A bill to require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to carry out a pilot program to enhance the mapping of urban flooding and associated property damage and the availability of that mapped data to homeowners, businesses, and localities to help understand and mitigate the risk of such flooding, and for other purposes.

Overview

S. 4515, introduced in the 119th Congress, is a bill that would require the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to carry out a pilot program to improve urban flood mapping and make the resulting data about flood risks, property damage, and related information more accessible to homeowners, businesses, and localities. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth and was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs on May 13, 2026.

Purpose and intent

• To enhance the accuracy and granularity of urban flood mapping.
• To improve the availability and accessibility of flood-risk data to help individuals, businesses, and local governments understand and mitigate flood risk.
• To support decision-making for flood risk awareness, mitigation investments, and resilient planning in urban areas.

Key provisions and changes

• FEMA would implement a pilot program focused on mapping urban flooding and documenting associated property damage.
• The program would aim to produce more detailed, localized flood maps (urban-focused) and collect or compile data on property damage related to flooding.
• Data and maps produced under the pilot would be made available to:
  • Homeowners
  • Businesses
  • Localities (e.g., cities, counties, and other municipal entities)
• The data sharing is intended to facilitate risk understanding, mitigation planning, and resilience investments at the community level.
• The bill may specify reporting requirements, timelines, and methods for disseminating the mapped data, though the exact procedural details would be defined during committee consideration.

Who would be affected

• FEMA as the lead agency for implementing the pilot.
• Homeowners in urban areas who would gain clearer, more accessible flood risk information for personal planning, insurance, and housing decisions.
• Businesses operating in urban settings seeking to assess flood exposure and plan continuity strategies.
• Local governments and planning authorities that would use improved maps and data to guide land-use planning, zoning, infrastructure investments, and emergency preparedness.

Procedural and timeline aspects

• Introduced in the Senate and assigned to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
• Action history indicates consideration at the committee level; specific milestones (markup, amendments, floor votes) would occur if the committee advances the bill.
• As a pilot program, the bill would establish a defined period for implementation, evaluation, and reporting, followed by potential broader policy decisions based on pilot results.

Potential impact and considerations

• Positiveimpacts: More precise urban flood mapping could lead to better risk awareness, targeted mitigation funding, improved insurance decision-making, and enhanced community resilience.
• Data accessibility: Public access to maps and damage data could empower homeowners and local officials to prioritize flood mitigation investments and land-use changes.
• Implementation questions: The scope of urban mapping, data formats, privacy considerations for property-level information, funding for the pilot, and criteria for evaluating success are likely to be addressed during committee review.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill to existing FEMA flood-mapping initiatives or provide a draft plain-language summary for a public-facing briefing.