IEMA-VILLAGE DISASTER FUNDS

104th Regular Session Introduced by Neil Anderson and 2 co-sponsors

IEMA must reserve grant funds so small Illinois municipalities (≤5,000) have ready access to disaster recovery funds via EMS distribution for eligible disaster costs.

Rule 3-9(a) / Re-referred to Assignments

Summary — SB 1232 (Illinois)

Title: IEMA — Village Disaster Funds (adds Section 24 to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act)
Introduced: January 24, 2025 (Sen. Sally J. Turner). Co-sponsors: Sen. Terri Bryant, Sen. Neil Anderson. Status: Referred to Assignments; assigned to Appropriations — Public Safety & Infrastructure (as of Feb 2025). Effective date: upon becoming law.

Purpose / Intent

SB 1232 requires the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and Office of Homeland Security to reserve part of its grant funding to ensure small municipalities (population ≤ 5,000) have ready access to disaster recovery disbursements. The bill is intended to improve timely post‑disaster support for smaller communities that may lack resources or administrative capacity to access typical grant processes.

Key provisions

Adds Section 24 to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act (20 ILCS 3305/24 new).

Set‑aside requirement: IEMA/Office of Homeland Security must reserve, from moneys appropriated for grants under the Act, an amount it determines is sufficient to ensure small municipalities (population ≤ 5,000) have ready access to disaster recovery funds.

Eligible use: Reserved funds are to be used exclusively for municipalities with population ≤ 5,000 that are otherwise eligible for grant funding under the Act.

Disbursement mechanism: If a disaster affects such a municipality, IEMA/Office of Homeland Security shall disburse the reserved funds to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system that covers the affected municipality.

EMS system responsibilities: The EMS system must distribute the funds to pay for costs the affected municipality incurs during the disaster to provide debris removal and other necessary disaster services.

Documentation: The municipality must demonstrate to the EMS system that the services and costs are necessary for recovery from the disaster.

Effective immediately upon becoming law.

Who is affected

Direct beneficiaries: Municipalities in Illinois with populations of 5,000 or fewer that qualify for grants under the IEMA Act.

Intermediaries: Local EMS systems (used as the distribution conduit for the reserved funds).

IEMA/Office of Homeland Security: Required to identify and reserve sufficient funds from its grant appropriations and to administer the new disbursement process.

Potential indirect effects: Other applicants for IEMA grants could see reduced availability if reserves are set aside; local governments and responders could experience faster access to funds for debris removal and emergency services in small communities.

Implementation and fiscal notes

The bill does not specify a fixed dollar amount; the IEMA/Office of Homeland Security determines the amount to set aside from existing grant appropriations.

No new dedicated funding stream is created; the requirement operates within the agency’s existing appropriations for grant making.

Because funds are reserved from appropriated grant moneys, there could be tradeoffs within IEMA grant programs depending on the amount reserved.

Bill