Natural Disasters

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Tennessee Disaster Relief Program

This bill establishes a State Disaster Relief Program managed by TEMA to provide grants to Tennessee counties affected by natural disasters that do not qualify for federal aid.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the State Disaster Relief Program administered by TEMA.
• Allows county emergency management agencies to request grants from this program if they have declared a state of emergency due to a disaster and don't meet federal relief thresholds.
• Specifies how counties can use grant money: repairing infrastructure, saving lives, protecting public health and safety, or removing debris.
• Requires TEMA to evaluate requests for grants and disburse funds based on the availability of allocated funds.
• Limits each county's annual grant amount from this program to $250,000.

Who It Names or Affects

• Tennessee counties affected by natural disasters that do not qualify for federal aid.
• The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).

Terms To Know

Disaster

A hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, mudslide, snowstorm, ice storm, drought, fire, explosion, civil disturbance, or other catastrophe that causes substantial damage or injury to property.

TEMA

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, the agency responsible for managing disaster relief efforts in Tennessee.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be available each year for grants.
• It is unclear what criteria TEMA uses to evaluate grant requests and determine the amount of the grant.

Official Summary Text

This bill creates a state disaster relief program ("
program
")
to be administered by the
Tennessee emergency management agency (TEMA)
.

This bill authorizes a
county emergency management agency
to
request a grant from the program to hel
p offset the costs incurred by the county in responding to a disaster if
(i) a
disaster has occurred within the county;
(ii) the
county executive has declared a state of emergency; and
(iii) t
he damages resulting from the disaster do not meet the threshold
for federal disaster relief.

AWARD OF GRANTS

This bill authorizes a
county receiving a grant
to
use the money
(i) t
o repair or replace public roads, buildings, utilities, and other infrastructure owned by the local governments;
(ii) for
emergency measu
res for saving lives;
(iii) t
o protect public health and safety or property; and
(iv) t
o remove debris from publicly owned land and waterways.

This bill requires TEMA to
evaluate a request for a grant, determine the amount of the grant, and disburse the
grant if the agency determines that the criteria in
this bill
have been met.
However, g
rants are contingent upon the availability of funds that have been specifically allocated for the program in the general appropriations act.

MAXIMUM GRANT DISBURSEMENT
AMOUNT

This bill prohibits a
county
from
receiv
ing
more than $250,000 in grant disbursements under this
bill
in a fiscal year.

Current Bill Text

HOUSE BILL 557
By Capley

SENATE BILL 42
By Walley

SB0042
000228
- 1 -

AN ACT to amend Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58,
Chapter 2, Part 1, relative to natural disasters.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE:
SECTION 1. Tennessee Code Annotated, Title 58, Chapter 2, Part 1, is amended by
adding the following as a new section:
(a) There is created a program to be administered by the agency that is known
and may be cited as the "State Disaster Relief Program."
(b) A county emergency management agency may request a grant from the
program to help offset the costs incurred by the county in responding to a disaster if:
(1) A disaster has occurred within the county;
(2) The county executive has declared a state of emergency; and
(3) The damages resulting from the disaster do not meet the threshold
for federal disaster relief.
(c) A county receiving a grant under this section may use the money:
(1) To repair or replace public roads, buildings, utilities, and other
infrastructure owned by the local governments;
(2) For emergency measures for saving lives;
(3) To protect public health and safety or property; and
(4) To remove debris from publicly owned land and waterways.
(d) The agency shall evaluate a request for a grant, determine the amount of the
grant, and disburse the grant if the agency determines that the criteria in subsection (b)
have been met.

- 2 - 000228

(e) Grants under this section are contingent upon the availability of funds that
have been specifically allocated for the program in the general appropriations act. It is
the legislative intent that appropriations to the program recur on a yearly basis.
(f) A county must not receive more than two hundred fifty thousand dollars
($250,000) in grant disbursements under this section in a fiscal year.
(g) As used in this section:
(1) "Disaster" means a hurricane, tornado, storm, flood, high water, wind-
driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide,
mudslide, snowstorm, ice storm, drought, fire, explosion, civil disturbance, or
other catastrophe that causes or may cause substantial damage or injury to
property; and
(2) "Program" means the state disaster relief program created in
subsection (a).
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon becoming a law, the public welfare requiring it.