(a) Whenever the Governor proclaims a disaster emergency under the laws of this state, or the President declares an emergency or a major disaster to exist in this state, the Governor is authorized: (1) To enter into purchase, lease, or other arrangements with any agency of the United States for temporary housing units to be occupied by disaster victims and to make such units available to any political subdivision of the state; (2) to assist any political subdivision of this state which is the locus of such housing to acquire sites necessary for such housing and to do all things required to prepare such sites to receive and utilize such housing units by: (A) Advancing or lending funds available to the Governor from any appropriation made by the legislature, or from any other source, (B) “passing through” funds made available by any agency, public or private, or (C) becoming a copartner with the political subdivision for the execution and performance of any temporary housing for disaster victims' project and for such purposes to pledge the credit of the state on such terms as he deems appropriate, having due regard for current debt transactions of the state; (3) under such regulations as he shall prescribe, to temporarily suspend or modify for not to exceed sixty days any public health, safety, zoning, transportation or other requirement of law or regulation within this state when by proclamation he deems such suspension or modification essential to provide temporary housing for disaster victims.

(b) Any political subdivision of this state is expressly authorized to acquire, temporarily or permanently, by purchase, lease, or otherwise, sites required for installation of temporary housing units for disaster victims, and to enter into whatever arrangements, including purchase of temporary housing units and payment of transportation charges, which are necessary to prepare or equip such sites to utilize such housing units.

(c) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to limit the Governor's authority to apply for, administer, and expend any grant, gifts, or payments in aid of disaster prevention, preparedness, response or recovery.

(d) “Major disaster”, “emergency” and “temporary housing” as used in this section have the same meanings as the terms are defined, or used, in the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-288, 88 Stat. 143).

(P.A. 75-643, S. 5; P.A. 14-122, S. 140; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 49.)

History: P.A. 14-122 made technical changes in Subsec. (d); June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (a) to delete reference to contingency fund established by Sec. 4-84, effective July 1, 2015.