As of press time, Congress is expected to pass legislation that will fund the government through Dec 3. The legislation will also reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) for the same length of time.

The NFIP had been scheduled to expire on Sept. 30, the same date that government funding was scheduled to run out.

Although work continues towards a long-term reauthorization of a reformed NFIP, allowing the program to lapse in the short-term would have been devastating to policyholders across the nation who are still being impacted by COVID-19 and are facing an increasing number of severe flooding events.

Earlier in September, the Big “I" joined others in the insurance industry and several other interested stakeholders in sending a letter to congressional leadership urging them to extend the NFIP. The Big “I" was the only Main Street agent group to sign the letter.

Now that a lapse of the NFIP has been avoided, the Big 'I' will work towards a longer “clean" extension of the program later this year and will continue to work with Congress and the administration to enact a long-term reauthorization of a modernized program that would increase take-up rates for flood insurance both in the NFIP and in the private market.

Wyatt Stewart is Big “I" assistant vice president of federal government affairs.