SB346INTRODUCED
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SB346
G3NTA2C-1
By Senator Livingston
RFD: Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Development
First Read: 24-Apr-25
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5 G3NTA2C-1 04/21/2025 AI EBO JT EBO-2025-59
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First Read: 24-Apr-25
SYNOPSIS:
The Alabama Resilience Council was established
by Executive Order No. 736 to provide a forum for
coordinating activities of state government and for
facilitating interactions between state government and
the private sector to proactively address harmful
impacts on Alabama communities and infrastructure
before they occur.
This bill would permanently establish the
Alabama Resilience Council as an appointed advisory
group within the executive branch of state government.
This bill would also provide for the rules,
duties, and procedures of the council.
This bill would also authorize appointment of,
and provide for the responsibilities of, a Chief
Resilience Officer.
This bill would also require a statewide
resilience plan and statewide comprehensive risk and
vulnerability assessment.
A BILL
TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
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To create the Alabama Resilience Council as an
appointed advisory group within the executive branch of state
government, and to provide for the rules, duties, and
procedures of the council; to authorize appointment of, and
provide for the responsibilities of, a Chief Resilience
Officer; to require a statewide resilience plan and statewide
comprehensive risk and vulnerability assessment .
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA:
Section 1.The Legislature finds and declares the
following:
(a) The protection of human life and property is a
fundamental responsibility of the state government.
(b) Alabama is susceptible to various natural and
manmade disaster events, posing threats to the safety of its
citizens, integrity of its infrastructure, prospects for its
economic growth, and maintenance and protection of its unique
natural resources. These threats also pose significant fiscal
and operational risks to functions of the state and local
government.
(c) Resilience is the capacity of individuals,
communities, businesses, and systems to anticipate, prepare
for, adapt to, and rapidly recover from adverse events.
Resilience is guided by five principles: individual
responsibility; collective continuity and function; factual
assessment of risk; integrated resilience efforts; and focused
support.
(d) The Alabama Resilience Council established by
Executive Order No. 736, May 5, 2023, has examined resilience
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Executive Order No. 736, May 5, 2023, has examined resilience
policy needs to address current and future adverse events, and
based on its findings, Alabama would benefit from a lasting,
comprehensive approach to resilience.
(e) Coordinated statewide resilience efforts and
development of a statewide resilience plan would be most
effective under a single designated Chief Resilience Officer
to coordinate activities of the Alabama Resilience Council.
Section 2.(a) Commencing upon the governor’s revocation
of Executive Order No. 736, the Alabama Resilience Council
shall be created as an appointed advisory group within the
executive branch of state government for the purpose of
coordinating resilience-related activities of state government
and for facilitating interactions between state government and
the private sector to proactively address harmful impacts on
Alabama communities and infrastructure before they occur.
(b) The voting members of the council shall consist of
the Governor or his or her designee and the head of the
following agencies or their designees:
(1) The Alabama Department of Agriculture and
Industries.
(2) The Alabama Department of Commerce.
(3) The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources.
(4) The Alabama Department of Economic and Community
Affairs.
(5) The Alabama Department of Environmental Management.
(6) The Alabama Department of Finance.
(7) The Alabama Department of Insurance.
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(7) The Alabama Department of Insurance.
(8) The Alabama Department of Public Health.
(9) The Alabama Department of Transportation.
(10) The Alabama Emergency Management Agency.
(11) The Alabama Forestry Commission.
(12) The Alabama Geological Survey.
(13) The Alabama Military Department (i.e., the
National Guard).
(14) The Alabama Office of Information Technology.
(15) The Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency.
(16) Additional voting members as appointed by the
Governor.
(c) The non-voting members of council shall consist of
representatives from the following entities:
(1) The Alabama Soil and Water Conservation Committee.
(2) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
(3) The National Weather Service.
(4) The United States Army Corps of Engineers.
(5) The United States Economic Development
Administration.
(6) The United States Forest Service.
(7) The United States Small Business Administration.
(8) Additional non-voting members as appointed by the
Governor.
(c) The council membership shall be inclusive and
reflect the racial, gender, geographic, urban, rural, and
economic diversity of the state.
Section 3.The duties of the Alabama Resilience Council
shall be as follows:
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shall be as follows:
(a) Develop strategies to guide statewide resilience
efforts by prioritizing objectives reflecting pressing
resilience challenges. To this end, the council shall
regularly convene government and private-sector stakeholders
with different perspectives and interests to facilitate
planning across jurisdictions and sectors and thereby to avoid
cascading failures. The council shall develop principles to
guide the work of state government in carrying out its
resilience initiatives.
(b) Assist the Chief Resilience Officer in the
development, maintenance, and implementation of the statewide
resilience plan.
(c) Enhance community awareness to prepare for, and
protect against, hazards; to enable greater understanding of
personal risks; to educate residents of the state about how to
mitigate risks; and to increase knowledge of resources
available for mitigation efforts.
(d) Solicit participation of the private sector in
programs to collectively strengthen the resilience of
businesses and communities. The council shall engage the
private sector to reduce costs from lost productivity and
pursue joint, public-private efforts to avoid infrastructure
damages.
