Committee green lights safe room rebate bill
Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, testifies Thursday about Senate Bill 11 during a Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee meeting. A high-res version can be found here.
FRANKFORT — In an effort to help Kentuckians build weather-safe rooms in their homes, Senate Bill 11 was given the green light Thursday by the Senate Veterans, Military Affairs and Public Protection Committee.
The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Stephen Meredith, R-Leitchfield, said the proposed residential safe room rebate program would minimize deaths associated with growing tornadic activity throughout the commonwealth.
“I think that all of us have to recognize that weather patterns have changed over the last decade, and Kentucky is now part of a tornado alley, so to speak,” he said. “In fact, over the last decade we would average between 21 and 28 tornadoes a year. In 2024, we had 55 tornadoes during that period.”
The legislation calls for a pilot program to help Kentuckians build residential safe rooms. It would establish a safe room rebate fund to provide rebates of 50% of the costs incurred in constructing or installing a residential safe room, not to exceed $5,000.
The rooms must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency and International Code Council standards, and they must be open to communities during emergencies.
Meredith said the mayor in Morgantown, Mayor Billy Phelps, sparked his interest in the measure. The community received a large grant for a community storm shelter, but Phelps recognized that it’s difficult for some residents in rural areas to travel great distances to a community shelter.
The average residential storm shelter safety room costs approximately $10,000, and homeowners would be reimbursed for the shelters after agreeing to allow others in the area to use them. Additionally, there could be standalone shelters, Meredith said.
“If you had $200,000, you could actually build 40 storm shelters. It certainly addresses the uniqueness of rural issues – of travel distance and sparsely populated areas,” he said.
Meredith said staff from the Kentucky League of Cities and the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management helped create the legislation.
Sen. Gary Boswell, R-Owensboro, said the idea behind the shelters is good, but he thinks the cost to build a shelter could exceed $10,000. He asked Meredith about the total cost of the proposal.
Meredith said it’s possible an appropriation would be sought after the current legislative session, but not now.
“We’re trying to set the framework to build this fund so that we can accept donations, and we even think that possibly in the future that FEMA may allow us to use the funding that has been for historically the big community rooms,” he said.
Sen. Gary Clemons, D-Louisville, asked who would be responsible to ensure communities have access to the shelters, and Meredith said the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management would take the lead.
Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, asked Meredith about shelter capacity.
Meredith said the capacity number varies, but he believes it’s approximately 12 people to a shelter.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, voted for the bill and explained his vote.
“If you have ever watched Wizard of Oz, what’s everybody do; they all run to the shelter together. Something so basic that we help each other – that you would probably do on your own – all these years later, we’re having to codify. But I do appreciate the work,” he said.
Senate Bill 11 passed out of committee on a 10-0 vote and advances to the full Senate.
