Part A of this bill creates the Home Resiliency Program within the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance to provide grants to homeowners for the purpose of performing home resiliency projects designed to make a home more resistant to damage from severe weather events. The program is funded by a one-time transfer of $15,000,000 from the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Insurance - Bureau of, Other Special Revenue Funds account. Part B of the bill establishes in the Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, Maine Emergency Management Agency the Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund to improve statewide and regional disaster communications systems, provide additional hazard mitigation capacity and provide matching funds from the State for 2 federal disaster programs. Funded by a transfer from the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Insurance - Bureau of program, initiatives in this Part:
1. Support improved statewide emergency communications systems, communications system training and education to improve communication regarding disaster events;
2. Provide state matching funds for United States Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency grants to the State's Disaster Recovery Fund;
3. Establish and seed a new account to provide state matching funds to leverage competitive grants from the federal Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund program; and
4. Establish a limited-period position to implement the new Safeguarding Tomorrow through Ongoing Risk Mitigation Revolving Loan Fund and a limited-period emergency communications system manager. Part C of this bill establishes the State Resilience Office within the Maine Office of Community Affairs and provides funding through a $9,633,040 transfer from the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Insurance - Bureau of, Other Special Revenue Funds account to create an online community risk reduction data hub, update flood maps, reduce community flood risk and increase participation in the National Flood Insurance Program through a regional certified floodplain manager program. This Part also requires an annual transfer from the available balances of the Department of Professional and Financial Regulation, Bureau of Insurance's Other Special Revenue Funds account to the State Resilience Fund and requires the State Resilience Office to make an annual report to the Bureau of Insurance and the joint standing committee of the
43 Legislature having jurisdiction over insurance matters on the uses, activities and outcomes
44 supported by funds from that annual transfer of funds.