This Act may be cited as the “National Flood Insurance Program Administrative Reform Act of 2017”.

(a) Coverage of properties at high risk of future flood damage.—Subsection (b) of section 1304 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4011(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (4), by redesignating subparagraphs (A) through (D) as clauses (i) through (iv), respectively, and realigning such clauses, as so redesignated, so as to be indented 6 ems from the left margin;

(2) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively, and realigning such subparagraphs, as so redesignated, so as to be indented 4 ems from the left margin;

(3) by striking the subsection designation and all that follows through “The national” and inserting the following:

“(b) Additional coverage for compliance with land use and control measures.—

“(1) AUTHORITY; ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES.—The national”;

(4) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated by paragraph (2) of this subsection), by striking “Fund” and all that follows and inserting “Fund to require the implementation of such measures;”;

(5) in subparagraph (D)(iv) (as so redesignated by paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(6) by adding at the end the following new subparagraphs:

“(E) properties that have been identified by the Administrator, or by a community in accordance with such requirements as the Administrator shall establish, as at a high risk of future flood damage; and

“(F) properties that are located within an area identified pursuant to section 1361(e)(1)(A) (42 U.S.C. 4102(e)(1)(A)) by a covered community (as such term is defined in paragraph (3) of such section 1361(e)).”.

(b) Coverage amount.—Section 1304(b) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4011(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1) (as so designated by subsection (a)(3) of this section), by striking the last sentence (relating to a surcharge); and

(2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(2) COVERAGE AMOUNT.—

“(A) PRIMARY COVERAGE.—Each policy for flood insurance coverage made available under this title shall provide coverage under this subsection having an aggregate liability for any single property of $30,000.

“(B) ENHANCED COVERAGE.—The Administrator shall make additional coverage available under this subsection, in excess of the limit specified in subparagraph (A), having an aggregate liability for any single property of up to $60,000.”.

(c) Amount of surcharge.—Subsection (b) of section 1304 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4011(b)), as amended by the preceding provisions of this section, is further amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(3) SURCHARGE FOR COVERAGE.—

“(A) PRIMARY COVERAGE.—The Administrator shall impose a surcharge on each insured of such amount per policy as the Administrator determines is appropriate to provide cost of compliance coverage in accordance with paragraph (2)(A).

“(B) ENHANCED COVERAGE.—For each flood policy for flood insurance coverage under this title under which additional cost of compliance coverage is provided pursuant to paragraph (2)(B), the Administrator shall impose a surcharge, in addition to the surcharge under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, in such amount as the Administrator determines is appropriate for the amount of such coverage provided.”.

(d) Use of certain materials.—Subsection (b) of section 1304 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4011(b)), as amended by the preceding provisions of this section, is further amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(4) USE OF CERTAIN MATERIALS.—The Administrator shall require that any measures implemented using amounts made available from coverage provided pursuant to this subsection be carried out using materials, identified by the Administrator, that minimize the impact of flooding on the usability of the covered property and reduce the duration that flooding renders the property unusable or uninhabitable.”.

(e) Continued flood insurance requirement.—Subsection (b) of section 1304 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4011(b)), as amended by the preceding provisions of this section, is further amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

“(5) CONTINUED FLOOD INSURANCE REQUIREMENT.—The Administrator may require, as a condition of providing cost of compliance coverage under this subsection for a property, that the owner of the property enter into such binding agreements as the Administrator considers necessary to ensure that the owner of the property (and any subsequent owners) will maintain flood insurance coverage under this title for the property in such amount, and at all times during a period having such duration, as the Administrator considers appropriate to carry out the purposes of this subsection.”.

Section 1311 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4018) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

Part C of chapter 2 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(a) Establishment.—Part C of chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(b) Repeal.—Section 205 of the Bunning-Blumenauer-Bereuter Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 4011 note) is hereby repealed.

(a) In general.—Section 1312 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4019) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a), by striking “The Administrator” and inserting “Subject to other provisions of this section, the Administrator”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(d) Deadline for approval of claims.—

“(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall provide that, in the case of any claim for damage to or loss of property under flood insurance coverage made available under this title, a final determination regarding approval of a claim for payment or disapproval of the claim be made, and notification of such determination be provided to the insured making such claim, not later than the expiration of the 90-day period (as such period may be extended pursuant to paragraph (2)) beginning upon the day on which such claim was made. Payment of approved claims shall be made as soon as possible after such approval.

“(2) EXTENSION OF DEADLINE.—The Administrator shall provide that the period referred to in paragraph (1) may be extended by a single additional period of 15 days in cases where extraordinary circumstances are demonstrated. The Administrator shall, by regulation, establish criteria for demonstrating such extraordinary circumstances and for determining to which claims such extraordinary circumstances apply.”.

(b) Applicability.—The amendments made by subsection (a) shall apply to any claim under flood insurance coverage made available under the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4001 et seq.) pending on the date of the enactment of this Act and any claims made after such date of enactment.

(a) In general.—Part C of chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:

(b) Implementation.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall initiate compliance with section 1352(d) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as added by the amendment made by subsection (a) of this section, not later than the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.

Part C of chapter II of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081 et seq.), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:

Section 1345 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4081) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(a) Use.—Section 1312 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4019), as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(e) Use of technical assistance reports.—When adjusting claims for any damage to or loss of property which is covered by flood insurance made available under this title, the Administrator may rely upon technical assistance reports, as such term is defined in section 1312A, only if such reports are final and are prepared in compliance with applicable State and Federal laws regarding professional licensure and conduct.”.

