HB 5116 Summary

• Creates the Air Quality Enforcement and Mitigation (AQEM) Fund within the state treasury to receive all civil and administrative fines collected under the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

• Directs 30% of AQEM fund money toward Department of Environmental Quality staffing and functions benefiting environmental protection communities, including air pollution mitigation, air monitoring, and compliance improvement programs.

• Allocates 70% of AQEM fund money to grants for nonprofit entities, local health departments, local environmental departments, and school districts for air pollution mitigation, health impact assessments, and community education programs in affected areas.

• Requires the Department of Environmental Quality to establish an air quality community impact grant program with rules developed in consultation with an advisory committee including public health experts, environmental justice representatives, and residents of environmental protection communities.

• Mandates identification of "environmental protection communities" experiencing disproportionate environmental burdens within 150 days of decennial census data availability and annual public reporting of grant awards.