(e) Improve the public’s ability to assess risk
management alternatives by reducing the complexity of risk
information for non-technical audiences, by generating and
sharing reliable information that helps decisionmakers
identify and select risk-reduction alternatives, and by
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identify and select risk-reduction alternatives, and by
providing guidance about assistance programs and funding
opportunities based on needs, cost effectiveness, feasibility,
potential resources, and returns on investment.
(f) Pursue and support federal and state policies and
programs that promote innovative and flexible solutions for
achieving individual, community, and statewide resilience. To
this end, the council shall engage the support and assistance
of government agencies, professional associations, businesses,
private citizens, non-profit organizations, and interested
parties.
(g) Provide support and assistance in the preparation
and maintenance of the state hazard mitigation plan, as
contemplated by the federal Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000,
42 U.S.C. § 5121, et seq., or successor federal statute;
provided that the Alabama Emergency Management Agency shall be
responsible for administrative maintenance and day-to-day
execution of the plan.
(h) Identify and pursue funding through federal, state,
and private opportunities to promote resilience in the State
of Alabama.
Section 4.(a) The council shall be led by a Chair,
Vice-Chair, Co-Chairs, or other leadership positions from
within the membership on the council. Leadership positions
shall be appointed by the Governor and shall serve at the
pleasure of the Governor.
(b) The council shall develop, adopt, and maintain
bylaws governing its activities; provided the bylaws are
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bylaws governing its activities; provided the bylaws are
consistent with the provisions of this Act. At its discretion,
the council may establish working groups or subcommittees.
(c) The council shall meet at least twice each year and
may meet more frequently upon the call of the chair, subject
to the Open Meetings Act. Members of the council may
participate in a meeting of the council by means of telephone
conference, video conference, or similar communications
equipment by means of which all individuals participating in
the meeting may hear each other at the same time.
Participation by electronic means shall constitute presence in
person at a meeting for all purposes.
(d) Members of the council shall serve without
compensation except members who are public officials or public
employees may elect to receive the per diem and travel
allowance authorized by state law for persons traveling on
official state business.
(e) Administrative support shall be provided by the
council’s appointed leadership and the Chief Resilience
Officer.
Section 5. (a) The Governor may appoint a Chief
Resilience Officer to coordinate the activities of the council
established pursuant to Section 2 and lead the development,
maintenance, and implementation of the Resilience Plan. The
Chief Resilience Officer shall serve at the pleasure of the
governor.
(b) The duties of the Chief Resilience Officer shall be
as follows:
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as follows:
(1) Conduct a comprehensive inventory of Alabama’s
resilience assets.
(2) Identify areas of collaboration among state
agencies, areas of overlap, and potential shareable resources.
(3) Review resilience programs from both inside Alabama
and among comparable states.
(4) Engage state agencies to examine how to best
collect, organize, analyze, and communicate data in ways that
advance Alabama’s resilience principles.
(5) Identify and enhance state agency knowledge of
statewide resilience efforts.
(6) Identify and pursue funding through federal, state,
and private opportunities to promote resilience in the State
of Alabama.
Section 6. (a) The Chief Resilience Officer shall
develop, maintain, and implement a statewide resilience plan,
with the general oversight and leadership of the council. The
plan shall include the following components:
(1) Statewide Comprehensive Risk and Vulnerability
Assessment. The plan will evaluate the impacts of extreme
weather and disasters. It will assess current and future risks
across various hazards using historical data and future
scenarios while factoring in land and water management
practices. The assessment will examine effects on communities,
infrastructure, the economy, and the environment.
Additionally, a vulnerability assessment will identify the
social, economic, and environmental systems most at risk. It
will analyze risk exposure, potential costs, and impacts on
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will analyze risk exposure, potential costs, and impacts on
state assets, government functions, local economies, and
critical natural systems.
(2) Resilience Actions. The plan will provide a
prioritized list of resilience actions to address
vulnerabilities, detailing their benefits, costs, and
implementation timeline. Priority shall be given to actions
that effectively mitigate the impacts of future disasters,
particularly those that provide multiple co-benefits, such as
enhancing environmental stewardship, economic stability, or
public health. Resilience actions that incorporate or restore
natural features to achieve risk mitigation benefits shall
also be prioritized, provided they are cost-effective and
demonstrate long-term advantages over alternative approaches.
The plan will also outline how these actions align with
existing efforts by state agencies, local governments, and
other entities, ensuring they complement the state hazard
mitigation plan.
(3) Implementation Strategy. The plan will include an
implementation strategy outlining how resilience actions will
be enacted, funded, and tracked. It will define roles,
responsibilities, timelines, and metrics while prioritizing
actions for high-risk vulnerabilities. The strategy will also
support partnerships, provide technical assistance, and ensure
public access to data for planning and decision-making.
(b) The initial plan shall be completed within two
years of the Governor appointing a Chief Resilience Officer
and shall be reviewed and updated at least every two years
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and shall be reviewed and updated at least every two years
thereafter to ensure its continued effectiveness and
relevance.
Section 7.This act shall become effective on October
1, 2025.
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