Rebuilding from last winter’s storms and ensuring communities are prepared for future severe weather are priorities for both me and my colleagues this year. LD 1, “An Act to Increase Storm Preparedness for Maine's Communities, Homes and Infrastructure,” is a first step in addressing these concerns.

Building on previous efforts in the Legislature, LD 1 emphasizes forward-looking strategies to enhance the resilience of communities against future storms. It also proposes the creation of the State Resilience Office within the new Maine Office of Community Affairs. This office’s focus on flood and storm damage prevention and public safety would help communities identify effective strategies to protect against increasingly severe storms.

The bill includes several key programs designed to strengthen communities. The first is the Home Resiliency Program, which would offer grants of up to $15,000 for homeowners to make improvements that help their homes better withstand intense weather. This initiative is expected to reduce future vulnerabilities and damage, resulting in long-term savings for homeowners.

Additionally, the bill includes investments to enhance the state’s emergency communications system and increase funding for resilience and storm recovery revolving loan funds. The emergency communications system will enable quicker outreach to individuals in danger during emergencies, and the loan funds will support projects that protect and rebuild communities both before and after severe weather events.

In a tight budget season, it’s important to note that this bill does not use money from the General Fund. Instead, the programs will be fully paid for with federal funds and fee-based funding from the Maine Bureau of Insurance. This provides an opportunity to make a generational investment in the resilience of infrastructure, homes, and communities without additional costs to taxpayers.

LD 1 is currently being considered by the Legislature. This bipartisan bill received a public hearing on Thursday, Feb. 27 in the Housing and Economic Development (HED) Committee, during which many people shared how the proposed programs would benefit them and their homes. The Committee has already held multiple work sessions, in which HED members  discuss the bill and make revisions. After the work sessions are complete, HED will vote on recommending the bill to the full Senate and House, with or without changes.

If both chambers vote to approve the bill, it will go to Gov. Janet Mills’ desk for her signature. If signed, the state will begin implementing the programs to provide resilience support to Maine residents as soon as possible. A two-thirds vote in support of LD 1 would make this emergency legislation take effect immediately once signed by the Governor. Democratic and Republican leaders have introduced this bill together, so I hope we can pass it with bipartisan support.

For updates on this legislation, you can subscribe to my biweekly e-newsletter at mainesenate.org. If you have questions about LD 1 or other state government matters, feel free to contact me at Cameron.Reny@legislature.maine.gov or call my Senate office at 207-287-1515.