Sen. Menendez (center) and Rep. Pallone (far right) are joined at a news conference by Union Beach Mayor Paul Smith (second from right), local officials, residents and advocates, including STOP FEMA Now founder George Kasimos (second from left) to discuss flood insurance reforms

Menendez, Pallone Visited Union Beach to Push Sweeping Flood Insurance Reforms to Fix Problems Exposed by Sandy

Comprehensive, bipartisan legislation extends National Flood Insurance Program for 6 yrs., makes NFIP sustainable, affordable, fair & efficient

Press Release 8/17/17

UNION BEACH – U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Sandy Task Force and a senior member of the Senate Banking Committee that oversees the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), and Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (N.J.-06), traveled today to Union Beach—a community on Raritan Bay devastated by Superstorm Sandy—to lay out proposed sweeping reforms to address the waste, abuse and mismanagement plaguing the system that led to delayed recovery for Sandy survivors.

Senator Bob Menendez
*Photos Submitted

In June, Sen. Menendez introduced comprehensive, bipartisan legislation, cosponsored by nearly a dozen Republicans and Democrats including Sen. Cory Booker, to extend the NFIP for six years while instituting a series of sweeping reforms.  Reps. Pallone and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (N.J.-09) later introduced companion legislation in the House.

“This legislation puts the lessons we learned after Superstorm Sandy into action, levels the playing field for policyholders, and attacks the rampant waste and abuse in the National Flood Insurance Program to create real savings and greater investment in mitigation and resiliency efforts to make our residents and communities safer,” said Sen. Menendez.  “If we want a more sustainable system, the answer isn’t to slam homeowners with even higher premiums.  Americans deserve a National Flood Insurance Program that is sustainable for taxpayers, affordable for homeowners, and accountable to everyone.”

“Superstorm Sandy devastated many communities in my district. In the wake of the storm, too many of my constituents found that, after responsibly paying for their flood insurance, their policy failed to provide the coverage they needed and deserved when they needed it the most. Many were prevented from repairing their homes and resuming their lives by a claims review process that moved too slowly and was riddled with fraud. As this was happening and people were suffering, the flood insurance companies made record profits.” said Rep. Pallone. “The SAFE NFIP Act takes concrete steps to make the program more affordable, increase oversight and transparency of the flood insurance companies, invest in mitigation efforts, and reform the claims process using lessons learned from Sandy. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fight for this bill and our constituents.”

“Americans rely on the National Flood Insurance Program to protect their homes and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of a disaster,” said Sen. Booker.  “We already know that NFIP reforms are needed to protect homeowners in New Jersey and across our nation from the waste and mismanagement we witnessed following Superstorm Sandy.  This common sense, bipartisan legislation helps extend coverage to those who need it most while investing in resiliency and mitigation efforts that will help protect New Jersey families from future disasters.”

“At every turn my constituents faced obstacles in getting the support needed to repair their businesses and homes after Sandy.  And they were frustrated by the waste, fraud, and abuse that plagued the claims review process.  I am pleased to find fixes to these issues by joining Senator Menendez and Congressman Pallone on the bipartisan SAFE NFIP Act,” said Rep. Pascrell.  “The SAFE NFIP Act creates investments in pre-disaster flood control and mitigation efforts, increases oversight and transparency of the flood insurance companies, and reforms the claims process in order to help protect New Jersey families in the future.  We must use the opportunity to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program to make smart improvements before the next storm hits our nation’s shores and prevent our constituents from being left holding the bag.”

The Sustainable, Affordable, Fair, and Efficient (SAFE) National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2017 tackles systemic problems with flood insurance, puts it back on solid fiscal ground, and reframes our nation’s entire disaster paradigm to one that focuses more on prevention and mitigation to spare the high cost of rebuilding after flood disasters.