BillTrack50 logo
Free Signup Login
Bill

Bill > HB876

MS HB876

MS HB876
MS Emergency Drinking Water Network Act; create.

summary

Introduced
01/17/2025
In Committee
01/17/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
02/04/2025

Introduced Session

2025 Regular Session

Bill Summary

An Act To Establish The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network Act To Be Administered By The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency; To State Legislative Findings And Intent; To Establish The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network Grant Program To Increase Drinking Water Security And Water System Resiliency By Equipping Water Systems And First Responders With Equipment And Training To Maintain Water Service To Vital Facilities And The Public During Periods Of Infrastructure Failure; To Provide Definitions For The Terms Used In The Act; To Specify The Purposes For Grant Awards To Mississippi County Emergency Management Agencies; To Authorize The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (mema) To Make Eligible Equipment Purchases Supporting The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network; To Allow Mema To Use A Maximum Of Two Percent Of Funds Appropriated For The Administrative Expenses Of Carrying Out The Provisions Of This Act, To The Extent Permissible Under Federal Law; To Direct Mema To Seek To Minimize Its Administrative Expenses By Establishing Policies And Procedures Mirroring Past Programs Using Federal Covid-19 Relief Funds; To Require Mema To Certify To The Department Of Finance And Administration That Each Expenditure Appropriated To Mema Is In Compliance With United States Department Of The Treasury Criteria Regarding The Use Of Monies From The Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund; To Provide Reporting Requirements To The Governor And The Legislature By October 1 Of Each Year; To Provide That Funds Appropriated To Mema For The Purposes Of This Act Shall Be Available Through December 31, 2026, Or On The Date Of The Arpa Funds Expenditure Deadline Provided By The Federal Government, Whichever Occurs Later; To Provide That Each Grant Recipient Shall Certify, For Any Project For Which A Grant Is Awarded, That If The Project Is Not Completed By December 31, 2026, And The United States Congress Does Not Enact An Extension Of The Deadline On The Availability Of Arpa Funds, Then The Grant Recipient Will Complete The Project Through Other Funds; And For Related Purposes.

AI Summary

This bill establishes the Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network Act, which creates a grant program administered by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) to improve water infrastructure resilience, particularly in rural communities. The program aims to help counties prepare for water emergencies by providing funding for equipment, training, and resources to transport and distribute potable water during infrastructure failures. Using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the bill allows MEMA to provide fixed-amount grants to county emergency management agencies to purchase water transport equipment, train first responders, and establish water distribution points. The agency can spend up to 2% of the allocated funds on administrative expenses and will directly acquire water transfer pump systems strategically placed across Mississippi. Grant recipients must use funds only for eligible expenses related to water emergency preparedness, and all expenditures must comply with U.S. Treasury guidelines. The funds will be available through December 31, 2026, or until the ARPA funds expenditure deadline, with recipients required to complete projects using alternative funding if the federal deadline is not extended. The bill recognizes that many Mississippi communities are rural and historically underserved by disaster relief programs, and seeks to enhance their water system resilience and emergency response capabilities.

Committee Categories

Agriculture and Natural Resources

Sponsors (5)

Last Action

Died In Committee (on 02/04/2025)

bill text

bill summary

Loading...

bill summary

Loading...
Loading...