SF 1270

as introduced - 86th Legislature (2009 - 2010) Posted on 02/09/2010 02:19am

A bill for an act
relating to natural disasters; establishing local disaster assistance program and
local disaster fund; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in
Minnesota Statutes, chapter 12.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

new text begin [12.222] MINNESOTA NATURAL DISASTER LOCAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAM.
new text end

new text begin Subdivision 1. new text end

new text begin Local disaster assistance program. new text end

new text begin A program is established to
assist state and local governments to respond in a consistent, timely, and adequate manner
when natural disasters occur that are ineligible for a presidential disaster declaration. The
state director of the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management shall
provide assistance and grants to local governments to respond to local natural disasters.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 2. new text end

new text begin Eligibility; requirements. new text end

new text begin To be eligible for assistance under this section,
a local government must make a local declaration of emergency and apply to the state
director for assistance on the forms and according to the procedures and timelines
established by the commissioner of public safety. At a minimum, the application for grants
must include an assessment of the damage caused by the natural disaster. Within the limits
of the funds available under this section, the state director must award grants to assist a
local government in paying for costs directly related to the natural disaster, including
but not limited to emergency response, clean up, repair, replacement or restoration of
public infrastructure, remediation to ensure public health, and other costs attributable to
the disaster. A grant under this section must not duplicate or replace assistance that is
available from other state or federal government agencies or insurance coverage. Each
grant awarded under this section must be matched by at least ten percent from local funds.
new text end

new text begin Subd. 3. new text end

new text begin Local disaster assistance account. new text end

new text begin A local disaster assistance account
is created in the special revenue fund. Money in the account is appropriated to the
commissioner of public safety for grants and assistance to local units of government under
this section. This account must be used for the purposes of assisting local governments to
respond to and recover from natural disasters that do not qualify for a presidential disaster
declaration. Money in the account does not cancel but is available until expended. An
amount necessary to maintain the account at $6,000,000 is annually appropriated on July 1
from the general fund to the local disaster assistance account.
new text end

Sec. 2. new text begin LOCAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE ACCOUNT.
new text end

new text begin $6,000,000 is appropriated from the general fund in fiscal year 2010 to the local
disaster assistance account in the special revenue fund under section 1. This appropriation
is to assist local governments to respond to natural disasters that do not qualify for
assistance as a presidentially declared disaster.
new text end

Sec. 3. new text begin APPROPRIATION; EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT STATE MATCH.
new text end

new text begin $5,600,000 each year for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 is appropriated from the general
fund to the commissioner of public safety to provide a match for Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assistance payments under Minnesota Statutes,
section 12.221. If the appropriation for either year is insufficient to cover the match
requirements, the amount necessary to cover the costs during the biennium is appropriated
from the general fund. Beginning in fiscal year 2012, the base appropriation for the FEMA
match is 75 percent of the average annual expenditures for the state FEMA match for
the preceding five years.
new text end