04/28/1995 05:30 PM House MLV

 HB 322 - GRANTS FOR HOUSING DURING DISASTER                                 
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN KOTT announced the next bill to be heard would be HB
.  He asked Mr. Morrison to continue his testimony.                        
                                                                               
 Number 137                                                                    
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON stated HB 322 has been introduced to improve the               
 administration for temporary housing during state declared disaster           
 emergencies.  This legislation was introduced during the 1994                 
 legislative session as HB 421, and passed the House on March 14,              
 1994, by a 40 to 0 vote.  It died in Senate Rules Committee at the            
 end of the 1994 legislative session.  This bill is slightly                   
 different from the exact language of the bill but the intent is               
 clear.  It has been modified to conform to the last version of the            
 bill that came out of the Senate Finance Committee with one minor             
 change.  The state's current procedure for people who need to be              
 relocated, due to the disaster, is the staff of the Division of               
 Emergency Services arranges for and leases the temporary housing.             
 In Federally declared disasters, the Federal Emergency Management             
 Agency (FEMA) has a tool at their disposal to issue grants to those           
 individuals to make their own housing arrangements.  This is a lot            
 more efficient and exposes the government to less liability.                  
 Additionally, it is less of an intrusion into the personal lives of           
 the people effected by the disaster.                                          
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON stated the intent of HB 322 is to give the state the             
 ability to issue grants for temporary housing similar to the                  
 methods used by the feds in federal declared disasters.  The                  
 language changed in the Senate Finance Committee in 1994, ensures             
 in statute that there is an offset to make sure that we do not pay            
 people twice if they are receiving funds from FEMA or private                 
 insurance.  The language states as a condition of accepting the               
 grant, the recipient shall agree to repay the state for any                   
 assistance in the event that the recipient is reimbursed from any             
 other source.  It requires a coordination of benefits so they do              
 not get paid twice for the same services.                                     
                                                                               
 Number 192                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN KOTT asked how would you check if a person who receives           
 a state grant does not get paid by an insurance company.                      
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON replied we would not have a problem in coordinating              
 with FEMA for the federal grants.  With a private insurance                   
 company, we would have the person sign a certification saying they            
 would repay the state.  We would have to audit the individuals to             
 insure that did not take place.                                               
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN KOTT asked if the grant application would identify if             
 the person had private insurance and if that person would be                  
 seeking reimbursement.                                                        
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON replied that he was not aware if that is on the grant            
 application, it is in the procedures of the temporary housing                 
 program.  The Division of Emergency Services has a separate plan              
 just for temporary housing and it is in that procedure that items             
 are not paid for if it is covered by private insurance.                       
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN asked what the upper cap on the grant is.                         
 MR. MORRISON replied the grant is not limited by a dollar amount,             
 it is limited by time.  He said 18 months is the maximum that a               
 person can be provided for temporary housing under a state                    
 disaster.                                                                     
                                                                               
 Number 230                                                                    
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES asked if this gets in the way of how the                
 division responds to emergencies.                                             
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON replied that this is just an additional tool.  The               
 best way to respond to disasters would be selected by the people              
 managing the disaster and would depend on the nature of the                   
 disaster.  This does not mandate that grants be made in every case            
 but enables the division to use it when appropriate.                          
                                                                               
 REPRESENTATIVE DAVIES asked what kind of conditions are in grant              
 applications.  He asked if there are there reporting requirements             
 and if they have to submit receipts.                                          
                                                                               
 MR. MORRISON replied that he is sure that there will be those type            
 of requirements.  These conditions are required under the federal             
 grant process.  The state does not have this program, that is the             
 intent of this bill.  Under the federal grant program, a person               
 applies for a fixed dollar amount based on estimated expenditures             
 over a three month period.  The cases are reviewed every three                
 months and adjustments can be made at that time.                              
                                                                               
 Number 250                                                                    
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN REPRESENTATIVE IVAN moved to pass HB 322 out of                   
 committee with individual recommendations and the attached fiscal             
 note.                                                                         
                                                                               
 CO-CHAIRMAN KOTT asked if there was an objection.  Hearing none,              
 the HB 322 was moved out of committee.