98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2013 and 2014
HB2866

 

Introduced , by Rep. Donald L. Moffitt

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Interstate Mutual Aid Act. Authorizes political subdivisions of the State to enter into mutual aid agreements with units of government from another state to provide for the coordination of communications, staging, training, and response to planned and unplanned events which a local jurisdiction has determined exceed, or are likely to exceed, its emergency response capabilities. Grants immunity from civil actions to persons acting pursuant to a mutual aid agreement. Also contains provisions concerning licenses, certifications, and employee benefits. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB2866LRB098 07931 JDS 38019 b

1    AN ACT concerning interstate mutual emergency aid.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Interstate Mutual Emergency Aid Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:
7    (a) "Emergency responder" includes, but is not limited to,
8emergency medical services personnel and firefighters,
9including firefighters trained in the areas of hazardous
10materials, specialized rescue, extrication, water rescue, and
11other specialized areas.
12    (b) "Mutual aid emergency" or "emergency" means an
13occurrence or condition resulting in a situation that poses an
14immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment,
15where the governmental entity having jurisdiction over the
16situation determines (i) that the situation exceeds its ability
17to render appropriate aid and (ii) that it is in the public's
18best interest to request mutual aid from an out-of-state entity
19with whom the governmental entity has a written mutual aid
20agreement. "Mutual aid emergency" or "emergency" does not
21include a situation that initially rises to the level of
22disaster or emergency requiring a state or local declaration of
23a state of emergency, unless that declaration occurs after the

 

 

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1initial request for mutual aid has been made.
 
2    Section 10. Mutual aid agreements. In order to more
3adequately address emergencies that extend or exceed a
4jurisdiction's emergency response capabilities, either without
5rising to the level of a state or local declaration of a state
6of emergency, or in the initial stages of an event which may
7later become a declared emergency, a political subdivision of
8this State, including, but not limited to, a county, city,
9village, township, or other unit of local government, or any
10combination thereof, may enter into a mutual aid agreement with
11one or more units of government from another state. The mutual
12aid agreement may provide for coordination of communications,
13staging, training, and response to planned and unplanned events
14which a local jurisdiction has determined exceed, or are likely
15to exceed, its emergency response capabilities. When engaged in
16training, staging, and emergency response in accordance with
17the mutual aid agreements, emergency responders from outside of
18this State are permitted to provide services within this State
19in accordance with this Act and the terms of the mutual aid
20agreement. This Act does not prohibit a private entity that
21employs emergency responders, or its employees, from
22participating in the provision of mutual aid, provided that the
23private entity is a party to a mutual aid agreement with the
24requesting political subdivision and the agreement permits the
25participation.
 

 

 

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1    Section 15. Licenses, certifications, and permits. An
2emergency responder from outside this State who holds a
3license, certificate, or other permit recognized or issued by
4another state shall be deemed licensed, certified, and
5permitted to render mutual aid during a mutual aid emergency
6within this State pursuant to a mutual aid agreement authorized
7by this Act, if the emergency responder is (i) acting within
8the scope of his or her license, certificate, or permit and
9within the scope of what an equivalent license, certificate, or
10permit from or recognized by this State would authorize and
11(ii) acting pursuant to a request for mutual aid made pursuant
12to a mutual aid agreement authorized by this Act.
 
13    Section 20. Governmental functions; liability; emergency
14responders. Any function performed by an emergency responder
15pursuant to a mutual aid agreement authorized by this Act shall
16be deemed to have been for public and governmental purposes,
17and all immunities from liability enjoyed by this State's
18political subdivisions and their officers, agents, and
19employees shall extend to the emergency responders from another
20state while providing mutual aid during a mutual aid emergency
21or while engaged in training and exercises pursuant to a
22written mutual aid agreement authorized by this Act.
 
23    Section 25. Employee benefits. Emergency responders from

 

 

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1outside this State, while rendering mutual aid within this
2State pursuant to a mutual aid agreement authorized by this
3Act, remain employees and agents of their respective employers
4and jurisdictions. Nothing in this Act, or any mutual aid
5agreement entered into pursuant to this Act, creates an
6employment relationship between the jurisdiction requesting
7aid and the employees and agents of the jurisdiction rendering
8aid. All pension, relief, disability, death benefits, workers'
9compensation, and other benefits enjoyed by emergency
10responders rendering emergency mutual aid shall extend to the
11services they perform outside their respective jurisdictions
12as if those services had been rendered in their own
13jurisdiction.
 
14    Section 30. Limitations. This Act does not limit, modify,
15or abridge the emergency management compact entered into under
16the Emergency Management Assistance Compact Act.
 
17    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
18becoming law.