97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2011 and 2012
HB4576

 

Introduced 2/1/2012, by Rep. Donald L. Moffitt

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Interstate Mutual Aid Act. Authorizes the State and units of local government to enter into mutual aid agreements with units of government from another state to provide for the coordination of communications, training, response to, and stand-by for planned events and emergency responses between the units of government. Contains provisions concerning licenses and certifications, liability, and employee benefits.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB4576LRB097 17909 JDS 63132 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" means an individual who is
8required to possess a license, certificate, permit, or other
9official recognition for his or her expertise in a particular
10field or area of knowledge, and whose assistance is used or is
11desirable during an emergency. "Emergency responder" includes,
12but is not limited to: emergency medical services personnel;
13law enforcement officers; physicians; nurses; mental health,
14veterinary, or other public health practitioners; emergency
15management personnel; public works personnel; and
16firefighters, including firefighters trained in the areas of
17hazardous materials, specialized rescue, extrication, water
18rescue, or any other specialized area.
19    (b) "Mutual aid emergency" or "emergency" means an
20occurrence or condition resulting in a situation that poses an
21immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment,
22where the governing body having jurisdiction over the situation
23determines (1) that the situation exceeds its ability to render

 

 

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1appropriate aid, and (2) that it is in the public's best
2interest to request mutual aid from a governmental jurisdiction
3or private entity in another state with which the governing
4body has a written mutual aid agreement. "Mutual aid emergency"
5or "emergency" does not include a situation that initially
6rises to the level of disaster or emergency requiring a state
7or local declaration of a state of emergency, unless that
8declaration occurs after the initial request for mutual aid has
9been made.
 
10    Section 10. Mutual aid agreements. In order to more
11adequately address emergencies that extend or exceed a
12jurisdiction's emergency response capabilities, either without
13rising to the level of a state or local declaration of a state
14of emergency, or in the initial stages of an event which may
15later become a declared emergency, the State, its departments
16and agencies, or a political subdivision of the State,
17including, but not limited to, a county, city, village,
18township, special district, or other unit of local government,
19or any combination thereof, may enter into a mutual aid
20agreement with one or more units of government from another
21state that provide for coordination of communications,
22training, and response to and stand-by for planned events and
23emergency responses between the units of government. When
24engaged in training, stand-by, and emergency response in
25accordance with the mutual aid agreements, emergency

 

 

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1responders from outside of this State are permitted to provide
2services within this State in accordance with this Act and
3within the scope of the terms of the mutual aid agreement. This
4Act does not prohibit a private company or its employees from
5participating in the provision of mutual aid, if the
6participating state agency or political subdivision approves
7the participation and the contract between the state agency or
8political subdivision and the participating private company
9permits the participation.
 
10    Section 15. Licenses, certifications, and permits. An
11emergency responder from a unit of government from outside of
12this State who holds a license, certificate, or other permit
13recognized or issued by another state shall be considered to be
14licensed, certified, and permitted to render mutual aid within
15this State pursuant to a mutual aid agreement authorized by
16this Act, if the emergency responder is acting within the scope
17of his or her license, certificate, or permit and within what
18an equivalent license, certificate, or permit from or
19recognized by this State would authorize.
 
20    Section 20. Governmental functions; liability; emergency
21responders. Any function performed under this Act shall be
22considered to have been for public and governmental purposes,
23and all immunities from liability enjoyed by the State or the
24political subdivisions of this State and their officers,

 

 

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1agents, and employees shall extend to the emergency responders
2from another state when providing mutual aid or while engaged
3in training and exercises pursuant to and within the scope of a
4written mutual aid agreement authorized by this Act.
 
5    Section 25. Employee benefits. Emergency responders from
6outside this State, while rendering mutual aid within this
7State pursuant to a mutual aid agreement authorized by this
8Act, remain employees and agents of their respective employers
9and jurisdictions. Nothing in this Act, or any mutual aid
10agreement entered into pursuant to this Act, creates an
11employment relationship between the jurisdiction requesting
12aid and the employees and agents of the jurisdiction rendering
13aid. All pension, relief, disability, death benefits, worker's
14compensation, and other benefits enjoyed by emergency
15responders rendering emergency mutual aid shall extend to the
16services they perform outside their respective jurisdictions
17as if those services had been rendered in their own
18jurisdiction.
 
19    Section 30. Limitations. This Act does not limit, modify,
20or abridge the emergency management compact entered into under
21the Emergency Management Assistance Compact Act.