Task force to ask congressional delegation, FEMA for relief on flood maps and insurance after Comite briefing
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Summary
Task force members voted to send a letter seeking congressional engagement on FEMA's mapping policy after officials said FEMA's practice of defining when a project is '50% complete' has limited early map updates that could lower flood insurance rates for homeowners.
During the task-force meeting legislators raised the issue that FEMA had not provided a local representative in person and that FEMA’s interpretation of the map‑revision process was limiting near‑term flood‑insurance relief. Senator Hodges opened discussion of FEMA participation and the group debated whether FEMA’s interpretation of the “A99” (map revision) process had been applied in a way that prevented partial-project benefits from being recognized before full completion.
Why this matters: Several senators said homeowners face sharply higher flood-insurance premiums and that earlier FEMA recognition of partial project completion could reduce premiums for affected residents sooner. Corps and DOTD officials said Corps staff have been in ongoing contact with FEMA, but that FEMA has interpreted its “50% complete” threshold in a way that requires 100% of project elements to reach 50% completion before maps are reissued — a stricter standard than the task force expected.
Task force action: The task force agreed unanimously to send a letter to the congressional delegation and to FEMA urging reexamination of the map‑revision threshold and asking for congressional assistance. The chair asked staff to add Representative Fields to the letter’s recipient list; members approved the motion to send the letter during the meeting. The task force also discussed contacting the White House initiative led by a national group (referenced in the meeting as a “Doge” team) that the chair said had attention on government efficiency.
Attribution and who said it
Senator Barrow noted that the absence of a FEMA representative was notable and urged stronger follow-up; Secretary Donahue (DOTD) and Colonel Jones said they have maintained contact with FEMA in the past but explained FEMA has applied a stricter definition of “50% complete” for the map-revision process.
Ending
The task force asked staff to draft the letter and include the congressional delegation; members approved sending the letter and requested the letter be sent that week. No roll-call vote was recorded in the transcript; the chair announced the motion carried.