HF 2511 (LSB 5780HV (3) 91)

HOUSE FILE 2511

BY  COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY

(SUCCESSOR TO HF 2158)

(As Amended and Passed by the House 2026-02-25)

A BILL FOR

An Act relating to statewide resilience planning, including the development, implementation, and periodic updating of an Iowa state resilience plan.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

    Section 1.  NEW SECTION.  463.1  Definitions.
   For purposes of this chapter:
   1.  “Critical assets” includes all of the following:
   a.  Transportation assets and evacuation routes, including airports, bridges, bus terminals, ports, major roadways, highways, railways, marinas, rail facilities, and railroad bridges.
   b.  Critical infrastructure, including wastewater treatment facilities and lift stations, storm water treatment facilities and pump stations, drinking water facilities, water utility conveyance systems, electric production and supply facilities, solid and hazardous waste facilities, military installations, communications facilities, and disaster debris management sites.
   c.  Critical community and emergency facilities, including schools, colleges, universities, community centers, correctional facilities, disaster recovery centers, emergency medical service facilities, emergency operation centers, fire stations, health care facilities, hospitals, law enforcement facilities, local government facilities, logistical staging areas, affordable public housing, risk shelter inventory, and state government facilities.
   d.  Natural, cultural, and historical resources, including agricultural lands, conservation lands, parks, shorelines, surface waters, wetlands, and historical and cultural assets.
   2.  “Regionally significant assets” means critical assets that support the needs of communities spanning multiple geopolitical jurisdictions, including water resource facilities, regional medical centers, emergency operations centers, regional utilities, major transportation hubs and corridors, airports, and seaports.
    Sec. 2.  NEW SECTION.  463.2  Iowa state resilience plan.
   1.  By December 31, 2028, the Iowa flood center established under section 466C.1 shall develop and adopt an Iowa state resilience plan in coordination with the department of transportation, economic development authority, department of homeland security and emergency management, department of agriculture and land stewardship, department of natural resources, and any other stakeholder deemed relevant by the Iowa flood center.
   2.  The goals of the Iowa state resilience plan are to accomplish the following:
   a.  Protect against the loss of life and property by providing for hazard mitigation and long-term disaster recovery.
   b.  Effectively incorporate future hazard, demographic, and development conditions into all state programs addressing built and natural infrastructure at risk from flooding, anticipated changes in water supply, and other natural hazards.
   c.  Identify priority projects to increase resilience across the state.
   d.  Establish a strategy to allocate state and federal funding that support the execution of projects and goals outlined in the plan.
   e.  Be a guide to state and local resilience policy.
   3.  The Iowa state resilience plan shall include all of the following:
   a.  A statewide risk assessment that includes, to the extent practicable, all of the following:
   (1)  A gap analysis of state and local government capacity to adequately evaluate and address the factors that increase hazard risk, including risks associated with flooding and anticipated changes in water supply.
   (2)  Temporal, seasonal, and spatial variability projections of at least thirty years for flooding, water supply, and the other top natural hazards identified in the state hazard mitigation plan.
   (3)  An analysis of local mitigation and post-disaster redevelopment plans and their regional impact.
   (4)  An analysis of present and potential losses, including all of the following:
   (a)  Land subsidence.
   (b)  Property inundation.
   (c)  Natural and built infrastructure failures.
   (d)  Natural resource degradation as a result of flooding.
   (e)  Anticipated changes in water supply.
   (f)  Other top natural hazards identified in the state hazard mitigation plan.
   (5)  The economic impact of best available extreme weather projections on the state’s resources, including all of the following:
   (a)  Forestry.
   (b)  Agriculture.
   (c)  Water.
   (d)  Soil health.
   (e)  Wildlife.
   (f)  Hunting.
   (g)  Other natural resources.
   (h)  Infrastructure.
   (i)  Economic productivity and security.
   (j)  Education.
   (k)  Public health.
   (6)  An analysis of historic and projected development in known and projected hazard areas, including areas under threat from flooding, anticipated changes in water supply, and other top natural hazards identified in the state hazard mitigation plan.
   b.  An inventory of critical assets, including regionally significant assets, that includes an outline of each asset’s condition, capacity, and present and potential losses from flooding, anticipated changes in water supply, and the other top natural hazards identified in the state hazard mitigation plan.
   c.  A methodology for prioritizing both state-funded resilience projects and projects funded by state-administered federal programs. The methodology shall include:
   (1)  Consideration of project cobenefits, including multihazard risk reduction, economic development, ecosystem services, and tourism and recreational opportunities.
   (2)  Regional considerations, including demography, income, geography, and proximity to critical assets.
   (3)  Consideration of upstream and downstream impacts of riverine projects on communities and local ecology.
   d.  A prioritized list of all ongoing, planned, and proposed resilience projects funded or administered by the state that includes all of the following:
   (1)  The cost of each project.
   (2)  A quantification of the total funding needed statewide.
   e.  Recommendations for voluntary methods, to decrease risks and adverse impacts associated with flooding, anticipated changes in water supply, and natural hazards as identified in the statewide risk assessment, including all of the following:
   (1)  Strategies for overcoming identified gaps in state and local government capacity to address hazard risk, including all of the following:
   (a)  Community education and communication concerning local hazard risk reduction.
   (b)  Improvement of coordination of hazard risk reduction efforts across state agencies.
   (c)  Operations and maintenance for existing projects.
   (d)  Technical assistance and other support to local governments.
   (2)  Statutory or regulatory remedies for managing risk.
   (3)  Expected implementation timelines, agency involvement, and implementation costs for each action or remedy.
   (4)  Existing and potential funding sources for facilitating resilience planning and projects.
   (5)  Possible cobenefits associated with resilience actions.
   (6)  Plans for integrating recommended approaches to risk reduction into existing state strategies for hazard mitigation, environmental protection, and economic opportunity and development.
   f.  Metrics for tracking, reporting progress to state and local policymakers, and updating the Iowa state resilience plan.
   4.  On completion of the Iowa state resilience plan, the Iowa flood center shall deliver the plan to the governor, the general assembly, and the department of homeland security and emergency management.
   5.  The Iowa flood center shall deliver a report to the governor and general assembly by December 31, 2029, and every two years thereafter. The report shall include all of the following:
   a.  A summary of the progress made on recommendations and identified projects in the plan during the previous two calendar years.
   b.  Updated recommendations based on the information gathered by the Iowa flood center, if applicable.
   c.  Strategies to increase resilience in the state, including identifying potential funding sources for those strategies.
   6.  The Iowa flood center, in coordination with the department of transportation, economic development authority, department of homeland security and emergency management, department of agriculture and land stewardship, department of natural resources, and any other stakeholder deemed relevant by the Iowa flood center, shall update the Iowa state resilience plan every five years or sooner.