Rep. Garamendi Introduces Flood Insurance for Farmers Act

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30 -- Rep. John Garamendi, D-California, issued the following speech, which was published in the Congressional Record on Jan. 29, introducing the Flood Insurance for Farmers Act:

Madam Speaker, today I introduce the "Flood Insurance for Farmers Act of 2019," with my colleague Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA). This bipartisan bill builds upon the "Flood and Agriculture Risk Management (FARM) Cost Reduction Act of 2017" and legislation I sponsored in the 114th Congress.

The "Flood Insurance for Farmers Act of 2019" would provide access to discounted rates under the National Flood Insurance Program to families who have farmed the Sacramento Valley floodplain for generations. This will help keep agricultural land in production, which is the best way to push back against irresponsible subdivisions in the floodplain that place lives at risk and force farms onto the auction block.

Under current law, areas designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as "Special Flood Hazard Areas" require that all new, expanded, or repaired structures be raised above potential flood level. In much of the Sacramento Valley, this would require raising barns and silos upwards of 10 feet, which is cost prohibitive for many farmers or simply inconsistent with continued agricultural land use.

Currently, FEMA assumes there is zero protection if a levee does not meet the federally mandated 100-year level of flood protection and charges full-cost rates under the National Flood Insurance Program. This effectively precludes Sacramento Valley farmers from making capital improvements on their operations or securing the necessary financing for such capital improvements. Our bipartisan bill would lift this de facto federal prohibition on new construction and repairs of agricultural structures in high flood-risk areas designated by FEMA.

Specifically, the "Flood Insurance for Farmers Act" would direct FEMA to develop a new flood mapping zone for basins in the Sacramento Valley and elsewhere nationwide protected by levees that do not currently meet the federally mandated 100-year level of flood protection. Rates charged under the National Flood Insurance Program in this new flood zone would be based on actuarial risk. This means that if levees provide a 50-year level of flood protection, FEMA would charge rates based on that discounted risk level. This ensures that farming families can get more affordable flood insurance that reflects the levees they pay to upkeep.

The "Flood Insurance for Farmers Act" is endorsed by the California Rice Commission, USA Rice Federation, American Farm Bureau Federation, California Farm Bureau Federation, Sacramento County Farm Bureau, Yuba- Sutter Farm Bureau, Yolo County Farm Bureau, California Cattlemen's Association, Dairy Institute of California, and the Sutter Butte Flood Control Agency.

I thank Congressman LaMalfa for his support as the bill's original cosponsor and look forward to continuing to work together on this critical issue for Sacramento Valley farmers. I also want to thank all the California-based and national organizations that have endorsed the bill, to date.

Madam Speaker, I hope that Congress will include the "Flood Insurance for Farmers Act" in any reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. I urge all Members to join me and Congressman LaMalfa in cosponsoring this important legislation for American farmers.

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