EXECUTIVE ORDER 01.01.2024.31
Strengthening the State of Maryland’s Resilience Strategy
A. Maryland Chief Resilience Officer and Office of Resilience. The Chief Resilience Officer (“CRO”) and the Office of Resilience (“the Office”) within the Department of Emergency Management (“the Department”) provide strategic direction and coordinate resilience efforts within State government.
(1) Responsibilities. The responsibilities of the Office include:
a. The responsibilities outlined in Maryland Code, Public Safety Article §§ 14-1201 through 1204;
b. Through the Department Secretary, providing advice and recommendations to the Executive branch and State agencies regarding the statewide resilience strategy;
c. Maintaining a list of Agency Resilience Liaisons within State government;
d. Serving as the central coordinating Office for resilience-related funding opportunities, investments, risk analysis, and plans; and
e. Maintaining a list of all resilience, climate change, hazard mitigation, or related commissions, councils, work groups, task forces, study groups, or other advisory bodies, and their missions, responsibilities, and authorities within the Executive Branch.
(2) Executive Branch Support. To be successful, the CRO and Office requires the support and cooperation of each State agency and department.
a. Each principal Executive Branch department, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the Maryland Insurance Administration shall:
i. Designate an Agency Resilience Liaison consistent with section B of this Order and provide the point of contact to the Department of Emergency Management.
ii. Provide support and advice to the Office of Resilience in developing risk-based communication for communities and residents of Maryland.
iii. Provide subject matter expertise and share data on natural hazard and climate change risks and predicted impacts to Maryland.
iv. Provide guidance to assess development patterns in sea level rise hazard zones and other climate–related risk areas.
v. Support the Office in the development and implementation of the Maryland 2-, 5-, and 10-year resilience plans, including but not limited to the following areas:
a) Developing risk-based and evidence-based strategies to mitigate natural hazard risk to housing, the environment, critical infrastructure including transportation, Maryland’s workforce, Maryland’s business owners including small, women- and minority-owned businesses, local governments including school systems, and our communities including those most vulnerable to natural hazards and those that have historically borne the brunt of natural hazards including the impacts of flooding, extreme heat, and winter storm impacts.
b) Reviewing current building code adoption across the state, evaluate the impact that building code adoption has on community resilience, jobs, property values, and tax revenues, and assess what investments may support the increased adoption of updated building codes that are responsive to climate–related risks.
c) Developing plans for resilience investments that reflect environmental justice considerations and mitigate natural hazard impacts to historically underserved communities
d) Advising on updating and implementing building codes to reflect evidence-based mitigation strategies for natural hazard risks
e) Providing subject matter expertise and guidance on resilience policy, best practices, data and evidence-based strategies which will make Maryland a more resilient State
vi. Support the Office in conducting outreach and providing technical assistance to local jurisdictions interested in developing local resilience plans by, including but not limited to:
a) Aiding municipalities in securing design grants to increase neighborhood resilience;
b) Providing guidance to assess development patterns in sea level rise hazard zones and other climate–related risk areas;
c) Developing dynamic scoring models and evaluation tools to assist with planning and capture of future impacts on different community support functions;
d) Developing consumer–focused campaigns to educate the public on the importance of resilience building to homeowners, renters, and businesses and to instruct on what consumers should consider when evaluating properties, insurance, investments, and other related topics.
vii. Provide an annual update listing all resilience, climate change, hazard mitigation, or related commissions, councils, work groups, task forces, study groups, and their missions, responsibilities, and authorities within each agency.
B. Agency Resilience Liaisons
(1) Each principal Executive Branch department, the Maryland Energy Administration, and the Maryland Insurance Administration shall designate an Agency Resilience Liaison that will:
a. Serve as the primary point of contact for resilience-related efforts for the Department or Agency;
b. Receive and promptly address inquiries, requests, or concerns related to resilience;
c. Provide regular updates to the Office regarding activities within the Department or/Agency that address Maryland’s resilience; and
d. Cooperate with and collaborate with the CRO and Office to provide subject matter expertise and Departmental/Agency perspective on resilience-related matters.
(2) The University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, Harry R. Hughes Center for Agro-Ecology, and the Maryland Environmental Service shall cooperate, consult, and otherwise assist the CRO and ARLs.
(3) The CRO shall ensure collaboration, information sharing, and strategic guidance for the ARL program.
(4) The CRO and ARLs shall meet at least biannually to provide the CRO with advice and recommendations about State resilience policies and practices related to resilience by:
a. Evaluating current resilience strategies and investments across State government;
b. Developing comprehensive statewide, all-hazards resilience goals and implementation strategies
c. Evaluating existing commissions, councils, work groups, task forces, study groups, and their missions, responsibilities, and authorities within each agency, identifying redundancies, and making recommendations to streamline state resilience policy efforts.
d. Recommending a coordinated plan for investment of resilience-related funding which prioritizes investment for underserved and highest-risk communities for all hazards facing the State.
(5) The CRO shall determine the meeting agenda.
C. The Department shall be responsible for the implementation of this executive order.
D. Nothing in this Executive Order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect the authority granted by law to an Executive Department or Agency.
E. This Executive Order shall be implemented in a manner that is consistent with all applicable statutes and regulations. Nothing in this Executive Order shall operate to contravene any State or federal law or to affect the State’s receipt of federal funding.
F. If any provision of this Executive Order is held invalid, or its application to a person, event or circumstances is held invalid by any court of competent jurisdiction, all other applications or provisions of the Executive Order shall remain in effect to the greatest extent possible without the invalid provision or application. To achieve this purpose, the provisions of this Executive Order are severable.
Effective Date: September 4, 2024.
