Senate committee reviews H.935 to expand emergency grants and modernize wildland fire duties

The Senate Committee on Government Operations on April 14 reviewed H.935, an emergency management bill that would create two new grant programs, revise forest fire‑warden statutes, and authorize funding for statewide public‑safety communications and language access.

Tim Dutton, appearing as a bill sponsor/witness and identifying himself as "Tim Dutton, West Village Council," summarized the measure as creating a Ready Response Grant program to allow the Division of Emergency Management to "award an annual grant to an eligible food bank to source, store, and distribute shelf‑stable, ready‑to‑eat foods and bottled water" and a Technical Rescue Grant program to "assist rescue agencies in improvement of operational readiness and investment in specialized equipment." He said the Technical Rescue grants would be limited to about $5,000 per award, not to exceed $25,000 in total for the program as drafted.

Several witnesses and committee members probed the bill’s fiscal impact. The chair flagged a large number read from the section‑by‑section materials and asked for a fiscal note; Dutton acknowledged money‑committee amendments had changed…