The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Massachusetts establishes private flood insurance framework and sets insurer reporting rules
Last action · April 21, 2026: Accompanied a study order, see H5336Sponsor: Patrick Kearney
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What This Bill Would Do
Massachusetts establishes a regulatory framework for private flood insurance, permitting standard and nonstandard policies while requiring insurers to submit rate and form filings to the Commissioner. Insurers must provide 45 days' notice before canceling or nonrenewing policies, and agents must warn applicants in s about potential loss of subsidized National Flood Insurance Program rates.
Property owners purchasing private flood insurance gain new coverage options and clear cancellation notice timelines, while insurers face new filing mandates, reporting rules, and restrictions on discriminatory rating factors.
- Patrick Joseph Kearney represents the Fourth Plymouth District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, serving Scituate and Marshfield. context
- Private flood insurance options have increasingly been promoted at the federal and state levels to supplement or offer alternatives to the federally backed National Flood Insurance Program. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Property owners
Property owners gain access to new private flood insurance options, mandatory cancellation notice periods, and required disclosures regarding federal program rates.
Insurance companies
Insurers must comply with new use-and-file rate and form procedures, annual policy reporting, and restrictions on cancellation grounds.
Insurance producers and brokers
Brokers and producers must provide written warnings to applicants in special flood hazard areas regarding potential loss of subsidized federal rates.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are private flood insurance rates and forms subject to prior approval by the state?
What notice must be given if an insurer decides to cancel or nonrenew a policy?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
4 actions- Apr 21, 2026HouseAccompanied a study order, see H5336
- May 7, 2025JointHearing scheduled for 05/13/2025 from 10:00 AM-01:00 PM in A-2
- Feb 27, 2025SenateSenate concurred
- Feb 27, 2025HouseCommitteeReferred to the committee on Financial Services
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Establishment of State Private Flood Insurance Framework
Massachusetts introduces a statutory chapter dedicated specifically to standardizing and tracking private flood insurance outside of exclusive reliance on the National Flood Insurance Program.
Connected Entities
Sources
malegislature.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy30Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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