Vermont H. 679: An act relating to application of the solid waste franchise tax

Bill Text

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VT LEG #386385 v.2
H.679 1
Introduced by Representatives Waszazak of Barre City and Galfetti of Barre 2
Town 3
Referred to Committee on 4
Date: 5
Subject: Internal security and public safety; highways; conservation and 6
development; all-hazards; emergency response; floods 7
Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to require the 8
Division of Emergency Management to provide financial assistance to flood-9
impacted communities, establish a Voluntary Buyout Program and 10
Homeowner Assistance Program for flood-prone or flood-impacted properties, 11
and provide technical and grant application assistance to municipalities 12
through two new liaison positions added to the Division. This bill also 13
proposes to authorize the Agency of Transportation to use the Municipal 14
Mitigation Assistance Program to assist rural and flood-prone municipalities 15
with infrastructure upgrades and require the Agency to provide technical and 16
design assistance for certain infrastructure projects. This bill also requires the 17
Agency of Natural Resources to establish programs to implement and improve 18
stream flow and river corridor naturalization projects. 19
An act relating to emergency management in flood-prone municipalities 20

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VT LEG #386385 v.2
It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont: 1
Sec. 1. 20 V.S.A. § 3b is added to read: 2
§ 3b. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR IMPACTED MUNICIPALITIES 3
(a) A municipality that has been impacted by an all-hazard flooding event 4
shall be eligible for financial assistance from the Division of Emergency 5
Management to cover expenses incurred due to the all-hazard while awaiting 6
reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, including: 7
(1) emergency response costs; 8
(2) temporary housing and shelter services; and 9
(3) local infrastructure repairs that are necessary to maintain public 10
safety. 11
(b) A municipality that has been impacted by an all-hazard flooding event 12
shall be eligible for State funding to cover all of the local match requirements 13
required by federal law or the Federal Emergency Management Agency for 14
flood recovery and assistance. 15
Sec. 2. 20 V.S.A. § 52 is added to read: 16
§ 52. FLOOD-PRONE PROPERTIES; ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS 17
(a) Voluntary Buyout Program. The Division of Emergency Management 18
and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development shall establish 19
and maintain the Voluntary Buyout Program for flood-prone properties. The 20
Program shall allow a municipality, at the request of the owner of a flood-21

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VT LEG #386385 v.2
prone property, to apply for funding to cover the purchase price of the 1
property. The purchase price shall be the full fair market value of the flood-2
prone property. 3
(b) Homeowner Assistance Program. The Division of Emergency 4
Management and the Agency of Commerce and Community Development 5
shall establish and maintain the Homeowner Assistance Program to provide 6
financial support to the owners of residential properties for: 7
(1) construction projects to elevate a residential building in flood-prone 8
areas to mitigate the risk of future damage; 9
(2) relocation to other permanent housing in response to flood damage; 10
and 11
(3) the rebuilding of a residential building using flood-resilient materials 12
or designs, including floodproof foundations and water-resistant construction. 13
Sec. 3. 19 V.S.A. § 306 is amended to read: 14
§ 306. APPROPRIATION; STATE AID FOR TOWN HIGHWAYS 15
* * * 16
(i) Municipal Mitigation Assistance Program. 17
(1) The Agency shall administer the Municipal Mitigation Assistance 18
Program. Through the Program, the Agency shall: 19

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VT LEG #386385 v.2
(A) provide assistance and grants to municipalities for environmental 1
mitigation projects related to stormwater and highways and for the 2
establishment and operation of stormwater utilities; and 3
(B) provide funding for rural and flood-prone municipalities to: 4
(i) upgrade infrastructure, including improvements to town 5
highways, bridges, and culverts, to increase the capacity of town highway 6
infrastructure to handle high-volume water flow; and 7
(ii) create and maintain emergency access routes for use during an 8
all-hazard event, as defined by 20 V.S.A. chapter 1. 9
(2) Municipalities shall match grants with local funds sufficient to cover 10
20 percent of the project costs, except that the Agency may issue grants for the 11
establishment or operation of stormwater utilities without requiring a local 12
match. 13
(3) From the operating expenses appropriated for the Program, the 14
Agency is authorized to pay costs billed to the Agency by municipal 15
stormwater utilities. 16
* * * 17
Sec. 4. 19 V.S.A. § 320 is added to read: 18
§ 320. AGENCY SUPPORT FOR CERTAIN TOWN HIGHWAY 19
PROJECTS 20

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