Establishes a state disaster emergency grant and loan program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Billy Jones

Creates a state grant and loan program to support disaster response and recovery for local governments if enacted.

ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN

Overview

Bill Number: A 3837

Title: Establishes a state disaster emergency grant and loan program

Sponsor: Billy Jones (primary)

Introduced: January 30, 2025

Status: ENACTING CLAUSE STRICKEN (i.e., the bill’s enacting clause was struck, effectively preventing enactment at this time)

Classification: bill

Related Bills: A 6777 (prior-session)

Purpose and Intent

The bill’s stated aim, as reflected in the title, is to create a state-level grant and loan program to support disaster emergency responses and recovery efforts. While the specific statutory language is not provided in the excerpt, the intended goal is to provide financial assistance to meet immediate and long-term needs arising from disasters, likely targeting local governments and related entities.

Key Provisions (Not Specified in Provided Text)

The exact provisions are not included in the provided materials. Based on the title, if enacted, the bill would typically be expected to address:
- Establishment of a formal grant and loan program to respond to disaster emergencies.
- Eligibility criteria for applicants (e.g., municipalities, counties, possibly nonprofit or special districts).
- Terms and conditions for grants (用途, restrictions, reporting requirements) and loans (interest rates, repayment terms, forgiveness options).
- Administration and oversight (which state agency would administer the program, application process, scoring/priority criteria).
- Funding sources and limits (budget appropriation, fund balance, federal pass-throughs, or state matching requirements).
- Compliance, auditing, and accountability measures.
- Sunset or expiration provisions and periodic reporting on program effectiveness.

Note: Readers should consult the full bill text for precise definitions, program parameters, eligibility, funding amounts, and administrative structure, as these details are not included in the available summary.

Potential Impact

Who would be affected: Local governments (cities, towns, counties) and possibly related entities seeking disaster-related funding; state agencies charged with administering the program; any recipients of grants or loans under the program.

Financial effects: If enacted, the program would create new state financial obligations in the form of grants and loans, with accompanying administration and oversight costs. Funding levels and terms would be defined in the enacted language.

Policy implications: Aimed at expanding state-backed financial assistance for disaster response and long-term recovery, potentially coordinating with federal disaster aid and local resilience efforts.

Procedural and Timeline Aspects

January 30, 2025: Bill introduced and referred to the Committee on Local Governments.

September 8, 2025: Enacting clause stricken (appears twice), indicating the bill did not advance to enactment and the formal enacting language was removed from the bill.

The repeated “enacting clause stricken” action suggests a procedural step that stops the bill from becoming law in its current form.

Next Steps

To understand the exact scope and mechanics, review the full text of A 3837 (and any updated versions or substitute bills).

Compare with A 6777 (prior-session) for related proposals or prior iterations of a disaster grant/loan program.

Monitor committee actions and potential companion bills to gauge whether a revised version might be reintroduced.

Bill