This bill amends RSA 21-P:37-e to increase the maximum annual disaster relief funding that municipalities can receive from the state disaster relief fund. Specifically, it raises the cap from $25,000 to $100,000 in grant money that a municipality may request in a calendar year. The bill allows municipalities to request infrastructural disaster relief more than once within the same year, with requests needing to be submitted to the joint legislative fiscal committee within 45 days following the governor's declaration of a disaster. The distribution of funds will come from the New Hampshire disaster relief fund established in RSA 21-P:46-a, although the joint legislative fiscal committee retains the authority to allocate a lesser amount based on available funding. The fiscal impact of this bill is noted to be indeterminable, as it does not provide new funding and relies on existing balances in the NH Emergency Response and Recovery Fund and the NH Disaster Relief Fund. As of June 30, 2024, the NH Emergency Response and Recovery Fund has a balance of $0, while the NH Disaster Relief Fund has $45,292 available. Consequently, while the bill increases the potential funding available to municipalities, the actual fiscal implications will depend on the number of requests approved and the availability of funds at the time of those requests.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 21-P:37-e