Committee advances bill requiring municipalities to notify property owners of FEMA flood-map changes

The House Local Government Committee voted to report House Bill 1282, the Freestanding Flood Hazard Notification Act, which would require municipal corporations and counties to notify owners of real property when Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) special flood hazard area maps change.

The bill’s prime sponsor, Representative Davis, said the proposal grew out of the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and local experience with new FEMA map designations that placed large numbers of residents in flood zones. "I've had this my whole career here. It started after Sandy," Davis said, noting that some homeowners newly placed in flood zones learned of the change only when contacted by a mortgage company.

Committee counsel John Caselli summarized a committee amendment (A00711) that the panel adopted before reporting the bill. Caselli said the amendment requires municipal notifications to include the 45‑day appeal and comment period for map changes under 44 C.F.R. Part 67 (reduced from 90 days in the original draft), the date the appeal period ends, and the contact information for the municipal floodplain administrator. The amendment also directs the Department of Insurance to make a standardized notification template available and requires counties to include a disclosure about increasing flood risks and to encourage consultation with insurance professionals.

Members who spoke during debate emphasized both the practical need to tell residents and concerns about municipal capacity. Representative Haddock, a former mayor, warned that flood‑insurance costs have risen sharply and said mitigation projects do not always lead FEMA to shrink mapped floodplains. Representative Reichert questioned whether municipalities should be required to notify residents about a federal mapping decision they did not make; Caselli responded that FEMA already notifies municipalities and that the bill builds on that notice.

The committee approved amendment A00711 25–1 and then reported House Bill 1282 to the floor by recorded voice vote, also 25–1. The amendment and bill as reported require municipalities and counties to provide written notice by first‑class mail to the last known address shown on tax assessment records when applicable, and include a provision that municipal corporations and counties are not liable for a property owner’s failure to act on the notice.