A bipartisan natural-disaster commission bill recently introduced in the House of Representatives has gained approval from a leading independent agent and broker association.

H.R. 5891, the Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Commission Act, was introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), and cosponsored by nine other representatives. It is similar to the Commission on Natural Disaster Risk and Insurance Act, which was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) last May. The legislation would establish a 17-member bipartisan commission and include an independent insurance agent as part of that commission.

Rep. Wasserman-Schultz's legislation would establish a national commission that is tasked with recommending policies to help the federal government prepare for and manage disaster response, mitigate future costs, reduce the likelihood of fraud and abuse in a federal repayment program, and hedge any risk exposure assumed by the federal government in the adoption of a national catastrophe program.