Senate and House legislation reauthorizing the National Flood Insurance Program differs over a key House provision that could expand the scope and cost of the program, which doesn't now cover catastrophic losses.

Following hurricanes Katrina and Rita, disputes arose over private insurers' refusal to cover some damage they considered wind-related rather than due to flooding. With the national program due to expire in September, the House bill would expand it to include coverage for damage from wind, including tornadoes and hurricanes. Legislation before the Senate, though, does not include wind damage, which is opposed by insurance companies, consumer activists and other groups.

On Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office sounded the alarm in a report to the House with a warning that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which administers the program, would encounter many obstacles implementing wind-damage coverage. FEMA would have to set hazard prevention standards and establish a rate-setting process to set premiums, which like the flood insurance, would be paid for by homeowners.

The flood insurance program already has problems of its own. Premiums paid for by policyholders do not cover losses, which are shifted to taxpayers.

Notably, the Senate bill, Reuters reported, would forgive the $17 billion FEMA had to borrow from the Treasury to cover losses since Katrina.

Congress should first sort out the problems and restore fiscal soundness to the current flood insurance program before imposing another unmanageable burden ultimately paid for by the taxpayers.