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April 22, 2025

Governor's legislation, sponsored by House and Senate Democratic and Republican leaders, will protect communities and infrastructure across Maine from effects of severe storms

Governor Mills today signed LD 1, landmark legislation she introduced with bipartisan legislative leadership to improve how Maine communities, homeowners, businesses, and emergency responders can prepare for, and ultimately withstand, the effects of severe storms.

The Senate unanimously enacted the bill earlier today, following overwhelmingly bipartisan support in the House and unanimous support from the Legislature's Housing and Economic Development Committee. The legislation, sponsored by Senate President Mattie Daughtry, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart, and House Minority Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham, is designed to enhance emergency planning at all levels of government, prepare communities and infrastructure for severe weather, and reduce long-term storm-related risks and costs for Maine homeowners and businesses.

"This legislation will improve the ability of Maine communities, homeowners, businesses, and emergency response leaders to plan for extreme weather -- making Maine a safer and more prepared state in the process," said Governor Janet Mills. "Last year, my Administration and the Legislature made the largest investment in storm recovery in Maine history -- but with our state's tight fiscal environment, and the current uncertainty around Federal support for disaster recovery, LD 1 ensures that critical efforts to prepare for severe storms can continue. I appreciate the strong bipartisan support for LD 1 in the House and Senate, and the support of House Speaker Fecteau, Senate President Daughtry, House Minority Leader Faulkingham, and Senate Minority Leader Stewart on this common-sense legislation to protect Maine people and communities."

"Today marks a pivotal moment for the future of Maine. It seems like every year we get 'once in a century storms.' With the successful passage of this bill, we are not only taking proactive steps to safeguard our communities from the increasing threat of storms but also ensuring that homeowners have the tools and resources they need to build stronger, more resilient homes," said Senate President Mattie Daughtry. "This legislation reflects our commitment to protecting our people, our resources, and our homes for generations to come. It also will ensure that Mainers will finally be able to prepare instead of constantly having to repair."

"LD 1 will make a real difference for Maine people as they prepare and protect their homes from severe weather," said House Speaker Ryan Fecteau. "I am pleased that the Legislature recognized the need to increase the resilience of our infrastructure, and look forward to the implementation of the programs outlined in this bill that will support Maine people, Maine communities, and Maine businesses in the years to come."

The bill does not rely upon the State's General Funds during this tight budget cycle, instead using $39 million in existing fee-based funding through the Bureau of Insurance and certain Federal funds to invest in critical storm resilience measures.

LD 1 builds on $60 million the Governor proposed and the Legislature approved last year to support the recovery and rebuilding of Maine communities and businesses following the severe storms of December 2023 and January 2024 -- the single largest investment in storm recovery by any Administration in Maine history.

Of that $60 million, the Mills Administration has awarded $21.2 million in resilience grants to help rebuild 68 working waterfronts, $25.2 million in grants for 39 communities to help them recover and build more resilient infrastructure, and $10 million to help businesses make storm-related repairs and strengthen infrastructure. The Governor also dedicated another $5 million to the Community Resilience Partnership to help communities plan for storm-related events.

All told, the Mills Administration and the Legislature have invested more than $100 million for storm relief and resilience in communities across Maine.

"No community in Maine is immune from the impacts of extreme weather, from wind and rain storms that knock out power, to flooded inland rivers and storm surges that wash out roads and damage homes, business, and infrastructure," said Hannah Pingree, Director of the Governor's Office of Policy Innovation and the Future. "LD 1 makes investments that Maine needs now more than ever. Increasingly frequent and intense storms are all but certain, while federal support for disaster response is not. I thank the Governor and the Legislature for their leadership on this bill, which builds a foundation for a more resilient Maine."

"This bill reflects months of hard work and collaboration to streamline state resilience efforts under one roof," said Rep. Amanda Collamore, a member of the Legislature's Housing and Economic Development Committee. "By working closely with the Mills Administration, we consolidated overlapping offices into the new Maine Office of Community Affairs, ensuring that our communities are better prepared, more efficient, and ready to meet the challenges of extreme weather head on."

"Western Maine knows all too well the devastation that extreme weather can inflict upon Maine communities already working tirelessly to meet the needs of their residents," said Sen. Rick Bennett, a member of the Legislature's Housing and Economic Development Committee. "This bipartisan bill will save lives and valuable taxpayer funds by limiting the toll that extreme weather takes on our people and infrastructure. I'm proud to be part this work by the Legislature and the Mills Administration to come together to better prepare Maine for its future."

LD 1, An Act to Increase Storm Preparedness For Maine's Communities, Homes & Infrastructure, invests $39 million in resilience measures across three areas, using surplus funds from the Maine Bureau of Insurance (BOI) and federal funds.

1. Home Resiliency Program: $15 million to launch the Home Resiliency Grant Program at BOI, to help homeowners to strengthen roofs or floodproof basements in their primary residence to protect against severe weather damage and reduce insurance losses. The program is tiered to provide more support to lower-income homeowners.
2. Enhanced Hazard Mitigation Resources and Statewide Communications: $10 million from one-time Other Special Revenue (OSR) funding from BOI for the Disaster Recovery Fund at the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), providing the state's required match for federal disaster recovery funds. The bill also includes $750,000 to establish the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund at MEMA, which will leverage additional federal funds to create a self-sustaining source of capital for infrastructure rebuilding and strengthening projects, and $800,000 to update emergency communications technology and early warning systems at MEMA.
3. State Resilience Office and Flood-Ready Maine Program: $9 million to launch the Flood Ready Maine initiative to improve flood models, updating flood maps, and building regional capacity for floodplain management. The program will be run by the new State Resilience Office, established by the bill, within the Maine Office of Community Affairs.

The Governor's legislation is modeled on recommendations from the Interim Report of the Maine Infrastructure (PDF) Rebuilding and Resilience Commission, released in November 2024. The initial, foundational recommendations reflect direct input from municipal leaders, county emergency management directors, engineers, and the public at listening sessions in Machias, Old Orchard Beach, Rumford and Mexico, Jay, Caribou, and Rockland about the challenges of responding to and preparing for extreme weather events.

The Commission will build on the recommendations to deliver the state's first infrastructure resilience plan in May.