SEEC BUILDING RESILIENT HOUSING TASK FORCE CO-CHAIRS JOHNNY OLSZEWSKI AND DAVE MIN CHAMPION INSURANCE COVERAGE FOR DISASTER-PRONE COMMUNITIES

The following information was released by the office of Maryland Rep. Johnny Olszewski :

Today, the Co-Chairs of the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) Building Resilient Housing Task Force Reps. Dave Min (CA-47) and Johnny Olszewski (MD-02) introduced the Community Disaster Protection Act, which would establish a five-year pilot program under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to help local governments and community organizations design community-based catastrophe insurance that will help Americans in the most high-risk areas access affordable disaster coverage.

"As extreme weather becomes more frequent and severe, too many Americans are unable to obtain the insurance coverage they need to recover from a disaster," said Congressman Johnny Olszewski. "The Community Disaster Protection Act takes a commonsense approach by helping high-risk communities close coverage gaps and make disaster protection more affordable. I'm proud to work with the House Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) and Congressman Min to help communities prepare for the challenges ahead, protect families from devastating financial losses, and build a more resilient future."

"Families across the country are watching their insurance premiums skyrocketor losing coverage altogetherbecause their communities are increasingly exposed to wildfires, floods, hurricanes, and other disasters," said Congressman Dave Min. "We cannot wait until after disaster strikes to figure out how families and communities are going to recover. The Community Disaster Protection Act gives local communities new tools to close dangerous insurance gaps, invest in resilience, and develop coverage that actually reflects the risks they face. As these disasters become more costly, Congress has a responsibility to help ensure Americans are not left financially devastated simply because of where they live."

"The Community Disaster Protection Act is a great first step to address the rising costs and unmet needs facing Americans, and EDF research makes clear that new and innovative solutions will be critical as climate change increases disaster risk. This bill will be essential to help more communities identify the solutions that meet their needs. By supporting locally designed pilots that pair insurance coverage with investments in risk reduction, The CDPA would support the development of insurance products that help high-risk communities secure affordable insurance coverage, incentivize effective disaster prevention, and provide greater stability to property insurance markets. We thank Representatives Min and Olszewski for their leadership and urge Congress to move this bill forward," said Joanna Slaney, Vice President for Political and Government Affairs, Environmental Defense Fund.

"APCIA applauds Congressman Min and Congressman Olszewski for introducing the Community Disaster Protection Act, which would support community-based catastrophe insurance solutions, including parametric and other innovative risk-transfer models, to help close protection gaps and expand options for communities facing natural disasters," said Sam Whitfield, Senior Vice President of Federal Government Relations and Political Engagement at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA). "Importantly, the bill recognizes that these approaches are intended to complement, not replace, the traditional, private property casualty insurance market. By encouraging risk mitigation, promoting community resilience, expanding access to financial protection, and testing new risk-transfer models, this pilot program can help communities prepare for disasters and speed recovery when disasters strike."

"Architects are an essential part of the solution to helping communities prepare for growing disaster risks. The Community Disaster Protection Act will give communities new tools to better understand, manage, and insure against those riskshelping create the conditions for property owners and local governments to invest in the resilient buildings and infrastructure architects are uniquely equipped to design," said Illya Azaroff, FAIA, 2026 National President, American Institute of Architects. "AIA is proud to support this legislation and looks forward to continuing our work with Representative Dave Min, Johnny Olszewski, and the SEEC Building Resilient Housing Task Force to advance practical solutions that strengthen communities before disasters strike."

"As natural disasters continue to worsen in both intensity and impact across the country, we need innovative solutions to help communities and economies recover from devastation," said Jessie Ritter, Associate Vice President for Water and Coasts at the National Wildlife Federation. "The Community Disaster Protection Act encourages proactive risk mitigation, while also giving communities a flexible solution to support recovery after disasters, particularly in areas that are the most vulnerable to extreme weather. We look forward to working with Representatives Min and Olszewski on this legislation."