(b) Disclosure.—The National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 is amended by inserting after section 1312 (42 U.S.C. 4019) the following new section:

Section 100234 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4013a) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:

Section 1310 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4017) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

(a) In general.—Section 24 of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 (42 U.S.C. 4033) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

“(c) Staff.—The Administrator shall ensure that the Flood Insurance Advocate has sufficient staff to carry out all of the duties and responsibilities of the Advocate under this section.”.

(b) Timing.—The Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency shall take such actions as may be necessary to provide for full compliance with section 24(c) of the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014, as added by the amendment made by subsection (a) of this section, not later than the expiration of the 180-day period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act.

(a) Establishment.—There is established an advisory committee to be known as the Federal Flood Insurance Advisory Committee (in this section referred to as the “Committee”).

(b) Membership.—

(1) MEMBERS.—The Committee shall consist of—

(A) the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (in this section referred to as the “Administrator”), or the designee thereof;

(B) the Secretary of the Treasury, or the designee thereof; and

(C) additional members appointed by the Administrator or the designee of the Administrator, who shall be—

(i) two representatives of the property and casualty insurance sector;

(ii) one individual who served in the past, or is currently serving, as an insurance regulator of a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, or any federally-recognized Indian tribe;

(iii) one representative of the financial or insurance sectors who is involved in risk transfers, including reinsurance, resilience bonds, and other insurance-linked securities;

(iv) one actuary with demonstrated high-level knowledge of catastrophic risk insurance;

(v) two insurance professionals with demonstrated experience with the sale of flood insurance under the National Flood Insurance Program;

(vi) two representatives of catastrophic risk insurance programs;

(vii) one insurance claims specialist;

(viii) one representative of a recognized consumer advocacy organization;

(ix) one individual having demonstrated expertise in the challenges in insuring low-income communities;

(x) one representative from an academic institution who has demonstrated expertise in insurance; and

(xi) such other recognized experts in the field of insurance as the Administrator considers necessary.

(2) QUALIFICATIONS.—In appointing members under paragraph (1)(C), the Administrator shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure the membership of the Committee has a balance of members reflecting geographic diversity, including representation from areas inland or with coastline identified by the Administrator as at high risk for flooding or as areas having special flood hazards.

(c) Duties.—The Committee shall review, and make recommendations to the Administrator, upon request, on matters related to the insurance aspects of the National Flood Insurance Program, including ratemaking, technology to administer insurance, risk assessment, actuarial practices, claims practices, sales and insurance delivery, compensation and allowances, generally and based on the complexities of the program, and best insurance practices.

(d) Chairperson.—The members of the Committee shall elect one member to serve as the chairperson of the Committee (in this section referred to as the “Chairperson”).

(e) Compensation.—Members of the Committee shall receive no additional compensation by reason of their service on the Committee.

(f) Meetings and actions.—

(1) IN GENERAL.—The Committee shall meet not less frequently than twice each year at the request of the Chairperson or a majority of its members, and may take action by a vote of the majority of the members in accordance with the Committee’s charter.

(2) INITIAL MEETING.—The Administrator, or a person designated by the Administrator, shall request and coordinate the initial meeting of the Committee.

(g) Staff of FEMA.—Upon the request of the Chairperson, the Administrator may detail, on a nonreimbursable basis, personnel of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assist the Committee in carrying out its duties.

(h) Powers.—In carrying out this section, the Committee may hold hearings, receive evidence and assistance, provide information, and conduct research, as it considers appropriate.

(i) Reports to Congress.—The Administrator, on an annual basis, shall report to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, and the Office of Management and Budget on—

(1) the recommendations made by the Committee;

(2) actions taken by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to address such recommendations to improve the insurance aspects of the national flood insurance program; and

(3) any recommendations made by the Committee that have been deferred or not acted upon, together with an explanatory statement.

The Federal entities for lending regulation (as such term is defined in section 3(a) of the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 (42 U.S.C. 4003(a))), in consultation with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall update and reissue the document entitled “Interagency Questions and Answers Regarding Flood Insurance” not later than the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act and not less frequently than biennially thereafter.

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the policies and practices for adjustment of claims for losses under flood insurance coverage made available under the National Flood Insurance Act, which shall include—

The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study of the treatment, under flood insurance coverage made available under the National Flood Insurance Act, of earth movement and subsidence, including earth movement and subsidence caused by flooding, which shall include—

(a) National Flood Insurance Act of 1968.—Subsection (a) of section 1370 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4121(a)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (14), by striking “and” at the end;

(2) in paragraph (15), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:

“(16) the term ‘Write Your Own Program’ means the program under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency enters into a standard arrangement with private property insurance companies to sell contracts for flood insurance coverage under this title under their own business lines of insurance, and to adjust and pay claims arising under such contracts; and

“(17) the term ‘Write Your Own company’ means a private property insurance company that participates in the Write Your Own Program.”.

(b) Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012.—Subsection (a) of section 100202 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (42 U.S.C. 4004(a)) is amended by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following new paragraph:

“(5) WRITE YOUR OWN.—The terms ‘Write Your Own Program’ and ‘Write Your Own company’ have the meanings given such terms in section 1370(a) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4121(a)).”.