By Kimberly Hopson
L’Observateur

DESTREHAN – The River Region Chamber of Commerce recently hosted Louisiana’s Sixth District Congressional Rep. Bill Cassidy during its annual general membership breakfast meeting at Ormond Plantation.
Cassidy addressed the problems with the Biggert-Waters Act, saying he believes the state needs a self-sustaining flood insurance program, which the act seeks to create. The program, however, should account for local protections and ensure that families and businesses are treated fairly. Cassidy discussed the amendment he passed in June, along with Reps. Cedric Richmond, Mike Grimm and Steven Palazzo.
“Charging your families $20,000 a year for a policy for a home which cost $160,000 is just socking you right in the teeth. They cannot afford that,” he said.
The representative said he is working on a bill, Home Protection Act of 2013, that will address section 205 of The BW Act and attempt to keep grandfathering rates in place as long as possible.
“That’s going to be a tougher road to hoe, but you can’t go anywhere unless you take the first step,” he said, regarding the bill.
The representative also said he led a group of representatives to urge the Senate Committee on Appropriations to block the implementation of the flood insurance rate spikes, and created the Congressional Home Protection Caucus as part of an effort to educate members of the congress on the affordability challenges surrounding The BW Act.
The amendment blocked the implementation of section 207 in the BW Act, which phased out the grandfathered NFIP rates for existing policy holders.
The Chamber also presented Cassidy with the 2013 Spirit of Enterprise award during the meeting.