Bill > SB2232

This bill amends Tennessee Code Annotated, Section 9-4-216, concerning the governor's response and recovery fund, by transferring administrative responsibility from the commissioner of finance and administration to the director of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA). It specifies that funds from this program can be used for eligible local governmental entities (counties, cities, municipalities, metropolitan governments, or local education agencies) and eligible individuals in qualifying counties following an emergency or disaster. To receive funds, local governments must meet several conditions, including a gubernatorial declaration of emergency, a local declaration of emergency, unavailability or inadequacy of federal assistance under the Stafford Act (a federal law providing disaster relief), and local costs exceeding a TEMA-published indicator. Individuals can receive assistance if a state of emergency is declared, state damage totals are unlikely to meet federal thresholds for individual assistance, and county costs exceed a TEMA-determined amount, with damage to public property not being an eligible cost. The bill also outlines eligible project types for local governments, such as debris removal, emergency protective measures, infrastructure repair, and utility restoration, with specific timelines and cost-sharing requirements based on county economic status, though the governor can waive these. Funds cannot cover insurance deductibles, and local entities receiving funds must obtain all-risk and flood insurance within a specified timeframe.