U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy penned an op-ed highlighting the need to make flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families ahead of hurricane season.
Make flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families.
Occurrences
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) penned an op-ed highlighting the need to make flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families ahead of hurricane season.
My bipartisan legislation would ensure the program is affordable, accountable and sustainable to the many Louisiana families who depend on it.
reintroduced legislation to protect policyholders from higher National Flood Insurance Program premiums until the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) meets certain accountability and transparency requirements
Evidence
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy penned an op-ed highlighting the need to make flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families ahead of hurricane season. He called for reforms to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), including ending FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 rate hikes and ensuring coverage continues even in the event of a government shutdown.
Senator Cassidy announced Louisiana will receive $70,508,828.60 in federal funding from FEMA to support disaster recovery and emergency preparedness efforts following Hurricanes Laura, Ida, and Francine, as well as response efforts to saltwater intrusion in Plaquemines Parish.
Senator Cassidy led a group of Republican Senators in demanding FEMA end the Risk Rating 2.0 policy, which caused flood insurance premiums to skyrocket. They urged FEMA to halt further premium increases and implement transparency measures.
Senators Cassidy and Hyde-Smith reintroduced legislation to protect policyholders from higher NFIP premiums until FEMA meets certain accountability and transparency requirements. The bill would allow policyholders to retain previous NFIP premium rates rather than the higher rates associated with FEMA's Risk Rating 2.0.
Senator Cassidy participated in a roundtable hosted by Greater New Orleans, Inc. and the Coalition for Sustainable Flood Insurance, announcing plans to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the NFIP for five years and reform the program for long-term viability.
Senator Cassidy announced Louisiana will receive $207,331,570.00 from FEMA in Flood Mitigation Assistance grants and Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities grants, secured through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
Senators Cassidy, Rubio, and colleagues introduced the NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 Delay Act of 2021, aiming to require FEMA to delay its NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 rollout until September 30, 2022, preventing premium hikes and allowing time for meaningful reforms.
The U.S. Senate passed the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, co-negotiated by Senator Cassidy, which includes significant investments in Louisiana's infrastructure and coastal resiliency, such as $3.5 billion for Flood Mitigation Assistance grants and $1 billion for Building Resilient Infrastructures and Communities grants.
Sen. Cassidy said FEMA had made $1 billion available through the BRIC program and argued the funding would help Louisiana protect families, reduce flood risk, and save money in the future. The release says Cassidy has repeatedly pushed to continue and strengthen BRIC, including urging FEMA to reinstate the program.
Congress.gov shows Cassidy introduced S.1015 to extend the National Flood Insurance Program through December 31, 2026, and that the bill was read twice and referred to the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. The tracker still shows the bill status as introduced.
Assessments
Cassidy has materially advanced related flood resilience and mitigation funding, including through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and FEMA mitigation grants benefiting Louisiana, and he has repeatedly introduced or supported NFIP affordability/reliability reforms targeting Risk Rating 2.0 and program extensions. However, the core promised outcome of making flood insurance more affordable and reliable for Louisiana families has not been shown as enacted or achieved: the cited NFIP reform bills remained introduced or advocacy-focused, and later evidence still describes ongoing premium hikes and calls for reform. This warrants partial credit for related delivered mitigation support and serious legislative effort, but not full delivery of the flood insurance affordability and reliability promise.
Senator Cassidy co-sponsored and introduced multiple bills aimed at reforming and delaying NFIP Risk Rating 2.0, and secured significant federal funding for flood mitigation and disaster recovery efforts in Louisiana. However, there is no evidence that premium increases were halted or that major reforms to make flood insurance more affordable and reliable were actually enacted into law. The available funding and legislative attempts improved flood resilience indirectly, but the core promise of directly making flood insurance affordable and reliable for families was only partially met.