Virginia Law

A. The Department of Emergency Management (the Department) shall create a comprehensive tabulated annual report, known as the Virginia Comprehensive Emergency Management Report (the Report), that shall include the annual Threat Hazard Identification Risk and Assessment (THIRA) report that the Department submits to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as information on the following:

1. The current readiness of Virginia's search and rescue efforts;

2. The jurisdictions that received financial assistance during the prior fiscal year because they were located in an area declared to be in a state of emergency, but not declared to be a major disaster area for which federal assistance was provided, and the amount each such jurisdiction received;

3. The status of the Commonwealth's emergency shelter capabilities and readiness;

4. All assets received during the prior fiscal year as a result of a law-enforcement seizure and subsequent forfeiture by either a state or federal court and their estimated net worth;

5. The forfeiture of federal grant funding by any state agency that is required to return such funding as a result of not fulfilling the specifications of a grant;

6. The results of the annual statewide drill conducted by the Governor in accordance with § 44-146.17:2 in preparation for a potential large-scale disaster;

7. The number and types of training and exercises related to man-made and natural disaster preparedness that were conducted by the Department, the costs associated with such training and exercises, and the challenges and barriers to ensuring that state and local agencies are able and ready to respond to emergencies and natural disasters;

8. The mandates administered by state agencies and imposed on local governments, an estimate of the fiscal impact of the mandates on the affected local governments, and a written justification as to why the mandate should or should not be eliminated;

9. The status of continuity of operations programs, plans, and systems of the Commonwealth's executive branch agencies. Such plans shall include a description of how the agency or institution of higher education will continue to provide essential services or perform mission essential functions during a disaster or other event that disrupts normal operations;

10. The state of the Commonwealth's emergency prevention, protection, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts and the resources necessary to implement them; and

11. The status of emergency management response plans throughout the Commonwealth and other measures taken or recommended to prevent, respond to, or recover from disasters, including acts of terrorism. Information submitted in accordance with the procedures set forth in subdivision 14 of § 2.2-3705.2 shall not be disclosed unless:

a. It is requested by law-enforcement authorities in furtherance of an official investigation or the prosecution of a criminal act;

b. The agency holding the record is served with a proper judicial order; or

c. The agency holding the record has obtained written consent to release the information from the Department.

B. The State Coordinator of Emergency Management shall compile and submit the Report to the Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security, and shall provide copies to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Finance and Appropriations, the Senate Committee for Courts of Justice, the House Committee on Appropriations, and the House Committee on Public Safety, by November 1 of each year. All state and local agencies of the Commonwealth shall provide information and assistance to the State Coordinator of Emergency Management, upon request.

C. The Report may, with the concurrence of the Governor, include sensitive information, which shall be excluded from disclosure in accordance with subdivisions 2, 3, 4, and 6 of § 2.2-3705.2 and which, if revealed publicly, would jeopardize or compromise security plans and procedures in the Commonwealth designed to protect (i) the public or (ii) public or private critical infrastructure. Any sensitive information presented to any committee of the General Assembly shall be discussed in a closed meeting as provided in subdivision A 19 of § 2.2-3711.

2019, c. 615.