HB2074 proposes the establishment of the Wildfire Flooding Mitigation Grant Fund (Fund) and appropriates $35,000,000 from the Long-Term Water Augmentation Fund for fiscal year 2025 to be used for postfire flood mitigation efforts. The Fund will consist of legislative appropriations and will be administered by the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs (DEMA), which may retain up to 1% of the monies for administrative costs. Grants from the Fund are to be provided to cities and towns to mitigate the effects of postfire flooding and are exempt from the usual requirements for the solicitation and award of grants.

To be eligible for these grants, a city or town must have a population of less than 200,000, offer a dollar-for-dollar match for the grant that invests in stormwater flood mitigation, wastewater treatment infrastructure, and wildfire suppression projects, and ensure that the matching funds are not sourced from federal monies and are approved by a majority vote of the registered voters. DEMA will prescribe a simplified application and approval process for the grants. Each applicant must certify eligibility, describe the project and need for the grant, certify compliance with the Fund's use, and use the awarded monies solely for postfire flood mitigation efforts. Grant awardees are required to submit an annual report on the use of awarded monies to the relevant legislative committees. The appropriation for the Fund is exempt from lapsing provisions.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 26-108