Enhancing Long-Term, Efficient, and Viable Alternatives to Empower Flood-Prone Communities Act of 2026

Key Points

• The bill requires the Army Corps of Engineers to give nonstructural flood solutions like home elevation, floodproofing, and voluntary buyouts equal consideration alongside traditional structural approaches like levees and floodwalls in every flood risk study.
• The federal government would cover a bigger share of the costs for nonstructural flood projects. The federal share rises to 90% for economically disadvantaged communities and repetitive loss structures, and to 100% for severe repetitive loss structures. The standard federal share would be 75%.
• The bill bans the Corps of Engineers from pausing, terminating, or deferring flood projects that include nonstructural features, and requires any halted projects to resume within 45 days. This directly responds to recent disruptions that began on January 20, 2025.
• Families whose homes are in flood zones cannot be forced to participate. The bill ensures all property acquisitions and relocations are voluntary, and it covers moving expenses, temporary housing, and relocation advisory services.
• For home elevations, the bill requires the government to pay for related costs that often catch families off guard, including lead paint and asbestos removal, utility upgrades, new stairs and decks, and temporary housing during construction.
• The bill creates a new nonstructural working group with experts from FEMA, HUD, USDA, state and local governments, and nonprofits, plus a mandatory center of expertise within the Corps. Both must be established within 90 days of enactment.