Federal assistance for individual or family disaster-related expenses

(a) Whenever the President, at the request of the Governor, has declared a major disaster to exist in this state, the Governor is authorized: (1) Upon the Governor's determination that financial assistance is essential to meet disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals or families adversely affected by such disaster that cannot be otherwise adequately met from other means of assistance, to accept a grant by the federal government to fund such financial assistance, subject to such terms and conditions as may be imposed upon the grant; (2) to enter into an agreement with the federal government, or any officer or agency of the federal government, pledging the state to participate in the funding of the financial assistance authorized in subdivision (1) of this subsection, in an amount not to exceed twenty-five per cent of such financial assistance and, if state funds are not otherwise available to the Governor, to accept an advance of the state share from the federal government to be repaid when the state is able to do so. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of law or regulation, the Governor is authorized to make financial grants to meet major disaster-related necessary expenses or serious needs of individuals or families adversely affected by a disaster that cannot otherwise adequately be met from other means of assistance, that shall not exceed in the aggregate the maximum payment established by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to an individual or family in any single disaster declared by the President. (c) The Governor shall make such regulations as are necessary for carrying out the purposes of this section, including, but not limited to, standards of eligibility for persons applying for benefits; procedures for application and administration; methods of investigation, filing and approving applications; and formation of local or state-wide boards to pass upon applications and procedures for appeals. (d) Any person who fraudulently or wilfully makes a misstatement of fact in connection with an application for financial assistance under this section shall, upon conviction of each offense, be subject to a fine of not more than five thousand dollars, or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.