HR7862Referred to Committee

National Flood Insurance Program Clarification Act of 2026

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Introduced
In Committee
3
Passed One Chamber
4
Passed Both
5
Signed into Law
119th
Congress
2026-03-09
Introduced
0
Cosponsors
HR
ⓘ
Type

Sponsor

Cliff Bentz
Cliff Bentz
Republican · OR · Representative
Votes with party: 98.0% (553 recorded votes)

Full profile: /officials/B000668

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

Cosponsors (0)

Members who have signed on to support this bill since introduction. Source: Congress.gov.

No cosponsors on record. Bills can pass without cosponsors — this often means the sponsor introduced the bill alone, either because it's a messaging bill, a chairman's mark, or simply early in the legislative cycle.

Latest Action

The most recent step in the bill's legislative path. Committee Activity below shows referrals and reports; the full action-by-action history including floor proceedings lives at Congress.gov →

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

2026-03-09

Source: Congress.gov

Committee Activity

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Plain-English Summary

This bill would clarify how the National Flood Insurance Program operates and settles claims, likely making it easier for homeowners and property owners to understand their coverage and get paid after flood damage. The changes would affect both the federal flood insurance system and the people who rely on it for protection against flooding, potentially streamlining the claims process or adjusting how the program manages its finances.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

Subjects

Finance and Financial Sector

Full Bill Text

Verbatim text published on Congress.gov via GovInfo. Use Cmd+F / Ctrl+F to search within this excerpt.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7862 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7862 To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to limit the application of the Endangered Species Act with respect to certain actions under the national flood insurance program, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 9, 2026 Mr. Bentz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To amend the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to limit the application of the Endangered Species Act with respect to certain actions under the national flood insurance program, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``National Flood Insurance Program Clarification Act of 2026''. SEC. 2. APPLICATION OF THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN ACTIONS UNDER THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. Section 1317 of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4024) is amended-- (1) by striking ``In'' and inserting the following: ``(a) In General.--In''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(b) Application of Endangered Species Act.--Section 7(a) of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)) shall not apply to any actions by the Administrator pursuant to sections 1305(c), 1306, 1360, 1361(c), 1363 of this title, and section 100216 of the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012. ``(c) Biological Opinions Under the Endangered Species Act.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries shall withdraw any existing biological opinions under section 7(a)(2) of the Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1536(a)(2)) that evaluate the impacts of the national flood insurance program. Biological opinions withdrawn under this subsection shall have no effect and shall not be reissued.''. SEC. 3. CRITERIA FOR LAND MANAGEMENT AND USE WITH RESPECT TO THE NATIONAL FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAM. Section 1361(c) of the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4102(c)) is amended by inserting after ``local measures which'' the following: ``are for the sole purpose of protecting property and human health, and''. <all>
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