EXPLANATION: To establish a Dam Repair Assistance Fund

Amend the bill, as and if amended, Part IB, Section 55, DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, page 416, after line 32, by adding an appropriately numbered proviso to read:

/(DES: Dam Repair Assistance Fund)_Of the funds appropriated for System Upgrades beginning with the FY 2024-25 Appropriation Act, there is established within the Department of Environmental Services a Dam Repair Assistance Fund. The interest-bearing fund shall be utilized for cost-sharing grants to correct dam deficiencies identified by the Department for high and significant hazard dams regulated under the Dams and Reservoir Safety Act. A grant of up to seventy-five percent (75%) of the total cost to correct the dam deficiency identified by the Department may be paid from the fund. Funds may also be used by the Department to administer and manage the grant program. Fund balances shall be carried forward from each prior fiscal year into the current fiscal year and used for the same purpose. System Upgrades appropriations remaining from the FY2023-24 Appropriation Act shall also be deposited into the Fund. The Department shall draft policies, criteria, and guidance for the grant program by October 15, 2024. This will be posted on the Department's website. /

Amend totals and titles to conform.