WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives passed a measure Thursday that would extend the National Flood Insurance Program through Sept. 30, 2014.

The Flood Insurance Reform Priorities Act of 2010—H.R. 5114—would increase the maximum available flood coverage for nonresidential properties to $670,000. But it also would prohibit the Write Your Own insurance companies that contract with NFIP from excluding coverage of wind damage under their own policies solely because flooding also caused damage to the property.

Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., a longtime advocate of expanding the NFIP to include wind coverage, offered the amendment concerning the exclusion of wind damage.

Insurers opposed the move.

“We at NAMIC were eager to see common-sense reforms enacted for the NFIP, but unfortunately this bill now discourages participation in the NFIP,” said Jimi Grande, senior vp in the Washington office of the National Assn. of Mutual Insurance Cos., in a statement. “This amendment will only add to the problems facing the program, and make coverage more expensive and difficult to find for consumers.”

The NFIP is slated to expire on Sept. 30 of this year.

The House and Senate have been unable to reach agreement on a long-term reauthorization of the NFIP because the Senate has preferred restricting the program to flood coverage only. The result of the disagreement has been a series of short-term extensions.