Flood Mapping Modernization and Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8830 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8830

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
 to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping of urban flooding
and associated property damage and the availability of that mapped data
   to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help understand and
      mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2026

 Mr. Quigley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the
   Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
 to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping of urban flooding
and associated property damage and the availability of that mapped data
   to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help understand and
      mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Flood Mapping Modernization and
Homeowner Empowerment Pilot Program Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FLOOD MAPPING MODERNIZATION AND HOMEOWNER EMPOWERMENT PILOT
              PROGRAM.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
        Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
            (2) Coastal.--The term ``coastal'' means, with respect to a
        unit of general local government, that the unit borders a body
        of water that--
                    (A) is more than 2,000 square miles in size; and
                    (B) is not a river.
            (3) Pelagic.--The term ``pelagic'' means, with respect to a
        unit of general local government, that--
                    (A) the unit is a coastal unit; and
                    (B) the body of water that the unit borders is--
                            (i) an ocean; or
                            (ii) a large, open body of water, including
                        a bay or a gulf, that empties into an ocean.
            (4) Pilot program.--The term ``pilot program'' means the
        pilot program carried out by the Administrator under this
        section.
            (5) Urban flooding.--The term ``urban flooding''--
                    (A) means the inundation, by water, of property in
                a built environment, particularly in a densely
                populated area, that--
                            (i) is caused by falling rain--
                                    (I) collecting on an impervious
                                surface; or
                                    (II) increasing the level of a body
                                of water that is located near that
                                built environment; and
                            (ii) overwhelms the capacity of drainage
                        systems in the built environment, such as storm
                        sewers;
                    (B) includes--
                            (i) a situation in which stormwater enters
                        a building through a window, door, or other
                        opening;
                            (ii) the backup of water through a sewer
                        pipe, shower, toilet, sink, or floor drain;
                            (iii) the seepage of water through a wall
                        or a floor;
                            (iv) the accumulation of water on property
                        or a public right-of-way; and
                            (v) the overflow from a body of water, such
                        as a river, lake, or ocean; and
                    (C) does not include flooding in an undeveloped or
                agricultural area.
            (6) Urbanized area.--The term ``urbanized area'' means an
        area that has been defined and designated as an urbanized area
        by the Bureau of the Census during the most recently completed
        decennial census.
    (b) Establishment.--The Administrator shall carry out a pilot
program to make grants to units of local government to--
            (1) enhance the production of maps relating to urban
        flooding and associated property damage; and
            (2) increase the availability of the maps described in
        paragraph (1) to homeowners, businesses, and units of local
        government to enable those entities to minimize the risk of
        urban flooding.
    (c) Objectives.--Amounts from grants made under the pilot program
may be used only to carry out activities that meet the following
objectives:
            (1) Developing a methodology for assessing the risk of
        urban flooding through the deployment of technology-based
        mapping tools that--
                    (A) are easily understandable by the public; and
                    (B) effectively convey information regarding the
                level of flood risk.
            (2) Providing structure-specific projections of annual
        chance flood frequency.
            (3) Providing structure-based flood risk assessments.
            (4) Providing program design for the mitigation of the risk
        of urban flooding.
            (5) Incorporating information regarding climate trends into
        urban flooding risk assessments.
            (6) Making the information described in this subsection
        publicly available on the internet through a web-based portal
        so as to increase transparency regarding homeowner flood risks.
    (d) Eligible Recipients.--
            (1) In general.--A grant under the pilot program may be
        made only to--
                    (A) a unit of general local government that is
                located in an urbanized area with a population of more
                than 50,000 individuals; or
                    (B) a stormwater management authority of a unit of
                general local government described in subparagraph (A).
            (2) One-time grants.--A grant under the pilot program may
        not be made to--
                    (A) any unit of general local government, or the
                stormwater management authority of a unit of general
                local government, that previously received a grant
                under the pilot program;
                    (B) any unit of general local government if the
                stormwater management agency for that unit previously
                received a grant under the pilot program; or
                    (C) any stormwater management agency of a unit of
                general local government if that unit previously
                received a grant under the pilot program.
            (3) Treatment of certain stormwater management
        authorities.--
                    (A) In general.--In the case of a stormwater
                management authority that operates with respect to more
                than 1 unit of general local government, the
                application of that authority shall be considered for
                purposes of paragraph (2) of this subsection and
                subsections (f), (g), and (h)(1) to be made for the
                largest unit of general local government with respect
                to which that authority operates.
                    (B) Rule of construction.--Nothing in subparagraph
                (A) may be construed to limit the ability of a
                stormwater management authority described in that
                subparagraph to carry out activities under a
                demonstration project in any other jurisdiction in, or
                with respect to any other unit of general local
                government with, which that authority operates.
    (e) Applications.--To be eligible for a grant under the pilot
program, a unit of general local government or a stormwater management
agency shall submit to the Administrator an application in such form
and containing such information as the Administrator shall require.
    (f) Selection of Recipients.--
            (1) Annual selection.--Subject to paragraph (2), and to the
        submission of approvable applications, in each fiscal year for
        which amounts are made available for grants under the pilot
        program, the Administrator shall select, from among
        applications submitted under subsection (e) for that fiscal
        year, 3 units of general local government or stormwater
        management authorities to receive grants under the pilot
        program.
