WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) today spoke on the floor of the U.S. Senate about his bill, the National Flood Insurance Program Consultant Accountability Act.  Sen. Kennedy's bill gives the FEMA Administrator the authority to fire consultants and contractors who engage with the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).  This includes consultants, contractors, law firms, engineering firms, or any third-party company that receives NFIP contracts.  The bill also includes an appeals process to ensure that good companies are not penalized for being falsely accused.

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National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Consultant Accountability Act: “My bill gives the FEMA Administrator the authority to fire any consultant, contractor, lawyer, or engineer, who engages in conduct that is detrimental to the mission of the National Flood Insurance Program,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “The bill will be fair.  It will also have an appeals process to ensure that there are not false accusations against innocent parties.  This is a simple, commonsense reform that frankly should have been put in place years ago.”

Recertification of the National Flood Insurance Program: “Congress has repeatedly and consistently mangled the reauthorization of this essential federal program.  In 2010, the NFIP expired four times – not once, not twice, but four times for a total of 53 days, which injected uncertainty through a fragile housing market that had been devastated just two years prior,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “I believe it is crucial we avoid this type of congressionally imposed delay.  Congress should extend the National Flood Insurance Program for a multi-year reauthorization before the Sept. 30 deadline this year.”

Local Contributions to NFIP:  “The National Flood Insurance Program has to do a better job of giving our locals a seat at the table.  Our local levee boards and levee districts – along with the families who have lived on the land being insured for generations – know every ditch and drainage canal from St. Tammany to Lafourche Parish,” said Sen. Kennedy.  “The bureaucrats ought to be asking them for guidance when rewriting flood maps and flood policy, not the other way around.”

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