April 14, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Quinn, Cabral-Guevara, Cowles, Jacque, James, Spreitzer, Testin and Wimberger, cosponsored by Representatives Oldenburg, Novak, Andraca, Baldeh, Behnke, Conley, Edming, Green, Kitchens, Krug, Kurtz, Mursau, Palmeri, Rettinger, Shankland, Spiros and Subeck. Referred to Committee on Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry.
SB222,,22An Act to create 323.63 of the statutes; relating to: a pre-disaster flood resilience grant program. SB222,,33Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau 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.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
SB222,,44The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows: SB222,15Section 1. 323.63 of the statutes is created to read: SB222,,66323.63 Pre-disaster flood resilience grant program. (1) Definitions. In this section: SB222,,77(a) “Assessment grant” means a grant awarded under sub. (3). SB222,,88(b) “Implementation grant” means a grant awarded under sub. (4). SB222,,99(c) “Local governmental unit” means any city, village, town, county, regional planning commission, or federally recognized American Indian tribe or band in this state.