National Association of Professional Insurance Agents Pleased With Congressional Action to Prevent Lapse of Flood Insurance Program

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 -- The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents issued the following news release:

The National Association of Professional Insurance Agents (PIA) is pleased that Congress acted to prevent a lapse in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for one week, adding that the extension needs to be longer.

"PIA is pleased with the one week extension to avoid a lapse, but we urge Congress to pass as long an extension as possible into 2019," said Jon Gentile, vice president of government relations of PIA.

With just hours to go before a scheduled expiration, the House and Senate approved a the one-week extension late on Thursday November 29. The short-term deal avoids a lapse in the program which underwrites most flood insurance coverage in the country. The latest short-term deal is the eighth temporary extension for the program since it first came up for periodic renewal more than a year ago.

The Senate also passed S. 3628, a separate bill offered by Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), which would extend the NFIP for six months to May 31, 2019. That bill now goes to the House.

"We support Senator Kennedy's effort to extend the program through May and will support any effort to extend the program into 2019 that gives the new Congress time to find agreement on a long-term reauthorization of the program. We will continue to work with Congress to achieve this in the coming days."