MACo Legislative Director Kevin Kinnally yesterday submitted testimony to the Senate Education, Health, and Environmental Affairs Committee in support of SB 901 Public Safety – Emergency Management – Resilient Maryland Revolving Loan Fund. This bill provides counties and nonprofit organizations with valuable funds for community resilience projects.

From the MACo Testimony:

SB 901 establishes the Resilient Maryland Revolving Loan Fund to provide low- or no-interest loans for local resilience projects that address mitigation of all hazards, including natural disasters. The bill clarifies that allocations from the Fund should supplement, not supplant, funding for local resiliency projects.

Local governments often face challenges accessing capital and financing for community resilience projects and justifying the upfront costs to taxpayers. Building resilience, a long-term need, competes for limited local resources against other, more immediate priorities – like education, public health, public safety, and other essential services – and determining and communicating long-term benefits can be challenging.

SB 901 provides counties with another “tool in the toolbox” to implement flexible and sustainable solutions to protect public health, the economy, and the environment.

Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2021 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.