St. Paul – On Monday, January 26, 2015, the House of Representatives passed Senate File 1, a bill that provides $17 million for recovery efforts to areas of the state damaged by floods and heavy rains in the summer of 2014. The bill covers 47 counties including Washington County.
“The flood relief bill was of critical importance, and I’m pleased it was fast-tracked through the legislative process, passing unanimously,” said Rep. Fenton. “As a co-author on this bill, I knew that parts of Washington County desperately needed these vitally important funds to cover necessary repairs.”
Statewide flooding that occurred last June and July was severe enough to elicit a federal disaster declaration. Senate File 1 enacts unspent dollars from past natural disaster bills in 2011 and 2012 and also includes $2.2 million in new spending.
Additionally, the legislation includes federal money matches including $13 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency as well as smaller disaster appropriations from the Department of Transportation and the Board of Water and Soil Resources. It also provides $5 million in state-only relief from Minnesota’s recently created natural disaster contingency fund.
The bill passed unanimously in both the Minnesota House and Senate.
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