A bill creating a grant program to assist local governments with costs of responding to extreme weather events passed out of the House and is now scheduled for hearing in the Senate. HB 1012 would task the Washington Military Department with creating an extreme weather response grant program for communities with a demonstrated lack of resources to address community needs, especially for those communities seeking to secure funding for programs that will benefit vulnerable populations.

The grant funds could cover costs associated with:

• Warming and cooling centers.
• Transporting people and their pets to warming and cooling centers.
• Supplies needed to cool congregate living settings.
• Providing emergency temporary housing.
• Retrofitting or establishing pet friendly facilities within warming and cooling centers.
• Other things that are necessary for life safety during extreme weather events, including in situations where wildlife smoke creates severe air quality.

AWC supports this bill.

Dates to remember

HB 1012 is scheduled for public hearing in the Senate State Government & Elections Committee at 1:30 pm on Tuesday, March 14 and for a vote in the same committee on Friday, March 17 at 8 am.