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Proposal to create Delaware state disaster recovery fund draws support, no funding yet
Summary
Senator Huxley introduced SB 310 to establish a state disaster recovery fund and Recovery Advisory Council administered by DEMA and DSHA; witnesses and agency officials said the bill creates a flexible framework but currently carries no funding or fiscal note. The American Red Cross urged lawmakers to adopt the framework to speed housing recovery after disasters.
Senate Bill 310, introduced by Senator Huxley, would establish a state disaster recovery fund and a Recovery Advisory Council to administer separate DEMA recovery and DSHA housing recovery programs to help residents and local governments after disasters not fully covered by federal assistance.
"There's currently no state program available in Delaware to support families displaced by extreme events not covered by federal disaster services," Senator Huxley said, and described the proposal as intended to reduce long-term dependency on federal aid and to improve response times.
AJ Schultz (identified in testimony as director of the emergency management agency) told the committee that the bill creates a framework but does not include an initial appropriation. "At this time, no," he said when asked whether funding was attached, adding that the framework would give the state a mechanism to respond more rapidly when federal assistance is delayed or denied.
Vanessa Collins, DSHA's emergency management coordinator, described program-creation under the fund as the key to flexibility: qualifiers and delivery mechanisms would be set at the program level so aid could take multiple forms (direct assistance, grants to nonprofits, housing repair programs) tailored to the disaster's needs.
Theresa Young, executive director for the American Red Cross, testified in support and said experience shows that when states engage early in recovery and have funds available, communities return to normal faster. "The sooner you have the dollars, the sooner you can move your people to housing," she said.
Speakers cited a FEMA Review Council recommendation that states consider holding disaster recovery funds; committee members probed eligibility (insured vs. underinsured residents), program priorities, and potential funding sources but were told specifics would be set when the fund is capitalized. No fiscal note or appropriation was attached in the materials provided during the hearing.
The committee took testimony from agency officials, DSHA, and nonprofit partners; no final committee vote or appropriation was recorded during this session.
