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FISCAL NOTE
Senate Bill 284
Committee: State Governmental AffairsSponsor: Senator Clyde Chambliss
Analyst: JT Mathis Date: 05/10/2023
Senate Bill 284 as introduced would establish a dam safety program within the Alabama
Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) to provide loans for the alteration or repair
of state-owned and certain privately owned dams and reservoirs. This bill would require ADEM
to: 1) establish a Dam Rehabilitation Loan Program or partner with other public and private
entities to create a revolving fund; 2) create a public repository for dam related documents such
as inspections, emergency action plans, construction plans and maps; and 3) enforce loan
contracts. Per ADEM, this will increase the department’s administrative and financial
obligations by an estimated $200,000 annually to hire two full-time employees to administer the
dam safety program.
This bill further provides for the dam safety program to be initially funded by the Legislature
and subsequently funded by additional monies appropriated by the Legislature, payments of
principal and interest collected by ADEM from the Dam Rehabilitation Loan Program, provided
for by this bill, and monies directed to the program by the Legislature and for all remaining
funds unexpended at the end of the fiscal year to be reappropriated to the program.
Additionally, this bill would increase the administrative obligations of the local and municipal
governments that participate in the program by an undetermined amount to provide the
necessary dam related documents to ADEM, and to have the dam or reservoir inspected a
minimum of once every two years by a qualified engineer.