The House of Representatives voted to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) despite bipartisan opposition to several conservative reforms pushed by House Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas).  The 21st Century Flood Reform Act (Act) was approved by a 237-189 vote on Tuesday, less than a month before the program is set to expire on December 8th.  The proposed Act is intended to reduce the financial burden of the flood insurance program that is $30 billion in debt.  The House bill will reauthorize the NFIP for five years, introduce private market competition, ban the government from covering homes that flood repeatedly, and reduce direct spending by $187 million. 

14 Republicans from coastal districts voted against the bill, for fear that it will drive up flood insurance premiums for their constituents.  In addition, the Act was broadly criticized by Democrats for punishing lower- and middle-class homeowners.  These bipartisan criticisms are echoed in the Senate, where Republicans and Democrats alike have distanced themselves from the bill.  "It doesn't resolve all of the issues that we have in the Senate," Banking Chairman Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), who chairs the committee with jurisdiction over the NFIP.  As a result, senators will release alternative flood insurance proposals in the coming weeks.  Multiple bills have already been introduced in the Senate which may serve as a starting point for negotiators.  Among the proposals are the National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization Act, introduced by Crapo and Banking Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), the SAFE NFIP Reauthorization Act introduced by Sen. Bob Menendez (D-New Jersey), and the Flood Insurance Affordability and Sustainability Act of 2017 introduced by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-New York).