Legislature poised to pass emergency bill to better prepare Maine for extreme weather
Central Maine Power lineworkers shared photos of some of the destruction they encountered from the Dec. 18 storm. (Courtesy of CMP)
After an initial passage vote Tuesday in the Maine Senate, an emergency measure to better prepare the state for extreme weather events passed the Maine House of Representatives Thursday.
Both chambers took their initial passage votes under the hammer for the symbolic first bill of the session, which is meant to represent a coming together of the parties.
Sponsored by party leadership in both chambers, LD 1 is a three-part proposal that seeks to improve emergency communications, create funding opportunities to make Maine homes more resilient and establish a new State Resilience Office to address flooding and other impacts.
The Legislature's Housing and Economic Development Committee amended the bill to clarify certain language and flush out the Home Resiliency Program, which would provide grants to help homeowners better equip their houses to withstand severe weather events.
Since the bill contains an emergency preamble, it will require two-thirds support in the next round of votes, known as enactment votes. If that support is secured, the bill would take effect immediately upon passage, rather than waiting the usual 90 days after the session adjourns.
The legislation follows the interim recommendations from the Maine Infrastructure Rebuilding and Resilience Commission, which Mills established by executive order last spring in response to the series of severe storms that caused an estimated $90 million in damage to public infrastructure across Maine last winter.
It also builds upon $60 million for storm relief that was included in the state's supplemental budget last year.
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