NU Online News Service, Dec. 02, 2:16 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON—The Senate is preparing to vote on legislation next week which would extend the current National Flood Insurance Program for at least six months, confirming that the outlook for a long-term extension for the program any time soon remains cloudy at best.

Officials of the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC) say the Senate leadership was working on a bill that would extend the program until May 31.

Action is needed promptly because the current extension of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) expires Dec. 16.

Matt Gannon, vice president of government affairs at NAMIC, says whether the extension of a continuing resolution extending all government operations until then, or as a separate bill, won’t be known until late Monday.

An extension until May 31 is more likely than passage of legislation filed Thursday by Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

Vitter’s bill, S 1864, would extend the program until Sept. 30, Gannon says.

At the same time, the Senate Banking Committee is expected to file with the full Senate today a bill reported out by the committee Sept. 8.

Gannon said the short-term extension is needed because it is unclear when the Senate will clear time for floor debate on the legislation containing the long-term extension, but such action is unlikely this year.

If extended, the next short-term bill will mean that, since 2002, there have been 13 last-minute reauthorizations of the NFIP, and on four occasions the program was allowed to lapse for extended periods of time.

However, that bill does not contain any portion of an amendment, proposed by Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., that would deal with the controversial wind-vs.-water issue.

Rick Curtsinger, a spokesman for Wicker, says the filing was expected. He said the Wicker

via Congress Readies to Punt NFIP Again | PropertyCasualty360.