MN SF2566

Commissioner of public safety establishes a temporary subcommittee of the Minnesota Recovers Task Force to review and recommend improvements to the state's disaster mitigation, response, and recovery system, with focus on lower-level disasters not resulting in federal or state declarations.

Subcommittee membership must include representatives from six state departments, Housing Finance Agency, local and tribal governments, higher education, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, Minnesota Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers, interested legislators, and at least three disaster survivors with experience in nonfederally declared disasters; membership shall be racially and geographically diverse.

Subcommittee convenes by September 1, 2021, and submits findings and recommendations to the Minnesota Recovers Task Force and relevant legislative committees by February 15, 2023; subcommittee expires February 28, 2023, or upon report submission, whichever occurs first.

Commissioner of public safety awards grants to nonprofits and local government units to improve local disaster response and recovery, including volunteer coordinator and trainer hiring, with preference given to areas with less existing volunteer capacity.

General fund appropriations for fiscal year 2022 provided for subcommittee implementation, grants to nonprofit disaster service organizations for staff and operations, and local disaster response and recovery grants (amounts to be specified).