Letters to the Editor

COMMENTARY

June 17, 2008

Flood assistance legislation is touted COMMENTARY JIM WANSACZ

JOHNSTOWN in 1889. Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre in 1972. New Hope in 2004, 2005 and 2006. These were significant floods and it’s quite likely that you have seen images of and heard stories about these major disasters. Chances are, if you live or work in Pennsylvania you have your own flood story to tell.

Fortunately, the federal government offers assistance with cleanup and prevention for large-scale flooding disasters. Unfortunately, all too often in Pennsylvania, business owners and homeowners are left picking up the pieces and footing the bill in the aftermath of “small-scale” floods.

I’m hoping through legislation (H.B.1989) I have authored, that will soon change.

I believe all Pennsylvania residents deserve the security of knowing their homes won’t flood every few years and that, should such a tragedy occur, the correct funding resources would be in place to prevent similar disasters from happening in the future.

House Bill 1989 would create the Pennsylvania Flood Grant and Assistance Program under the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency to provide grants and loans for flood prevention and for assistance with repair of flood-related damage. While similar legislation has been proposed, my bill is the first of its kind to offer a dedicated funding source for the program without tapping into the General Fund.

House Bill 1989 calls for an annual surcharge of 20 cents on every $100 of insurance premium paid on all homeowner and business owner insurance policies in Pennsylvania to be remitted to the fund by the insurance companies. The fund created by this surcharge would kick in whenever a federal disaster is not declared following a flood.

The average homeowner pays roughly $500 per year in property insurance premiums.

The surcharge outlined in my bill would cost the average homeowner around one dollar annually. For $1, we can fund various flood mitigation projects across the state and provide a small level of assistance.

Communities across Pennsylvania are familiar with facing flood cleanup and prevention without federal aid. The only answer they receive when seeking help from the state is that no funds are available. My bill will change this.

Now, the insurance lobby is attempting to squash my proposal and put pressure on my colleagues to vote against H.B. 1989 in an effort to protect their bottom line. More than 60 flood mitigation projects statewide are at risk if the insurance lobby gets its way. That means hundreds of communities and thousands of homeowners and business owners will lose out when we eventually face yet another disaster that could have been prevented.

I urge all residents to call their local legislator and ask for support of H.B.1989 – not the insurance companies’ pockets. It is time we get proactive.

Fortunately, the federal government offers assistance with cleanup and prevention for large-scale flooding disasters. Unfortunately, all too often in Pennsylvania, business owners and homeowners are left picking up the pieces and footing the bill in the aftermath of “small-scale” floods.

Jim Wansacz, a state House representative from Old Forge, has represented the 114th Legislative District since 2000 and is a member of the House Environmental Resources & Energy Committee.

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