This bill, titled the Federal Flood Risk Management Act of 2026, aims to significantly improve the Nation's resilience to current and future flood risks by establishing a comprehensive Federal standard. Congress recognizes that flooding impacts are anticipated to increase, posing threats to the environment, economic prosperity, public health, safety, and national security. Therefore, the Federal Government must take action, informed by the best available science, to enhance preparedness and resilience. The Act builds upon Executive Order 11988, which requires agencies to avoid adverse impacts in floodplains. It codifies and expands the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, a flexible framework developed through interagency efforts and public input. This Standard ensures that agencies manage flood risk by expanding beyond the base flood level to higher vertical elevations and corresponding horizontal floodplains. Under this legislation, the head of each agency must provide leadership and take action to reduce flood losses, minimize impacts on human safety, and restore natural floodplain values. Agencies are required to evaluate potential effects of actions in floodplains and integrate flood hazard considerations into their planning programs and budget requests. They must also prescribe procedures to implement these policies, ensuring compliance with the Act's requirements. A key provision involves determining floodplains using a climate-informed science approach that integrates current and future flood changes over a project's lifetime. This includes adding a freeboard of 2 feet above the base flood elevation for non-critical actions and 3 feet for critical actions, or using an area with a 0.2 percent annual chance of flooding. Agencies must consider alternatives to avoid floodplains and, if an action must occur in a floodplain, design it to minimize harm, relying on natural systems where possible. For federally funded projects and the management of Federal real property, agencies must comply with the Standard, requiring construction to meet specified regulations and floodproofing measures. Public structures in flood hazard areas must conspicuously delineate past and probable flood heights to enhance public awareness. Furthermore, agencies involved in financial transactions in flood-prone areas must inform private parties about the associated hazards. The Act allows for exemptions for national security or emergencies, with public notice required for emergency exemptions. Agencies are mandated to issue regulations to comply with the Act and report on its impact to the Council on Environmental Quality. The Water Resources Council will regularly evaluate agency procedures and update the Standard not less frequently than once every five years, incorporating accurate and actionable climate science.