Senator Toomey of Pennsylvania blocks Landrieu's amendment to Water Resource Bill(pa.)

WATER RESOURCE BILL PASSES SENATE, SEN. LANDRIEU'S FLOOD INSURANCE REFORM BLOCKED

Louisiana legislators tried to cut the fishbowl a break today on the U.S. Senate floor, but as of now, flood insurance rates are set to rise for many Louisiana residents in October, 2014. Sen. Mary Landrieu authored the Landrieu-Vitter amendment to the Water Resources and Development Act, which aims to prevent grandfathered rates from increasing for the next five years. Sen. Pat Toomey (R) of Pennsylvania halted the voting process before it began. But the bill that still passed still benefits Louisiana. 

On the amendment, Toomey objected to the vote, invoking the procedural need for “unanimous consent” among senators.

For years, properties were grandfathered in to subsidized rates, despite increasing risks of flooding over time. Biggert-Waters, a Flood Insurance Reform Act passed in 2012, modified the National Flood Insurance Program so that homeowners’ rates would reflect their risks of flooding. The Act lays out the changes, slated for implementation in October of 2014. 

Landrieu and fellow coastal Senator Frank Lautenberg (D) of New Jersey reacted to Biggert-Waters in July of 2012, when it was signed into law. “It is troubling that many families who continue to suffer from flooding of their homes will now be forced to pay more for flood insurance even though many of them may not be able to afford to do so. Therefore, we respectfully request that you establish a plan to help residents cope with increased costs as a result of the law.”  

The Senator was clear to point out that her frustration with today’s process is not with Toomey’s opposition to the amendment, but with her inability to bring the issue to the table. However, Landrieu said in a statement that she plans to keep pushing affordable flood insurance, likely through a bill.

 “This is an issue that isn’t going to go away, and I’m not giving up finding a solution to fix the flawed Biggert-Waters bill, which I expressed concerns about even before its passage. In the coming days, I will be introducing a comprehensive bill that will allow people in Louisiana and across the country to live securely along water and be able to purchase affordable flood insurance."

The U.S. House has yet to take up the legislation.