Patty Murray (D-WA)
Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act
A Democratic bill with 2 Republican cosponsors · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Held at the desk.
Passed one chamber, waiting for the other to take it up
Passed one chamber, and the other has not yet sent it to a committee or put it on its calendar.
The other chamber will hand it to a committee, place it on its calendar, or leave it where it is. Nothing has been decided, and a bill can sit here indefinitely.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- Passed Senate unanimous consent
- Awaiting House
The Senate by unanimous consent (no one objected, so there was no vote): no senator's position on it was recorded.
What this bill would do
This bill is known as the Floodplain Enhancement and Recovery Act. It amends the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2014 to specifically address ecosystem restoration projects. The bill exempts people from paying review or processing fees for flood insurance rate map changes when those changes are based on an ecosystem restoration project. It also allows communities to permit certain ecosystem restoration projects within a regulatory floodway that might increase base flood elevations, under specific safety conditions. Additionally, the bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator to issue guidance for implementing these changes within 180 days of enactment.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
The bill facilitates ecosystem restoration projects to recover or enhance natural functions of aquatic resources and floodplains.
- Scored +4
Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster?
The bill streamlines the process for flood insurance rate map changes related to ecosystem restoration projects through FEMA.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
How the text last changed
Engrossed in Senate (9/30/2026), compared with Introduced in Senate. Each change is on the Text tab.
Only the wording changed; what the bill would do is the same.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Section 2(b) exempts a requester from submitting a review or processing fee for a request for a flood insurance rate map change based on an ecosystem restoration project. This is positive because it saves individuals or groups money when they are working on projects meant to recover or improve floodplains and aquatic resources.
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Section 2(c) allows a community to permit an ecosystem restoration project within an adopted regulatory floodway that results in increased base flood elevations, provided that a professional engineer determines the water surface elevation will not increase by more than 1 foot, no insurable structures or critical infrastructure are adversely impacted, and an analysis of changed conditions is submitted within 180 days. This is positive because it gives communities more flexibility to complete environmental restoration work without being blocked by strict red tape, as long as it remains safe for nearby buildings and infrastructure.
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Section 2(c)(3) requires communities to submit an analysis regarding changed conditions caused by the project to the Administrator not later than 180 days after completion. This is positive because it holds the community accountable for tracking how the project actually affected the area.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Section 2(c) allows ecosystem restoration projects within a regulatory floodway that result in an increase in base flood elevations of up to 1 foot, or a greater amount or metric determined appropriate by the Administrator. This could be viewed as a burden or negative because even with safety checks, allowing water surface elevations to rise could still present unknown risks to surrounding areas over time.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill facilitates ecosystem restoration projects to recover or enhance natural functions of aquatic resources and floodplains. Does this improve help for people hit by a disaster? — The bill streamlines the process for flood insurance rate map changes related to ecosystem restoration projects through FEMA.
The version one chamber actually passed
What changed from Introduced in Senate
Only the wording changed; what the bill would do is the same.
Written by an AI model from a comparison of this version’s text with the one before it, not by a person. .
- 10/5/2026
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 9/30/2026
- Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S5298; text: CR S5298)
- 4/15/2026
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 5/1/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Angela AlsobrooksDemocrat · Maryland
Steve DainesRepublican · Montana
Thomas TillisRepublican · North Carolina