Janet Mills wants to ensure Maine is ready for the next big storm

The first bill sponsored in Maine’s 132nd Legislature is a measure to help the state prepare for and respond to major storms.

Gov. Janet Mills, with support from both Democrats and Republicans, introduced resources and tools that can help support businesses and communities react to potential damage from inclement weather.

The bill is sponsored by Democratic Senate President Mattie Daughtry, Democratic House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, Senate Republican leader Trey Stewart and Republican House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham.

The bill would establish the Home Resiliency Program, which would provide grants up to $15,000 for homeowners to make improvements that would help mitigate storm impacts. The Maine Bureau of Insurance would oversee the $15 million program.

Mills also seeks to invest in Maine Emergency Management Agency resources, using special revenue funds from the Bureau of Insurance. The investments would fund communication technology upgrades, as well as providing financial support for ongoing disaster investigations.

“Last year, my Administration and the Legislature made the largest investment in storm recovery and resilience in Maine history,” Mills said in a Tuesday statement.

“That funding was significant, but it’s clear that it was only a down payment on the critical recovery and resilience work Maine must do to prepare our people and communities for the storms we know will become more frequent and intense in the years ahead.”

In the past two years, Maine communities have suffered devastation from storms that battered the state with high winds, unseasonable rainfall and intense flooding. Some pier owners are still rebuilding from storms that struck in December 2023.

The legislation would also establish a State Resilience Office, funded through a five-year grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, that would focus on strategies to reduce flood and storm damages to public and private infrastructure.

Financial support for the projects would be taken from federal funding and already existing fees processed by the Bureau of Insurance, rather that from the general state budget.