SB 222

This bill requires the Division of Emergency Management (division) in the

Department of Military Affairs to create and administer a pre-disaster flood

resilience grant program. Under the program, the division may provide assessment

or implementation grants for projects aimed at identifying and improving flood

vulnerabilities and resilience priorities in local governmental units. “

Local

governmental unit” is defined in the bill to mean a city, village, town, county, regional

planning commission, or federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this

state. The division may award to a grant applicant up to $300,000 per assessment

grant, and $250,000 per implementation grant. The program grants may cover up

to 75 percent of the total anticipated project cost, and the applicant must detail from

where it will source the remaining funding.

Under the bill, the division may only consider applications for a grant under the

program if one of the following applies: 1) the application is for a project area that

was the site of a presidentially declared disaster for flooding at any time in the 10

years preceding the grant cycle; 2) the application is for a project area that was the

site of a governor-declared state of emergency for flooding at any time in the 10 years

preceding the grant cycle; or 3) the application is for a local governmental unit that

has a division-approved hazard mitigation plan that identifies localized exposure to

flood risk. The division may consult with other state agencies regarding the

administration of the program or the review of grant applicants.

Under the bill, persons awarded a grant under the pre-disaster flood resilience

grant program must spend all of the program's grant moneys received within two

years of receiving the grant moneys, and within 90 days of project completion must

provide to the division a report regarding a summary of the project's goals, activities

conducted with grant moneys, and data demonstrating project goals to date. No later

than July 1, 2024, and annually thereafter, the division shall submit a report to the

governor and appropriate standing committees of the legislature that describes

program activities and accomplishments of the preceding year, lists the grant

recipients and grants awarded, and makes a recommendation on program

continuation and funding levels. However, no report is required for any year that the

program is not funded.