            (2) Aggregate limit.--Subject only to the submission of
        approvable applications, the Administrator shall select, in the
        aggregate over the entire duration of the pilot program, 12
        units of general local government or stormwater management
        authorities to receive grants under the pilot program, as
        follows:
                    (A) Tier 1.--Three of the applicants selected shall
                be units of general local government, or stormwater
                management authorities for those units, each of which
                has a population of more than 800,000 individuals, as
                follows:
                            (i) Pelagic coastal city.--One shall be--
                                    (I) a unit of general local
                                government that is a pelagic unit; or
                                    (II) a stormwater authority for a
                                unit described in subclause (I).
                            (ii) Non-pelagic coastal city.--One shall
                        be--
                                    (I) a unit of general local
                                government that--
                                            (aa) is a coastal unit; and
                                            (bb) is not a pelagic unit;
                                        or
                                    (II) a stormwater authority for a
                                unit described in subclause (I).
                            (iii) Non-coastal city.--One shall be--
                                    (I) a unit of general local
                                government that is not a coastal unit;
                                or
                                    (II) a stormwater authority for a
                                unit described in subclause (I).
                    (B) Tier 2.--Six of the applicants selected shall
                be units of general local government, or stormwater
                management authorities for those units, each of which
                has a population of more than 200,000 individuals and
                not more than 800,000 individuals, as follows:
                            (i) Coastal cities.--Three shall be--
                                    (I) units of general local
                                government that are coastal units; or
                                    (II) stormwater management
                                authorities for units described in
                                subclause (I).
                            (ii) Non-coastal cities.--Three shall be--
                                    (I) units of general local
                                government that are not coastal units;
                                or
                                    (II) stormwater management
                                authorities for units described in
                                subclause (I).
                    (C) Tier 3.--Three of the applicants selected shall
                be--
                            (i) units of general local government, each
                        of which has a population of more than 50,000
                        individuals and not more than 200,000
                        individuals; or
                            (ii) stormwater management authorities for
                        units described in clause (i).
    (g) Priority.--
            (1) In general.--The Administrator shall select applicants
        for grants under the pilot program based on the extent to which
        the applications of those applicants shall achieve the
        objectives described in subsection (c).
            (2) Tiers 2 and 3.--In selecting applicants to receive
        grants under the pilot program under subparagraphs (B) and (C)
        of subsection (f)(2), the Administrator shall give priority to
        applicants--
                    (A) that are highly vulnerable to sea level rise;
                    (B) within which are located a military
                installation or another facility relating to national
                security concerns; or
                    (C) that have--
                            (i) populations that are highly vulnerable
                        to urban flooding; and
                            (ii) an uneven capacity for flood
                        mitigation and response efforts resulting from
                        socioeconomic factors.
    (h) Amount.--
            (1) Considerations.--In determining the amount of a grant
        under the pilot program, the Administrator shall consider the
        population of the grant recipient, which may be considered in
        terms of the tier under subsection (f)(2) with respect to the
        recipient.
            (2) Federal share.--The amount of a grant under the pilot
        program may not exceed 75 percent of the total cost incurred in
        carrying out the activities described in subsection (c).
    (i) Duration.--The Administrator shall require each recipient of a
grant under the pilot program to complete the activities described in
subsection (c), which shall be, subject to subsection (h)(2), carried
out using the grant amounts, not later than 18 months after the date on
which the recipient initially receives the grant amounts under the
pilot program.
    (j) Use of Census Data.--The Administrator shall make all
determinations regarding population under the pilot program by using
data from the most recently completed decennial census by the Bureau of
the Census.
    (k) Grantee Reports to FEMA.--Each recipient of a grant under the
pilot program shall, not later than 30 months after the date on which
the recipient initially receives the grant amounts, submit to the
Administrator a report that describes--
            (1) the activities carried out with the grant amounts;
            (2) how the activities carried out with the grant amounts
        have met the objectives described in subsection (c);
            (3) any lessons learned in carrying out the activities
        described in paragraph (2); and
            (4) any recommendations for future mapping modernization
        efforts by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
    (l) Biennial Reports by FEMA.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than once every
2 years thereafter until the date on which all activities carried out
with amounts from grants under the pilot program are completed, the
Administrator shall submit to Congress and make available to the public
on an internet website a report that--
            (1) describes--
                    (A) the progress of the activities carried out with
                amounts from those grants; and
                    (B) the effectiveness of technology-based mapping
                tools used in carrying out the activities described in
                subparagraph (A); and
            (2) with respect to the final report that the Administrator
        is required to submit under this subsection, includes
        recommendations to Congress and the executive branch of the
        Federal Government for implementing strategies, practices, and
        technologies to mitigate the effects of urban flooding.
    (m) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, because
the pilot program is limited with respect to scope and resources,
communities that participate in the pilot program should acknowledge
that the most successful efforts to mitigate the effects of urban
flooding--
            (1) take a structural-based mitigation approach with
        respect to construction, which includes--
                    (A) recognizing any post-storm damage that may
                occur; and
                    (B) pursuing designs that proactively minimize
                future flood damage;
            (2) make individuals in the community aware, through any
        cost-effective and available means of education, of the best
        approaches regarding the construction of properties that are
        able to survive floods, which reduces the cost of future
        repairs; and
            (3) encourage home and property owners to consider the
        measures described in paragraphs (1) and (2), which are the
        most cost-effective and prudent ways to reduce the impact of
        flooding, when constructing or renovating building components.
    (n) Funding.--There are authorized to be appropriated for grants
under the pilot program--
            (1) $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; and
            (2) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2028, to remain available
        through fiscal year 2030.
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