HB 2190

This bill creates (i) the office of resilience and (ii) the resilience task force to contribute to all statewide planning efforts related to resilience and risk mitigation and develop a strategic statewide resilience plan to protect the state from climate threats . OFFICE OF RESILIENCE This bill provides that t he office of resilience is to be administratively attached to the governor's office and has the following duties and responsibilities:  Coordinate the resilience task force and provide strategic direction for governmental resilience initiatives to build long-term climate resilience for a robust, vibrant economy, sustainable natural environment, healthy communities, and an equitable and just transition to the future climate.  Establish an inter-department resilience coordination team, and in collaboration, a statewide resilience plan and framework to facilitate coordination across resilience plans at all levels of government.  Provide technical guidance and assistance or support to departments and local and regional jurisdictions to integrate statewide resilience goals into future projects, plans, and programs, and to foster intermunicipal cooperation.  Establish a means of tracking progress toward statewide goals on climate resilience.  Identify and develop policies necessary to implement a statewide resilience plan and risk mitigation strategy.  Establish and maintain a website to facilitate the functions and duties of the office.  Establish and maintain a principal office and other offices within the state as the office may deem necessary.  Appoint a secretary, counsel, clerks, and other employees and agents as it may deem necessary, fix compensation within the limitations provided by law, and prescribe duties.  Require that state and municipal departments, agencies, public authorities, task forces, commissions, or other state or municipal government bodies provide, and the same are hereby authorized to provide, such assistance, documents, and data as will enable the office to carry out its functions and duties. This bill provides that t he head of the office is the chief resilience officer , who is appointed by the governor and who holds office at the pleasure of the governor. The chief resilience officer has the following duties and responsibilities:  Employ or allocate the necessary staff, and request the assistance of personnel of state or municipal departments or agencies, to carry out the functions, powers, and duties.  Manage the office, the budget for the office, and related functions.  Review and reconcile department comments on federally sponsored resilience and risk mitigation activities to develop and present an official state position.  Represent the policy and consensus viewpoint of this state at the federal, regional, state, and local levels with respect to resilience and risk mitigation.  Monitor and seek available funds to support resilience priorities, including coordinating cross-department federal funding applications for community resilience projects.  Provide strategic direction for inter-department and cross-disciplinary initiatives to build resilience, in collaboration with other relevant resilience task force and entities, for the purposes of climate resilience planning and goal development, tracking and reporting progress on climate resilience goals, and public engagement on climate resilience issues.  Appraise the adequacy of statutory and administrative mechanisms for coordinating the state's policies and programs at both the intrastate and interstate levels, and between federal, state, and local governments, with respect to resilience and risk mitigation.  Develop intrastate or intergovernmental agreements to formalize coordination roles for regional resilience projects.  Appraise policy barriers to meet the goals of the state with respect to resilience and risk mitigation.  Serve as a subject-matter expert for the state on issues related to resilience and risk mitigation and provide recommendations to the general assembly and United States congress with respect to policies, programs, and coordinating mechanisms relative to resilience and risk mitigation.  Assist with the state's planning efforts, including, a statewide resilience plan, a state hazard mitigation plan, and other relevant state and regional plans for which there is a state interest, to ensure the incorporation and alignment of the state's resilience goals and objectives into a unified, proactive, pre-disaster approach to adaptation and near-, mid-, and long-term resilience.  Serve as a clearinghouse for the benefit of municipalities regarding information relating to flooding, extreme heat, and other risk prevention and mitigation, including impact prevention and mitigation project funding programs, and other information relating to common problems with respect to these hazards and the state and federal services available to assist in solving related problems.  Take other actions consistent with the law as deemed necessary to carry out duties and responsibilities. RESILIENCE TASK FORCE Within the office of resilience , this bill establishes a resilience task force to provide strategic direction to resilience efforts across the state and make recommendations to the office. The task force is composed of the following individuals:  The chief resilience officer, who serves as chair and represents the views of the inter-department resilience coordination team.  The commissioner of environment and conservation or the commissioner's designee.  The commissioner of safety or the commissioner's designee.  The commissioner of economic and community development or the commissioner's designee.  The secretary of state or the secretary's designee.  The commissioner of finance and administration or the commissioner's designee.  The commissioner of health or the commissioner's designee.  The chair of the state energy policy council or the chair's designee.  The commissioner of transportation or the commissioner's designee.  The commissioner of agriculture or the commissioner's designee.  A member of the general public with expertise in resilience planning selected by the governor. This bill requires e ach department included in the resilience task force, and any other departments , to (i) be included in resilience planning as designated by the chief resilience officer or resilience task force, (ii) appoint a resilience coordinator to work with the chief resilience officer to ensure resilience is integrated into department missions and priorities, and (iii) otherwise coordinate with the chief resilience officer. The coordinators serve on the inter-department resilience coordination te am, and each coordinator is appointed with the exclusive role of focusing on climate resilience through the respective department's mission and activities. This bill requires t he inter-department resilience coordination team to maintain awareness, communication, and alignment with regard to the state's resilience and risk mitigation needs, progress, and priorities and to oversee development of the statewide resilience plan by ( i) meeting upon the call of the chief resilience officer, with a minimum of four meetings annually; (ii) developing strategic plans for departments and collaborate in the development of a statewide resilience plan; and (iii) developing and implementing a plan for public engagement, reviewing key products of the statewide resilience plan, and tracking and reporting progress. This bill requires t he chief resilience officer to convene the first meeting of the inter-department resilience coordination team on or before the 19 th day after July 1, 2026. STATEWIDE RESILIENCE PLAN In order t o coordinate and strengthen efforts to reduce losses from future disasters across the state, this bill requires the office of resilience to contribute to all statewide planning efforts related to resilience and risk mitigation and develop a strategic statewide resilience plan to protect the state from climate threats. The plan must be developed using the best available science to identify, implement, or reform policies, projects, and programs to achieve the office's goals and objectives; and prioritize nat ural, nature-based, and non-structural approaches to mitigate climate threats wherever possible. PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND REPORTING This bill requires t he resilience task force to develop a statewide resilience plan and hold at least six public meetings on the draft plan that include periods for public comment, including two meetings in each of the state's grand divisions. The task force must allow at least 120 days for public co mment, and provide meaningful opportunities for public comment from all segments of the population that will be impacted by the plan, including persons living in disadvantaged communities. Beginning July 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter, this bill requires the office of resilience to complete and submit an updated statewide resilience plan to the governor and the legislative librarian and make the plan publicly available.