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Fallon County DES urges rejection of House Bill 34, readies EMPG and AFN updates
Summary
Fallon County Department of Emergency Services staff told commissioners they oppose House Bill 34, outlined plans to apply for EMPG funds and described updates to the AFN annex of the county emergency operations plan.
Amanda, a Fallon County Department of Emergency Services staff member, told the Fallon County Commission on Jan. 27 that local emergency managers oppose House Bill 34 because it would create a new state-controlled disaster fund that, in her view, reduces eligibility for smaller local co-ops and trims the amount available to communities.
She said, "house bill 34 is not a good bill," and described concern that a state-managed pot could cut local availability and grant local coordinators out of eligibility.
The DES update also covered Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) applications, which Amanda said are opening and that she would spend much of the following day preparing applications. She said county staff had participated in a three-hour AFN (access and functional needs) tabletop with state officials and planned language updates to the AFN annex of the county Emergency Operations Plan.
Why it matters: EMPG funds pay local emergency-management coordinators and support preparedness activities. Changes to the structure or control of a state disaster fund could shift how and which local projects receive money, and could affect staffing or equipment at the local level.
Details and context
Amanda said several local and regional emergency-management entities — including NEEMAS — had discussed HB34 and planned to lobby against it because, in her description, the bill would let the state decide which projects qualify and might exclude smaller "mom-and-pop" co-ops from assistance. She also noted that last year EMPG funding was reduced when federal COVID-related funding ended, increasing funding pressure this year.
On planning, Amanda said the AFN annex work is not finished but that the county has identified changes it wants to make following the tabletop exercise. She described EMPG application preparation as a priority for the immediate term.
No formal county action was taken during the report; the item was an informational staff update to the commission.
Ending
Amanda asked whether commissioners had questions; none were recorded. The commission recessed shortly afterward to continue its agenda.
