State may fund detailed school maps for emergency responders

The Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection may offer grants for school mapping services. Municipalities and municipal police departments may apply for mapping services for one or more schools in the municipality or the area served by the police department. The department may run the program only within available funding. The program may operate for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, and each fiscal year after that. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Grant-funded school maps must meet specified standards and be shared with schools and emergency responders. These requirements apply to mapping data provided through the grant program for each school being mapped. Maps must work with school and public safety software without extra software purchases or access fees. Maps must be printable, verified through a walk-through, and include accurate floor plans, aerial images, labeled building and site features, and grid coordinates. After the initial production cost, the maps must be provided at no added cost and remain permanently available to the school board and responding public safety agencies.

The department must publish program information and report grant activity to lawmakers. The department must publish the grant criteria, forms, and deadlines and report to the legislative committee responsible for public safety and security. The annual report must include the number of applications and grants, and list the municipalities and police departments that received mapping services. The department must post the program information by October 1, 2026. Its first annual report is due by January 1, 2028, and reports are due annually after that.