CHAPTER 236

SB 409 - FINAL VERSION

02/16/2022   0627s

4May2022... 1546h

2022 SESSION

22-3092

07/05

SENATE BILL 409

AN ACT relative to disaster relief loans.

SPONSORS: Sen. Prentiss, Dist 5; Sen. Giuda, Dist 2; Sen. Kahn, Dist 10; Rep. Steven Smith, Sull. 11; Rep. Merchant, Sull. 4

COMMITTEE: Finance

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ANALYSIS

This bill modifies the circumstances under which the governor may approve exceptional disaster relief loans.

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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

02/16/2022   0627s

4May2022... 1546h 22-3092

07/05

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Twenty Two

AN ACT relative to disaster relief loans.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

236:1  Homeland Security and Emergency Management; Exceptional Disaster Relief Loans; Modification of Circumstances.  Amend RSA 21-P:37-c, II to read as follows:

II.(a)  When the President of the United States declares an area a federal disaster area, or the governor declares a state of emergency as defined in RSA 21-P:35, VIII, and a municipality has applied for federal emergency assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA), the governor, with the approval of the executive council may approve a non-interest loan in the amount up to the anticipated assistance from FEMA, as agreed upon by the division of homeland security and emergency management and the municipality, from funds not otherwise appropriated.

(b)  In order to be eligible for an exceptional disaster relief loan, the per [occurance] incident cost of a municipality's critical disaster relief project or projects shall equal or exceed 25 percent of the amount raised by local property taxes in the municipality's [last] current annual budget.

(c)  The municipality shall not knowingly request an exceptional disaster relief loan for costs that are not eligible for reimbursement under the FEMA public assistance program.

(d)  Recipients of an exceptional disaster relief loan shall be responsible to repay the entire loan amount to the state.  If the amount of FEMA assistance that a municipality receives is less than the exceptional disaster relief loan, the state treasurer, with the advice and consent of the governor and council, shall negotiate repayment terms of the difference.

(e)  The municipality shall consider applying for available hazard mitigation grant funding administered by the division of homeland security and emergency management that would reduce the impact of future disasters on facilities that were repaired with exceptional disaster relief loan funds.  Municipalities must demonstrate progress on the implementation of their hazard mitigation plan in order to be eligible for future assistance loans under this section for disasters affecting facilities where an exceptional disaster relief loan was previously granted.

236:2  Effective Date.  This act shall take effect upon its passage.

Approved: June 17, 2022

Effective Date: June 17, 2022