A word from ASFPM’s Exec. Director on positive aspects of Omnibus budget

Dear ASFPM leaders:

Congress released the text of the FY18 Omnibus late March 21 and I am thrilled to be able to report that the budget for pre-disaster mitigation and floodplain mapping are at their highest appropriated levels ever!

Floodplain mapping:

$262.5 million appropriated

+ $189.9 million from flood insurance fund (for flood mapping and FPM)

– $36 million for FPM (backing out funds for FPM activities like CAP-SSSE)

= $416.4 million total for flood mapping

Pre-Disaster Mitigation

$249.2 million appropriated

Flood Mitigation Assistance

$175 million appropriated

I attribute this increase at least partially and perhaps significantly as a result of the hard work of ASFPM, which includes all of you–our chapters, corporate partners, states and members! As I have previously reported, we had an unprecedented effort to educate Congress on the need for flood map funding this past summer. As soon as ASFPM found out the February budget agreement added several hundred million in additional funding authority for FEMA, we were quickly in touch with congressional leadership requesting some of that funding be put towards flood mapping and mitigation. What I also find very positive is that the extra mitigation funding was highlighted in the Senate Homeland Security Appropriations Summary. In talking with our Washington Liaison Merrie Inderfurth, we think this bodes well for FY19 and beyond. It was good to capture some of the extra authorization given to FEMA for these ASFPM priorities and should make it easier to negotiate from these higher numbers in the future.

Because the Omnibus was negotiated at the leadership level in Congress, it should be expected to pass – hopefully soon when the current funding expires March 23.

The Omnibus also contains an extension of the NFIP until July 31.

Sincerely,

ASFPM Executive Director Chad Berginnis