Severe weather events are becoming increasingly common due to climate change, and the cost of home insurance is rising across the country as a result. On Wednesday, the New Hampshire House Committee on Commerce and Consumer Affairs voted unanimously in favor of a bill that would create a release valve for certain homeowners facing high premiums, though the funding channel for the program is still unclear.

Senate Bill 562, from prime sponsor and Salem Republican Sen. Daryl Abbas, would create the Granite State Home Mitigation and Resiliency Program. As requested by the New Hampshire Insurance Department, the program would create grants of up to $9,500 for home improvement projects to make structures more resilient to the effects of severe weather.

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