"CSAC looks forward to working with Congressmember Min on the Community Disaster Protection Act to advance practical, workable solutions for California communities. Local governments need more tools and flexibility to help protect families and residents facing growing disaster risks and insurance challenges," said California State Association of Counties (CSAC) President and Santa Clara County Supervisor Susan Ellenberg.

Background

As climate change drives more frequent and severe extreme weather events, communities face widening disaster coverage gaps, making it harder and more expensive for them to rebuild. In 2024, economic losses from natural disasters in the U.S. reached $217.8 billion, approximately $105 billion of which was left uninsured. Rising climate-related damage has increased insurer payouts, driven up premiums, and prompted insurance carriers to withdraw from high-risk markets. Addressing this coverage crisis requires innovative approaches that expand insurance access, promote effective resilience, and strengthen the stability of insurance markets nationwide.

Communities are exploring ways to secure or facilitate insurance for a group of properties, leveraging their local knowledge and purchasing power to improve affordability, streamline enrollment, and incentivize risk mitigation tailored to local needs. These arrangements, known as community-based catastrophe insurance (CBCI), offer significant potential to close disaster coverage gaps but are only now beginning to be explored, with just a handful of U.S. jurisdictions currently piloting or implementing CBCI programs. For example, CBCI can be developed to act as a supplement to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), such as a parametric flood insurance program, or to cover wildfire risk in communities where insurers are withdrawing coverage or declining to write new policies.

The Community Disaster Protection Act would promote the development of new disaster insurance products to help high-risk communities secure affordable coverage; incentivize effective disaster prevention; and provide greater stability to property insurance markets. It would direct FEMA to establish a 5-year pilot program to award competitive grants to local governments, quasi-government bodies, and community-based organizations to design, develop, implement, or facilitate CBCI.

Specifically, this bill would:

Close Disaster Coverage Gaps: Authorize grants to develop or facilitate CBCI products that cover disaster risks uninsured or underserved by traditional insurance; set actuarially justified premiums that enable broad participation; and prioritize applicants facing the greatest coverage gaps or disaster risks.

Preserve Local Flexibility: Allow funds to support a range of CBCI frameworks, without restricting the disaster risks or properties covered. Eligible uses of funds could include consumer outreach and education, catastrophe-risk modeling or research into disaster risks, and leveraging non-federal funds to support long-term program sustainability.

Promote Resiliency Investments: Require CBCI programs to promote specific individual or community-wide investments to mitigate disaster risks, reduce potential losses, and secure lower premiums.

Address Regulatory Ambiguity: Direct the U.S. Government Accountability Office to conduct periodic evaluations of program performance to determine the regulatory treatment of CBCI and other alternative insurance products with respect to federal disaster aid eligibility.

Preserve State Insurance Authority: Explicitly preserve States' authority to regulate insurance markets and require all grant recipients to comply with applicable State insurance laws and regulations. Grants would only be a catalyst for CBCI arrangements operating within State regulatory frameworks.

This bill is endorsed by the American Property Casualty Insurance Association, American Institute of Architects, California State Association of Counties, Environmental Defense Fund, Evergreen Action, League of Conservation Voters, National Wildlife Federation, and Natural Resources Defense Council.

In addition, Reps. Ami Bera (CA-06), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Ed Case (HI-01), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Tim Kennedy (NY-26), Mike Levin (CA-49), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), and Shri Thanedar (MI-13) have joined as original cosponsors.

Text of the legislation can be found here.

A one-page summary can be found here.

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The Sustainable Energy and Environment Coalition (SEEC) is a coalition of 111 members of the U.S. House of Representatives that was founded in January 2009 to be a focused, active, and effective coalition for advancing policies that address climate change, promote clean energy innovation and domestic manufacturing, develop renewable energy resources, create family-sustaining clean jobs, protect our nation's air, water, and natural environment, and promote environmental justice.

SEEC Co-Chairs are Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Mike Quigley (D-IL), and Paul Tonko (D-NY).

SEEC Vice Chairs are Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Sean Casten (D-IL), Mike Levin (D-CA), and Chellie Pingree (D-ME).