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AN ACT relating to emergency response plans for animals. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
ď˘Section 1. KRS 39A.050 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) The Division of Emergency Management shall coordinate for the Governor all 4
matters pertaining to the comprehensive emergency management program and 5
disaster and emergency response of the Commonwealth. The division shall be the 6
executive branch agency of state government having primary jurisdiction, 7
responsibility, and authority for the planning and execution of disaster and 8
emergency assessment, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery for the 9
Commonwealth; the coordination of all disaster and emergency response by and 10
between all state agencies, all agencies of city, county, and urban-county or charter 11
county government, all local entities, and all political subdivisions of the 12
Commonwealth for an emergency, declared emergency, disaster, or catastrophe as 13
contemplated in KRS 39A.010, 39A.020, or 39A.030; the coordination of, and 14
liaison with, related or concerned federal government agencies, elected officials of 15
other states, private organizations or private sector companies dealing with disaster 16
and emergency response; the coordination of all recovery operations and mitigation 17
initiatives subsequent to disasters or emergencies; and the coordination of all public 18
information activities regarding state government disaster and emergency response 19
operations. 20
(2) The Division of Emergency Management shall have and exercise the following 21
powers, authorities, and duties: 22
(a) To develop, administer, and maintain a statewide comprehensive emergency 23
management program for the Commonwealth, and through it an integrated 24
emergency management system for the disaster and emergency response of the 25
Commonwealth, which shall be coordinated with the emergency management 26
programs, and other related public safety, emergency response, mitigation, or 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1718
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disaster recovery programs, of all appropriate federal government agencies 1
including the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the federal 2
Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, the Federal Aviation 3
Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the 4
Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the 5
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Department of Defense, 6
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Department of 7
Justice, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the National 8
Transportation Safety Board, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation 9
Board, the Army Corps of Engineers, the National Security Council, the 10
Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Railroad 11
Administration, the United States Geological Survey, the Department of 12
Energy, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Department of Agriculture, 13
the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the American Red 14
Cross, the other states, and other appropriate public or private agencies, to the 15
fullest appropriate extent; 16
(b) To coordinate the development, implementation, and maintenance of 17
comprehensive emergency management programs by local emergency 18
management agencies in the cities, counties, and urban-county or charter 19
county governments of the Commonwealth to ensure that all such programs, 20
agencies, and organizations are organized, administered, and operated as 21
functional components of the integrated emergency management system of the 22
Commonwealth; 23
(c) To develop and maintain a comprehensive, risk-based, all-hazards disaster and 24
emergency response plan entitled "Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan," the 25
provisions of which shall: 26
1. Establish the organizational structure to be utilized by state government 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1718
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for managing disaster and emergency response;[, and ] 1
2. Set forth the policies, procedures, and guidelines for the coordination 2
and execution of all disaster and emergency response for an emergency, 3
declared emergency, disaster, or catastrophe in the Commonwealth;[. 4
The Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan shall ] 5
3. Establish and include a plan to assist and coordinate with local 6
government agencies, animal shelters, animal control officers, and 7
other entities in developing an emergency response plan for household 8
pets and assistance animals as defined in KRS 383.085 which shall 9
include: 10
a. Reasonable efforts to notify identified owners of lost household 11
pets and assistance animals in a timely manner; 12
b. Creation of direct return-to-owner protocols; and 13
c. Plans for minimizing euthanasia of owned household pets and 14
assistance animals; 15
4. Be submitted to the Governor for approval when the Governor assumes 16
office following each gubernatorial election, or at other times as the 17
director deems appropriate. The Governor shall provide written approval 18
of the Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan through issuance of an 19
executive order, and the division shall file a copy of the executive order 20
with the Legislative Research Commission;[. The Kentucky Emergency 21
Operations Plan shall ] 22
5. Be the primary strategic disaster and emergency response planning 23
component of the integrated emergency management system of the 24
