HB5455 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB096 19223 JDS 34614 b

96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB5455

Introduced 2/5/2010, by Rep. John E. Bradley

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

20 ILCS 3305/14.5 new

Amends the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. Creates the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES), within the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, to provide emergency communications service in the State. Requires the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to appoint a State RACES officer to serve as the point of contact between the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois amateur radio community, appoint a Deputy State RACES officer, identify amateur radio operators to staff the State Emergency Operations Center when necessary, and serve other functions. Specifies the duties of the Regional RACES officers. Authorizes the appointment, and specifies the duties, of county and municipal RACES officers. Defines when RACES stations may be activated.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning government.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act is amended by adding Section 14.5 as follows:

(20 ILCS 3305/14.5 new)

Sec. 14.5. Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) program.

(a) The Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) program is created within the Illinois Emergency Management Agency to provide emergency communications service in the State of Illinois.

(b) The Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency shall appoint a qualified individual to serve as the volunteer State RACES Officer, who shall:

(1) serve as the point of contact between the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois amateur radio community;

(2) appoint a volunteer Deputy State RACES Officer to ensure continuity of command and control in the event of unavailability of the State RACES Officer;

(3) identify and appoint 6 qualified amateur radio operators (3 of whom shall be considered primary operators and 3 of whom shall be considered as secondary or alternate operators) to staff the State Emergency Operations Center as communicators when the RACES has been activated for an emergency or exercise event;

(4) appoint 8 volunteer Regional RACES Officers, one for each of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency regions;

(5) establish suitable training criteria for Regional RACES Officers and State Emergency Operations Center RACES Operators;

(6) make recommendations to county and municipal emergency managers regarding suitable training courses for all enrolled volunteer Illinois RACES operators;

(7) develop and distribute a State RACES plan detailing RACES operations and logistics; and

(8) provide the schedule and details of regular emergency communications exercises designed to ensure that all RACES operators have adequate experience and training to perform back-up communications in the event of an emergency.

(c) Each Regional RACES Officer shall:

(1) provide emergency or exercise amateur radio communications assistance to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Regional Coordinator as needed;

(2) serve as the amateur radio point of contact between the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Regional Coordinator and the county RACES programs in that region; and

(3) work with local emergency managers to recruit and train suitable county and municipal RACES officers.

(d) In each Illinois county or municipality that provides its own emergency management agency, the emergency manager wishing to participate in the Illinois RACES program shall be responsible for identifying and appointing a suitably trained amateur radio operator who holds holding a valid General class (or higher) FCC-issued amateur radio license to serve as the county or municipal RACES Officer, who shall:

(1) provide RACES communications services in times of emergency and during exercise events; and

(2) be responsible for enrolling and managing volunteer amateur radio operators in the county RACES organization in accordance with the credentialing and membership requirements of the respective county or municipal emergency management agency.

(e) The State Emergency Operations Center RACES station shall be activated only by the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency or his or her designee. Regional RACES stations shall be activated only by the Director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency or his or her designee. County or municipal RACES groups shall be activated only by the responsible county or municipal emergency manager.