Virginia HB 517 (2022): Flood Resilience and Protection

Virginia House Bill 517, enacted in 2022, revised the duties and recodified the statues concerning the Chief Resilience Officer (CRO) position, which was originally codified in state law in 2020 through HB 1313.

HB 517 repealed the previous statutory section governing the CRO, formally situating the CRO within the Secretariat of Natural and Historic Resources. The bill elaborated on some important CRO duties. In addition to the role and duties established by HB 1313 in 2020, HB 517 assigned the CRO a new suite of duties, including: (1) serving as the primary point of contact for all flooding-related pre-disaster hazard mitigation; (2) coordinating a whole-of-government resilience strategy across executive agencies; (3) creating and overseeing the Virginia Flood Protection Master Plan and the Virginia Coastal Resilience Master Plan; (4) coordinating the dissemination of best available science, legal guidance, and planning strategies to the public; and (5) preparing a biennial resilience status report beginning July 1, 2023, which evaluates risks to critical infrastructure and must be developed in coordination with the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. 

HB 517 repealed the former statutory structure and created a new VA Code §2.2-220.5. These provisions were subsequently built on by HB 1458.

 

Publication Date: May 27, 2022

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  • State of Virginia

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  • Laws

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