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Panel adopts limited 'state of preparedness' language, removes disaster‑fund provision

House Public Safety Subcommittee No. 2 · February 12, 2026

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Summary

The subcommittee amended and reported House Bill 11 89 to add a 15‑day 'state of preparedness' declaration allowing pre‑deployment of resources while striking a proposed disaster fund; VDEM supported the change and the amended bill passed 7–0.

House Bill 11 89, presented by Delegate O'Quinn, would add a lower‑tier "state of preparedness" declaration that allows the governor to pre‑position resources ahead of imminent disasters without declaring a full state of emergency. The declaration would expire after 15 days and automatically terminate if a state of emergency is later declared.

Caitlin Barbieri of the Virginia Department of Emergency Management described the bill as an agency measure and said the preparedness tier would allow localities to access assessments and responses without triggering the higher political or public alarm of a full emergency. Rob Bohannon, representing local emergency management personnel, said the mechanism would help get resources on the ground earlier.

Committee members expressed two recurring concerns: public panic from early emergency declarations and the problem of 'fatigue' if declarations are overused. To address budgetary and procedural concerns, members voted to strike the Cardinal Disaster Relief Fund language from the bill and keep the preparedness authority. The amended bill was reported 7–0.

Next steps: the amended bill proceeds out of subcommittee; stakeholders said further coordination across agencies will be required for implementation guidance.