An act relating to emergency management

A new appropriations section (Sec. 13) was added providing $2,455,163 total in fiscal year 2027 across five line items: $70,163 to the Agency of Administration for multilingual emergency preparedness materials, $720,000 to the Department of Public Safety for the Urban Search and Rescue Team, $25,000 for the Technical Rescue Grant Program, $540,000 to the Secretary of State for Vermont Access Network operations, and $1,000,000 for the Ready Response Grant Program.

The Ready Response Grant Program appropriation was increased from $500,000 (in the original Sec. 13b) to $1,000,000 in the new comprehensive appropriations section, doubling the available funding for food and water sourcing and distribution during emergencies.

A new section authorizing ongoing expenditure of public safety communications funds was added, specifying $2,250,000 for a multidisciplinary computer-aided dispatch system (with contracts required by January 1, 2027), $190,000 for cybersecurity and Rapid SOS expansion, and $4,500,000 incrementally over three years for Land Mobile Radio network buildout including 10 or more sites.

The timeline for the $4,500,000 Land Mobile Radio funding was changed from 'incrementally over three years' to 'incrementally over two years' in the existing Public Safety Communications section (Sec. 12(a)(3)), though the newly added authorization section still references a three-year period for the same amount.

A statement of purpose was added at the top of the bill summarizing all programs and amendments, and the header was changed from 'AS PASSED BY HOUSE' to 'BILL AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE' with page count updated from 29 to 32 pages.

The Technical Rescue Grant Program is no longer administered through a Working Group that included legislative members, a fire department representative, and an EMS representative. Instead, the USAR Team program manager now directly reviews applications, awards grants, and administers the Program. This removes multi-stakeholder and legislative oversight from the grant process.

Specific references to 'disability-led organizations' were removed from shelter siting consultation requirements in section 6 (Local and Regional Organization for Emergency Management). The House version required municipalities to work with disability-led organizations when assessing shelter facilities; the enacted version replaces this with broader 'whole community' language.

The USAR Team program manager was given three new statutory duties in section 50: negotiating agreements with swiftwater and technical rescue teams, coordinating USAR participation in search and rescue operations under chapter 112, and administering the Technical Rescue Grant Program.

The requirement that regional emergency management committees include a voting member who is an individual with lived disability experience representing a disability-led organization (appointed by the Vermont Council for Independent Living) was removed from the enacted version.

A new definition of 'whole community' was added to section 2, defined as the collective of residents, emergency management practitioners, organizational and community leaders, and local, State, and federal government officials.

State reimbursement for forest fire suppression costs on Agency of Natural Resources land was changed from mandatory ('the State shall reimburse') to discretionary ('the State may reimburse'). The enacted version also adds specific eligibility requirements including a 1-hour response request, 24-hour fire report, 60-day cost documentation, and a December 31 annual submission deadline.

The deadline for town forest fire wardens to file a report with the Commissioner after extinguishment of a fire was shortened from two weeks to 48 hours.

The requirement that the Commissioner obtain written approval from the Secretary before issuing fire restrictions during periods of increased hazard or Air Quality Alerts was removed. The enacted version allows the Commissioner to act directly during such periods.

New provisions were added for town forest fire wardens regarding deputy wardens, city wardens (where woodlands exist within city limits), and the ability of municipalities without fire departments to contract with neighboring departments to designate a warden.

The Technical Rescue Grant Program is no longer administered by a multi-member working group (which included legislative members, a fire department representative, and an EMS representative). Instead, the USAR Team program manager directly reviews applications, awards grants, and administers the Program. This removes legislative members from the grant decision process.

New explicit grant award limitations are added: maximum $5,000 per applicant per fiscal year and $25,000 total program spending per fiscal year. While these amounts appeared in the old version, they are now in a dedicated subsection with clearer structure.

New application scoring criteria are specified: alignment with program priorities, operational need, geographic service area, feasibility of the proposed project, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability of the applicant's services.

Town forest fire warden reporting deadline is shortened from two weeks to 48 hours after extinguishment of a fire. The term 'permission' is replaced with 'permit' throughout the open burning provisions, and 'State fire warden' is clarified as 'State Forest Fire Warden.'

A new annual reporting requirement is added: the USAR Team program manager must submit a written report to both legislative committees by November 15 summarizing grant awards, outcomes, and program recommendations. Grant recipients must also submit final expenditure reports, proof of purchase or training completion, and a narrative description.

New Section 2a amends the USAR Team statute (20 V.S.A. section 50) to add three new duties: negotiating agreements with municipalities that maintain swiftwater or technical rescue teams, coordinating USAR Team participation in search and rescue operations, and administering the Technical Rescue Grant Program.

Section 6 (20 V.S.A. section 51) is entirely deleted. This section had required the Division of Emergency Management to assist municipalities with access to a statewide river observation and modeling system and a statewide enhanced weather forecasting and alert system, including accessible communication channels for individuals with disabilities.

Disability inclusion language is significantly revised. Specific references to 'disability-led organizations' are replaced with the broader term 'whole community.' The requirement that regional emergency management committees include 'an individual with lived disability experience representing a disability-led organization, appointed by the Vermont Council for Independent Living' as a voting member is removed. A new definition of 'whole community' is added to 20 V.S.A. section 2.

New provisions allow municipalities without a fire department to contract with a neighboring fire department or fire district to designate the chief as town forest fire warden. Private fire departments providing suppression services may also have their chief serve as town forest fire warden when approved by the municipality.

Town forest fire wardens now receive an additional $10.00 annually for each fire report submitted under section 2644, in addition to the existing $30.00 annual payment and $30.00 per diem for training attendance.

The Land Mobile Radio network funding of $4.5 million was extended from a two-year period to a three-year period, with new specific deliverables added: statewide conceptual design, proof-of-concept pilot projects, and build-out or improvement of 10 or more radio sites including equipment and antenna deployment.

A new provision allows the Department of Public Safety to request authorization from the General Assembly to use any remaining monies after the three-year Land Mobile Radio period ends.

The Ready Response Grant Program appropriation was reduced from $1,000,000 to $500,000 for fiscal year 2027.

Explicit appropriations for the Urban Search and Rescue Team ($720,000) and Vermont Access Network ($540,000) were removed from the bill entirely.

The Technical Rescue Grant Program funding ($25,000) was removed as an explicit appropriation; the program now operates contingent on availability of sufficient funds within the Department of Public Safety.

The emergency and all-hazards media in 15 languages (previously $70,163 from the General Fund) was restructured as a duty of the Agency of Administration to support the Vermont Language Justice Project, made contingent on availability of agency funds rather than an explicit appropriation.

A new reporting requirement was added requiring the Department of Public Safety to submit written reports to legislative committees on expenditure of Land Mobile Radio funds by May 1, 2027, January 15, 2028, and January 15, 2029.