Commonwealth;[, and shall ] 25
6. Be utilized and followed by all state agencies, all local government 26
agencies, all local public agencies or entities, and all other political 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1718
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subdivisions of the Commonwealth which may be involved in disaster 1
and emergency response in the Commonwealth; and[. The Kentucky 2
Emergency Operations Plan shall ] 3
7. Be updated by the division not less than annually; 4
(d) To maintain and operate the State Emergency Operations Center facility, 5
which shall be the official and primary state government twenty-four (24) 6
hour warning point, communications, and command center, from which the 7
Governor, cabinet secretaries, department heads, and other state agency 8
officials can, at any time, rapidly, adequately, and effectively manage the 9
disaster and emergency response of the Commonwealth. The State Emergency 10
Operations Center facility shall be the primary state direction and control 11
component of the integrated emergency management system of the 12
Commonwealth for the coordination of all disaster and emergency response in 13
the Commonwealth; 14
(e) To develop, monitor, and operate, on a twenty-four (24) hour per day basis, 15
the appropriate alerting or warning systems, public safety telecommunications 16
systems, or radio networks; any state trunked, fiber, or interactive 17
communication systems; computer, fax, other telecommunications or 18
information networks; and systems needed for communication and 19
coordination with all necessary or appropriate federal, state, or local public 20
safety, law enforcement, emergency management, or other disaster and 21
emergency response agencies, and state or local dispatch centers in the 22
Commonwealth, and other appropriate interests, and through these agencies 23
and systems to receive or disseminate emergency information, or to receive 24
timely notification of, and continual assessment of, all threatened or actual 25
emergency incidents or disaster situations occurring anywhere in or near the 26
Commonwealth; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1718
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(f) To immediately notify the Governor, the adjutant general, and the executive 1
director of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security, or his or her designee, 2
in the event of any major emergency incidents or disaster occurrences, or the 3
threatened or impending occurrence of any of these events, and to keep the 4
Governor, the adjutant general, and the executive director of the Kentucky 5
Office of Homeland Security, or his or her designee, informed of all actions 6
being taken in response to these events; 7
(g) To respond to the scenes of emergencies or disasters, or their threatened or 8
impending occurrence and to directly and immediately investigate, analyze, 9
and assess the nature and seriousness of these situations; to convene meetings, 10
gather information, conduct briefings, and evaluate ongoing emergency 11
response activities; take actions to execute the appropriate provisions of the 12
Kentucky Emergency Operations Plan; coordinate the establishment and 13
operation of a state incident management system; establish or manage sub-14
state or area emergency operations centers, or on-scene command posts; and 15
fully expedite and coordinate the disaster and emergency response of the 16
Commonwealth; 17
(h) To establish and operate area field offices of the division, each office to be 18
headed by an area manager, responsible for administering the policies, plans, 19
programs, and duties of the division in specific geographic areas of the 20
Commonwealth, including the coordination of comprehensive emergency 21
management programs developed by the cities, counties, urban-county, or 22
charter county governments in the areas; 23
(i) To provide funds to the cities, counties, and urban-county or charter county 24
governments of the Commonwealth to support the development, 25
administration, operation, and maintenance of local emergency management 26
agencies created pursuant to KRS Chapters 39A to 39F; 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 22 RS BR 1718
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(j) To require the regular submission of program administration data, records, 1
materials, reports, or documents from local emergency management agencies 2
as may be necessary and sufficient to conduct performance reviews and 3
assessments to ensure compliance with all state or federal funding and 4
program requirements, and to ensure local program compatibility and 5
consistency with the mission, goals, and objectives of the comprehensive 6
emergency management program and integrated emergency management 7
system of the Commonwealth; 8
(k) To ascertain the requirements of the Commonwealth and its cities and 9
counties for emergency resources and the necessities of life in the event of 10
disaster or emergency; institute an emergency resource management plan and 11
procure emergency supplies, materials, and equipment; and use or employ in 12
time of emergency any of the property, services, and resources of state or local 13
government in the Commonwealth for the purposes set forth in KRS Chapters 14
39A to 39F; 15
(l) To institute public information and education programs, emergency 16
management training programs, and exercise programs to test and evaluate 17
emergency operations plans and disaster and emergency response and 18
recovery capabilities; and 19
(m) To promulgate administrative regulations to carry out the provisions of KRS 20
Chapters 39A to 39F. 21