(a) Funds shall be appropriated by the Legislature to the Alabama Statewide Emergency Notification System Fund within the recovery fund for the purposes of establishing, implementing, maintaining, and operating the system, and, thereafter, shall be appropriated annually by the Legislature for continuous maintenance and operation of the system. Funding for the system may also be derived from gifts, federal grants, other appropriations from the Legislature, fees and contributions from users, or any other sources permitted by law. Any disbursement from the Alabama Statewide Emergency Notification System Fund shall be authorized in advance by the committee.
(b) Within three months after the Legislature appropriates funds for the system, the committee and the State Emergency Management Agency shall jointly develop requirements and specifications for the system. The State Emergency Management Agency shall provide administrative and technical assistance to the committee.
(c) Any procurement paid in whole or in part with funds from the Alabama Statewide Emergency Notification System Fund shall comply with Article 2, Chapter 16, Title 41, or other law, as applicable.
(d) The State Emergency Management Agency shall serve as the awarding authority for any procurement paid in whole or in part with funds from the Alabama Statewide Emergency Notification System Fund and upon recommendation of the committee, may purchase, lease, acquire, or otherwise implement the system to serve citizens and state and local emergency management agencies.
(e) The committee shall submit an annual report to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Senate Minority Leader, the House Minority Leader, the Chair of the Senate General Fund Committee, and the Chair of the House General Fund Committee detailing all expenditures in the previous fiscal year, the operation of the program, and its role in Alabama's overall system of preparation, response, and recovery from emergency situations.
Last modified: May 3, 2021