PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 36 · Passed House amended · Jul 16, 2018
Promoting Flood Risk Mitigation Act
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study to assess: (1) the efficacy of practices or programs under which the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provides assistance to state and local governments to acquire flood-damaged properties committed to open space use in perpetuity (buyout practices), and (2) ways to streamline the buyout practices to provide more timely assistance.
The study must consider and analyze:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
current and future trends with respect to repetitive loss structures and severe repetitive loss structures that are insured under the National Flood Insurance Program;
buyout practices, including the socioeconomic status of recipients of buyouts under buyout programs and examples of successful buyout programs, including best practices employed;
administrative, financial, or temporal constraints that may impede the timely acquisition of properties under a buyout program;
potential options, methods, and strategies to address such constraints;
the ecological, financial, and flood risk reduction benefits that buyout practices provide;
an assessment of how FEMA may use buyout programs to reduce future flood disaster recovery costs; and
a cost-benefit analysis of mitigation and buy-out projects and programs.
The GAO shall submit to Congress and FEMA a report on the buyout practices study and the feasibility of FEMA establishing an alternative buyout program.
People & committees
Rep. Blumenauer, Earl [D-OR-3] · D–OR
Legislative record
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Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H6224-6225)
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H6224-6225)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5846.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H6224-6226)
Mr. Barletta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 634.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 115-820.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 115-820.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Discharged.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management.
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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Source last updated: Dec 6, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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Analyze H.R.5846 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
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