Committee reviews draft amendment to H.397, expands flood bill into all‑hazards response and outlines buyout reimbursement plan

Legislative counsel Tucker Anderson told the Government Operations & Military Affairs Committee that draft 1.4 of the committee's amendment to H.397 retools the bill from a flood‑specific package into an all‑hazards response framework and includes new programs, staffing and appropriations.

The amendment proposed that Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) incorporate specified provisions into 20 VSA section 41 so the statewide emergency management plan requires collaboration with the chief recovery officer, regional planning commissions, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns and long‑term recovery groups; establishes municipal outreach and notification provisions; and requires training and technical support for municipal staff.

Anderson cautioned that several provisions were highlighted in the draft because they "are provisions that I have not been able to fully vet for their legal soundness yet," and that he had attempted to conform language to the Vermont Statutes Annotated but some sections may need tightening as the committee moves the amendment forward.

A central policy change in the amendment is a streamlined voluntary buyout program for flood‑prone properties. Under the draft, the Division of Emergency Management and Community Development (ACCD referenced in the draft) would establish the buyout program, allowing municipalities, at the request of property owners, to apply for funding to purchase flood‑prone properties at full fair…