Memorializes the United States Congress to end Risk Rating 2.0 and to take certain other necessary actions to alleviate the financial burden of flood insurance
Summary
House Resolution 291 is a memorial to the United States Congress urging federal action to address the cost of flood insurance, especially for Louisiana’s coastal parishes. The resolution calls for passage of three federal measures: the Flood Insurance Affordability Act, the Risk Rating 2.0 Transparency Act, and the Flood Insurance Affordability Tax Credit Act. It also asks Congress to end FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, which the resolution says has contributed to steep premium increases under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).
The resolution frames the issue as both a Louisiana crisis and a national one. It cites repeated hurricane losses in Louisiana, concerns that homeowners who elevated or otherwise mitigated their homes are still seeing large premium increases, and worries that the current rating system lacks transparency and may make flood insurance unaffordable for many policyholders. It also argues that the NFIP must remain sustainable and equitable for homeowners, taxpayers, and future generations.
Impact
HR 291 does not change Louisiana state law directly; instead, it expresses the Legislature’s position and formally petitions Congress and Louisiana’s congressional delegation to act on federal flood insurance policy. If the requested federal measures were enacted, they could cap annual premium increases, require FEMA to disclose rating data and methods, create a premium information database, provide a refundable tax credit for eligible households, and potentially alter or end the Risk Rating 2.0 pricing methodology. The resolution is aimed at homeowners in coastal Louisiana and NFIP policyholders more broadly.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment is strongly supportive of flood insurance affordability reforms and strongly critical of FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 system. The resolution presents the Legislature as aligned with Louisiana’s congressional delegation, especially Senators John Kennedy and Bill Cassidy, in seeking lower premiums, greater transparency, and relief for low- and middle-income households. The House vote was unanimous, with 94 yeas and 0 nays, indicating broad bipartisan or at least chamber-wide agreement on the resolution’s goals.
Contention
The main point of contention is FEMA’s Risk Rating 2.0 methodology, which supporters of the resolution describe as opaque, unpredictable, and unfair to homeowners who have invested in mitigation. The resolution also highlights disagreement over whether the new pricing approach properly reflects flood risk or instead imposes excessive costs that could drive policyholders out of the NFIP. Another issue is the federal policy response: the resolution favors congressional intervention through premium caps, transparency requirements, and tax credits, reflecting concern that FEMA’s current approach is insufficient or harmful.