Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB564 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0564
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 564
8	8	E4, P1 5lr2868
9	9	CF 5lr1989
10	10	By: Senators Hester and Salling
11	11	Introduced and read first time: January 23, 2025
12	12	Assigned to: Budget and Taxation
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Catastrophic Event Account – Transfer of Funds – State Disaster Recovery Fund 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of authorizing the transfer of funds from the Catastrophic Event Account 3
21	21	to the State Disaster Recovery Fund under certain circumstances; altering the 4
22	22	number of days the Legislative Policy Committee has to review and make comments 5
23	23	before the Governor may transfer certain funds from the Account through budget 6
24	24	amendment; and generally relating to the transfer of funds from the Catastrophic 7
25	25	Event Account. 8
26	26
27	27	BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 9
28	28	Article – Public Safety 10
29	29	Section 14–110.5(a) 11
30	30	Annotated Code of Maryland 12
31	31	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 13
32	32
33	33	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 14
34	34	Article – Public Safety 15
35	35	Section 14–110.5(f) 16
36	36	Annotated Code of Maryland 17
37	37	(2022 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 18
38	38
39	39	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 19
40	40	Article – State Finance and Procurement 20
41	41	Section 7–324 21
42	42	Annotated Code of Maryland 22
43	43	(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 23
44	44
45	45	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 24
46	46	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 25
47	47
48	48	Article – Public Safety 26 2 SENATE BILL 564
49	49
50	50
51	51
52	52	14–110.5. 1
53	53
54	54	(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 2
55	55
56	56	(2) “Fund” means the State Disaster Recovery Fund. 3
57	57
58	58	(3) “Local Disaster Declaration” means a formal request for State disaster 4
59	59	relief and recovery assistance made as a result of an emergency by the senior elected official 5
60	60	through the local organization for emergency management. 6
61	61
62	62	(f) (1) The Governor may include in the annual budget bill an appropriation 7
63	63	to the Fund. 8
64	64
65	65	(2) The Fund shall consist of: 9
66	66
67	67	(i) money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 10
68	68
69	69	(ii) MONEY TRANSFERRED TO THE FUND FROM THE 11
70	70	CATASTROPHIC EVENT ACCOUNT IN ACCORDANCE WITH § 7–324 OF THE STATE 12
71	71	FINANCE AND PROCUREMENT ARTICLE; 13
72	72
73	73	(III) repayments of principal and interest from loans made from the 14
74	74	Fund; 15
75	75
76	76	[(iii)] (IV) reimbursements from the federal government or other 16
77	77	legal entities for disaster recovery assistance expenditures made from the Fund; 17
78	78
79	79	[(iv)] (V) interest earnings of the Fund; and 18
80	80
81	81	[(v)] (VI) any other money from any other source accepted for the 19
82	82	benefit of the Fund. 20
83	83
84	84	Article – State Finance and Procurement 21
85	85
86	86	7–324. 22
87	87
88	88	(a) (1) In this section[,] THE FOLLOWING WORDS HAVE THE MEANINGS 23
89	89	INDICATED. 24
90	90
91	91	(2) “Account” means the Catastrophic Event Account. 25
92	92
93	93	(3) “FUND” MEANS THE STATE DISASTER RECOVERY FUND 26
94	94	ESTABLISHED UNDER § 14–110.5 OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY ARTICLE. 27
95	95	SENATE BILL 564 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	(b) Subject to the provisions of this section, the Account is established to enable 1
99	99	the State or a local government to respond without undue delay to a natural disaster or 2
100	100	other catastrophic situation, or federal employee financial hardship from a full or partial 3
101	101	federal government shutdown due to a lapse in federal appropriations that cannot be taken 4
102	102	care of within the resources of existing appropriations. 5
103	103
104	104	(c) The Governor may provide an appropriation in the budget bill to the Account. 6
105	105
106	106	(d) (1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, after a [15–day] 5–DAY 7
107	107	review and comment period by the Legislative Policy Committee, the Governor may 8
108	108	transfer funds by budget amendment from the Account to: 9
109	109
110	110	(I) the expenditure accounts of the appropriate unit of State 10
111	111	government or unit of local government; OR 11
112	112
113	113	(II) SUBJECT TO SUBSECTIO N (E)(2)(II) OF THIS SECTION , THE 12
114	114	STATE DISASTER RECOVERY FUND. 13
115	115
116	116	(2) If the federal government is in a full or partial shutdown due to a lapse 14
117	117	in appropriations, after a 2–day review and comment period by the Legislative Policy 15
118	118	Committee, the Governor may transfer funds by budget amendment from the Account to 16
119	119	the Federal Government Shutdown Employee Assistance Loan Fund established under § 17
120	120	7–327 of this subtitle. 18
121	121
122	122	(e) Funds appropriated to the Catastrophic Event Account: 19
123	123
124	124	(1) may not be used to offset operating deficiencies in regular programs of 20
125	125	State government; but 21
126	126
127	127	(2) (I) may be expended to assist a unit of State government or unit of 22
128	128	local government in funding costs in connection with a natural disaster, a catastrophic 23
129	129	situation, or a full or partial federal government shutdown due to a lapse in appropriations; 24
130	130	AND 25
131	131
132	132	(II) MAY BE TRANSFERRED T O THE STATE DISASTER 26
133	133	RECOVERY FUND IF: 27
134	134
135	135	1. THE BALANCE OF THE FUND HAS BEEN DEPLETE D 28
136	136	DUE TO USE OR TRANSF ER; OR 29
137	137
138	138	2. THE ESTIMATED COSTS FOR PROVIDING ADEQUA TE 30
139	139	DISASTER RELIEF FOR A NATURAL DISASTER O R CATASTROPHI C SITUATION ARE IN 31
140	140	EXCESS OF THE FUND’S BALANCE. 32
141	141	4 SENATE BILL 564
142	142
143	143
144	144	(f) (1) The Account is a continuing, nonlapsing fund which is not subject to § 1
145	145	7–302 of this subtitle. 2
146	146
147	147	(2) The Treasurer shall separately hold, and the Comptroller shall account 3
148	148	for, the Account. 4
149	149
150	150	(3) The Account shall be invested and reinvested in the same manner as 5
151	151	other State funds. 6
152	152
153	153	(4) Any investment earnings shall be subject to § 7–311(d) of this subtitle. 7
154	154
155	155	(g) Money appropriated to the Account does not revert to the Revenue 8
156	156	Stabilization Account. 9
157	157
158	158	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 10
159	159	1, 2025. 11
160	160