House vote rolls back rate hikes on flood insurance

WASHINGTON — In a rare moment of bipartisanship, the House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to roll back flood-insurance rate hikes that have devastated many homeowners in coastal communities and dogged lawmakers on the campaign trail.

The deal brokered by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-California, with a bipartisan coalition of coastal state lawmakers, sailed through the House, 306-91, despite protests from conservative Republicans that the changes would add to the national debt.

Rep. Vern Buchanan, RLongboat Key, who told horror stories of his constituents facing massive insurancerate spikes on their homes, said: “It is nice, once in a while, where we can work together and get something done.”

The legislation, though, nowfaces anuncertain future in the Senate, which passed a bipartisan bill earlier this year that was essentially dead on arrival in the House. That measure added $2.1 billion to the deficit over the decade and was rejected by GOP leaders.

Waters pushed the Senate version forward in the House over the objections of Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, and other leaders, and forced procedural votes on the bill last month.

Eventhoughshefailed, the exercise increased pressure for a compromise by putting Republican lawmakers in the uncomfortable position of having to oppose legislation many of their constituents wanted.

Flood insurance rates started skyrocketing last year after new provisions took effect as part of an earlier overhaul of the National Flood Insurance Program that was signed into law in 2012.