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The Tennessee Conservative [By Olivia Lupia] –
Republican Senator Page Walley (Dist. 26- Bolivar) has filed the first bill touching on disaster relief for the upcoming legislative session, aiming to create a grant program for local governments where catastrophic disasters have occurred.
SB0042 would create the State Disaster Relief Program to be administered by the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) allowing counties to request grants from the program to aid in the cost of responding to a disaster.
The bill creates specific criteria a county must meet to request the funds, including the requirement of a state of emergency being declared in the county, and the damages from the disaster must fail to meet the threshold for federal relief funds.
Should TEMA approve the county’s request, the locality may then use the funds to repair government-owned infrastructure, implement emergency measures to save lives and protect property, and remove debris from public land or waterways. A county could not receive more than $250,000 in grant disbursements per fiscal year.
While the subject of disaster relief is of great import, especially in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s destruction in Eastern Tennessee, this bill’s language could raise questions regarding its necessity or issues of redundancy.
According to the TEMA website, the Public Assistance Branch of the agency already administers assistance grants to local governments, state agencies, and nonprofit organizations, “in an effort to help disaster impacted areas rebuild.” The grant funds include activities like debris removal efforts, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of certain public structures and infrastructure.
TEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Branch also administers three types of grants to local governments, state government agencies, and nonprofits. These grants help disaster areas rebuild into a “more resilient state” and fund projects like “property buyouts in floodplains, creating tornado safe spaces, developing flood control projects, constructing hazard mitigation plans and studies, and retrofitting structures to withstand seismic events.”
Walley’s bill does not specify how SB0042’s proposed grants will differ from the grants already in existence and only states the funds required to annually replenish this new grant supply will come from those that have been, “specifically allocated for the program in the general appropriations.”
SB0042 also appears to closely mirror a bill he sponsored last year, SB1660, using nearly identical language throughout.
The “Natural Disaster Relief Program” made significant progress through the 2024 legislature but was ultimately placed behind the budget and removed from a committee calendar in the House, a death knell for most bills.
Senator Walley has not been particularly popular with conservatives in the past as his voting record has included such highlights as supporting illegal immigration, voting in favor of allowing doctors to permit abortions for their patients, working against laws preventing red flag gun laws, voting against government transparency, and killing a state sovereignty measure.
Walley also receives almost 54% of his campaign finance contributions from special interest groups according to the Tennessee Legislative Report Card. It is therefore unknown if this disaster relief bill will truly fulfill its stated purposes or if there are underlying ulterior motives by one of Tennessee’s RINOs.
Olivia Lupia is a political refugee from Colorado who now calls Tennessee home. A proud follower of Christ, she views all political happenings through a Biblical lens and aims to utilize her knowledge and experience to educate and equip others. Olivia is an outspoken conservative who has run for local office, managed campaigns, and been highly involved with state & local GOPs, state legislatures, and other grassroots organizations and movements. Olivia can be reached at olivia@tennesseeconservativenews.com.
