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Committee hears HB 830 to create $10,000 emergency cost‑share pilot for private landowners
Summary
House Bill 830 would create a $10,000 cost-share pilot (state pays $7,500; owner matches $2,500) administered by conservation districts to provide rapid help after localized natural events; proponents argued it fills a gap where federal/state aid is too slow or unavailable.
Representative Jane Weber, sponsor of House Bill 830, told the House Local Government Committee the bill establishes an "emergency quick response assistance" pilot to help ranchers, farmers and private landowners recover from localized natural events such as microbursts, floods, windstorms and wildfires. Under the pilot, a landowner outside an incorporated municipality could access up to $10,000 in contracted assistance with a 25% match. "So really it's a match with $7,500 from the state and $2,500 by the landowner," Weber said.
Weber explained the program would be triggered when county commissioners sign an emergency resolution and notify the local conservation district; the conservation district would administer contracts and funds and would not give money directly to landowners. "No money would go directly to the landowner," she emphasized, saying districts are experienced in administering contracts and reporting requirements.
Proponents included ranchers, conservation district supervisors, county commissioners and tribal representatives who described past storms and fires where quick, local help would have made a substantial difference. Gracie Holzheimer described lost fencing and downed trees near her cabin after a storm and said local matching funds could have paid for loggers to remove dangerous debris. County commissioners and conservation-district officials said counties can clear public rights-of-way but lack statutory authority to do private-land work, so the pilot fills a legal and operational gap.
Informational witnesses from the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) and the state's disaster-and-emergency services division answered questions about eligibility, funding cadence and interaction with insurance and federal programs. Sponsor and witnesses stressed the pilot is for immediate short-term response (first days to weeks) and not intended to replace insurance or long-term federal recovery programs.
Committee questions covered administration, criteria for declaring a localized emergency, first-come-first-served allocation (example discussed: $1 million per quarter with unspent funds rolling forward), and whether the program could be used for multiple landowners in a contiguous incident. The sponsor asked for a "due pass" and said she would provide amendment language clarifying that conservation districts, not county commissions, hold the cost-share agreements.
The hearing closed with committee discussion to follow up; committee did not take final executive action on HB 830 that day.
