As you may recall back in September 2008, the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) faced a deadline for expiration of its program. Then President Bush signed into law a continuing appropriations resolution for fiscal year 2009 to provide interim funding for various federal agencies including the short-term extension of the NFIP. This short-term extension of the NFIP is set to expire March 6, 2009.

While it was intended that the House and Senate would work on more extensive reforms to the NFIP during this extension period, Congress’ attention has been primarily focused on economic stimulus efforts. Therefore, it is not expected that Congress will do anything more at this time than pursue another short-term extension of the program. This opinion was recently echoed by FEMA in a memo (W-09005) to Write Your Own Principal Coordinators and NFIP Servicing Agents in which the Acting Federal Insurance Administrator indicated that a short-term reauthorization of the NFIP might be granted until September 30, 2009. The reauthorization may ultimately be included in the omnibus appropriations bill currently making its way through Congress.