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The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) often seems to be the Congressional-stepchild; everyone knows that it deserves some attention but everyone is too busy with their favorite child.  Unfortunately, the Program is scheduled to expire in May and when it expires, the consequences can be dire.  Financial Services Committee Chair Maxine Waters has been a long-time proponent of the Program and the changes that are necessary to keep it running and make it work better.  To that end, the Committee has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, March 13th at 10:00 am.  You can view the hearing here.

According to the Committee notice, the following people are scheduled to testify at the hearing:

  • Maria Cox Lamm, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, on behalf of the Association of State Flood Plain Managers
  • Christopher Heidrick, Heidrick & Company Insurance and Risk Management Services, LLC, on behalf of the Independent Insurance Agents and Brokers of America
  • Velma Smith, Senior Officer, The Pew Charitable Trusts
  • Mabél Guzmán, Broker, @properties, on behalf of the National Association of Realtors
  • Collin O’Mara, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation, on behalf of the SmarterSafer Coalition
  • Raymond J. Lehmann, Director of Finance, Insurance and Trade Policy, Street Institute
Photo of Scott L. Shapiro Scott L. Shapiro

Scott Shapiro is known for his expertise in flood protection improvement projects throughout California’s Central Valley. He is helping clients with more than a billion dollars in projects in California’s Central Valley and issues involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the…

Scott Shapiro is known for his expertise in flood protection improvement projects throughout California’s Central Valley. He is helping clients with more than a billion dollars in projects in California’s Central Valley and issues involving the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) throughout the Western United States.

With a special focus on massive flood protection improvement projects, Scott advises clients through regulatory, contractual, financing, and legislative challenges. Acting as general or special counsel, he regularly interacts with senior management at USACE (Headquarters, South Pacific Division, and Sacramento District), the California Department of Water Resources, and the Central Valley Flood Protection Board. He was named to the National Section 408 Task Force and has been invited to give testimony to the National Academies. Scott was instrumental in helping the first regional flood improvement agency that took a basin threatened by flood risk from less than 30-year level of protection to a level of protection approaching 200-year.

Having worked with FEMA on issues of floodplain mapping and levee accreditation for many years, Scott has developed collaborative environments in which he fosters win-win solutions for his clients. He is also currently serving as the lead counsel on a flood insurance rate map (FIRM) appeal and has drafted Federal legislation to modify the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) several times.

Scott is known throughout the region for his extensive litigation experience focusing on cases arising from levee failures. He has litigated levee failures resulting from underseepage, failed encroachments, and rodent burrows as well as briefing levee overtopping cases at the appellate level. Scott is one of the few attorneys with experience litigating flood cases on behalf of plaintiffs as well as defendant government entities.

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