Remember the tornados of 2021? So do Annapolis and Anne Arundel-based state lawmakers. They were never declared a disaster by local and federal officials. So it took longer for those who needed help to get financial aid. Annapolis state senator Sarah Elfreth is a co-author of Senate Bill 650, which would create a State Disaster Recovery Fund to provide disaster-related assistance to "units of local government for individuals and families and the repair or replacement of public facilities, and for low-interest or no-interest loans to businesses and nonprofits when a federal disaster declaration is not received; requiring the fund to provide disaster-related assistance for the unmet needs of individuals and families after a federal disaster declaration or in the event of a certain denial of federal assistance; etc."  

The bill will be heard in the state senate's In the Budget and Taxation committee, during a hearing on Thursday (Today) March 9 at 1 pm.