12 and Congress can act on its recommendations. That bill, and companion legislation, H.R. 3370, is now before the U.S. House of Representatives. However, House leadership indicates it will not bring these bills forward as written, citing concerns that any delay would only add to the insolvency issues facing the NFIP. Instead, the House Republican leadership indicates it is drafting a modified version of the bills that could be introduced and brought up for a vote as early as the last week of February.

At the state level, the Senate Environmental Resources and Energy Committee and Banking and Insurance Committee held a joint hearing on Jan. 28 to gather testimony from property owners, realtors, banks and others on the impact of the Biggert-Waters Act. A day earlier, the House Democratic Policy Committee also held a hearing to learn more about the issue. CCAP submitted testimony for both hearings, and Lycoming County Commissioner Jeff Wheeland participated in the Senate hearing. Copies of all county testimony is available on the Testimony and Advocacy page of the CCAP website.

Legislation requiring sheriffs to obtain the same certification as deputies was unanimously reported by the House Local Government Committee on Jan. 29. House Bill 1772, authored by committee chair Rep. Kate Harper (R-Montgomery), would require all sheriffs elected after the effective date of the act who do not already hold certification as a deputy sheriff to obtain the education, training and certification, and to continue to meet the continuing education requirements thereafter.

A recent hearing held by the House Environmental Resources and Energy Committee focused on HB 1565, introduced by Rep. Marcia Hahn (R-Northampton), which would remove the regulatory requirement for a 150-foot buffer whenever there is an earth disturbance activity in a High Quality (HQ) or Exceptional Value (EV) watershed. As part of their priority on waterway infrastructure and maintenance, counties believe a review of this buffer requirement is warranted to assure environmental protection is balanced with sustainable land use and community development. The legislation would assure, however, that such buffers could still be used as an option among best management practices and design standards where appropriate.