Rep. Sherrill’s Bipartisan Package of Legislation to Address Flooding Passes House, Heading to President’s Desk

Washington, DC –– This week, Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11), Chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology’s Environment Subcommittee, secured House passage of two bipartisan bills that she introduced to address flooding, the most common and widespread of all weather-related natural disasters in New Jersey, and across the United States. This legislative package will head to the President’s desk for his signature after Senate action later this week.

“Unexpected severe rainfall and flooding are costly and upend the lives of New Jersey families. Recent extreme weather events like Hurricane Ida only underscore the importance of an effective understanding and response to high water,” said Rep. Sherrill. “These common-sense bills will protect lives, homes, and neighborhoods by improving forecasting and communication of extreme weather events to better serve at-risk areas. I am proud we were able to advance this legislation for New Jerseyans and all Americans who face dangers from these natural disasters.”

“Updating the data we rely on to determine flood elevations and manage stormwater runoff will help flood-prone communities to better protect their homes and businesses, enabling New Jersey and our nation to become more resilient to the increasing extreme weather we are experiencing,” said New Jersey Commissioner of Environmental Protection Shawn M. LaTourette. “My DEP colleagues and I are grateful for Congresswoman Sherrill’s vision and leadership in confronting the reality of our changing climate through common sense solutions that protect lives and livelihoods.”

“Accurate precipitation data are among the most overlooked and highest reward opportunities to ensure our cities and towns are built for a future of more frequent and intense rainfall,” said Melissa Roberts, Executive Director, American Flood Coalition. “We commend Representative Sherrill for her leadership to enact bipartisan legislation to provide consistently updated, forward-looking data to better inform and protect communities on the front lines of flooding.”

“Passage of these two bills now will ultimately save thousands of lives and untold billions of dollars in taxpayer and private sector losses from flood disasters going forward,” said Chad Berginnis, Executive Director of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), which represents over 20,000 state and local floodplain officials and other floodplain management professionals, “ASFPM strongly supports both the FLOODS Act and the PRECIP Act to update and modernize basic data and information systems that underpin flood risk management efforts across the nation.”

The Flood Level Observation, Operations, and Decision Support (FLOODS) Act establishes a National Integrated Flood Information System to coordinate and integrate flood research at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It also establishes partnerships with institutions of higher education to improve total water predictions and establishes a committee to ensure coordination of federal departments with joint or overlapping responsibilities in water management. The bill will improve flood risk communications, including flood watches and warnings.

The following groups have supported the FLOODS Act: Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), Union of Concerned Scientists, Association of State Floodplain Management (ASFPM), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Iowa Flood Center, American Public Works Association (APWA).

The Providing Research and Estimates of Changes in Precipitation (PRECIP) Act will direct NOAA to perform a comprehensive update of outdated precipitation data that has hampered the accuracy of rain and snowfall forecasting throughout the U.S. It also requires NOAA to regularly update precipitation data and science going forward, account for future impacts due to climate change in those updates, and work with the National Academies of Sciences to develop best practices for estimating precipitation, including probable maximum precipitation estimates.

The following groups have supported the PRECIP Act: Pew Charitable Trusts, Jacobs, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO), Geospatial Equipment & Technology Institute (GETI), National Society of Professional Surveyors (NSPS), US Geospatial Executives Organization (U.S. GEO), Waterfront Alliance, Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Union of Concerned Scientists, Iowa Flood Center, American Public Works Association (APWA).

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