Texas 2009 - 81st Regular

Texas House Bill HB1556 Compare Versions

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1	1	By: Ortiz, Jr., Alonzo H.B. No. 1556
2	2
3	3
4	4	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
5	5	AN ACT
6	6	relating to local public health and public safety alerts.
7	7	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
8	8	SECTION 1. Chapter 418, Government Code, is amended by
9	9	adding Subchapter I to read as follows:
10	10	SUBCHAPTER I. LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTS
11	11	Sec. 418.190. DEFINITIONS. In this subchapter:
12	12	(1) "Emergency management director" means a person
13	13	designated to serve as emergency management director under Section
14	14	418.1015.
15	15	(2) "Health authority" has the meaning assigned by
16	16	Section 81.003, Health and Safety Code.
17	17	Sec. 418.191. LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH AND PUBLIC SAFETY ALERTS.
18	18	With the cooperation of the Texas Department of Transportation and
19	19	emergency management directors, the division shall develop and
20	20	implement a system for municipalities and counties to issue local
21	21	public health and public safety alerts through an existing system
22	22	of dynamic message signs. The local public health and public safety
23	23	alerts may include public service messages provided to motorists:
24	24	(1) during a severe weather advisory;
25	25	(2) during an evacuation that has been ordered; or
26	26	(3) following a declaration of a state of disaster
27	27	issued under this chapter.
28	28	Sec. 418.192. ADMINISTRATION. (a) The division shall
29	29	coordinate the local public health and public safety alert system.
30	30	(b) The division shall adopt standards as necessary to
31	31	ensure proper implementation of the alert system. The standards
32	32	must address:
33	33	(1) the procedures to be used by a health authority to
34	34	verify a threat to public health within the health authority's
35	35	jurisdiction;
36	36	(2) the procedures to be used by a local law
37	37	enforcement agency to verify a threat to public safety within the
38	38	agency's jurisdiction; and
39	39	(3) the procedures to be used by an individual or
40	40	entity to report information about a threat to public health or
41	41	public safety.
42	42	(c) The division shall prescribe forms for use by an
43	43	emergency management director for a municipality or county in
44	44	requesting activation of the alert system.
45	45	Sec. 418.193. DUTIES OF TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION.
46	46	(a) The Texas Department of Transportation shall:
47	47	(1) cooperate with the division and emergency
48	48	management directors and assist in developing and implementing the
49	49	alert system; and
50	50	(2) establish a plan for providing relevant
51	51	information to the public in affected areas of the state through an
52	52	existing system of dynamic message signs.
53	53	(b) The Texas Department of Transportation may coordinate
54	54	the implementation of its duties under this subchapter with the
55	55	implementation of the silver alert system under Subchapter M,
56	56	Chapter 411.
57	57	(c) The Texas Department of Transportation shall coordinate
58	58	with the division to determine additional methods of disseminating
59	59	local public health and safety alerts under Section 418.191, AMBER
60	60	alerts under Subchapter L, Chapter 411, and silver alerts under
61	61	Subchapter M, Chapter 411, using existing resources.
62	62	Sec. 418.194. NOTIFICATION TO DIVISION OF LOCAL THREAT TO
63	63	PUBLIC HEALTH OR PUBLIC SAFETY. (a) An emergency management
64	64	director may notify the division if the emergency management
65	65	director receives notice from:
66	66	(1) a health authority of a verified threat to public
67	67	health within the health authority's jurisdiction; or
68	68	(2) a local law enforcement agency of a verified
69	69	threat to public safety within the agency's jurisdiction.
70	70	(b) The emergency management director must determine that
71	71	the information provided by a health authority or a local law
72	72	enforcement agency poses a credible threat to the municipality or
73	73	county.
74	74	Sec. 418.195. ACTIVATION. (a) On the request of an
75	75	emergency management director, the division shall activate the
76	76	alert system and notify appropriate participants in the alert
77	77	system.
78	78	(b) The division shall send the alert to designated media
79	79	outlets in the area affected by the public health or public safety
80	80	threat. Following receipt of the alert, participating media
81	81	outlets may issue the alert at designated intervals.
82	82	Sec. 418.196. CONTENT OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH OR PUBLIC
83	83	SAFETY ALERT. A local public health or public safety alert must
84	84	include:
85	85	(1) all appropriate information that is provided by
86	86	the emergency management director; and
87	87	(2) information on whom an individual in the affected
88	88	area can contact for more information.
89	89	Sec. 418.197. TERMINATION OF LOCAL PUBLIC HEALTH OR PUBLIC
90	90	SAFETY ALERT. (a) The division shall terminate any activation of
91	91	the alert with respect to a local public health or public safety
92	92	alert not later than the earlier of the time at which:
93	93	(1) the local public health or public safety threat is
94	94	resolved; or
95	95	(2) the notification period ends, as determined by
96	96	standards adopted by the division.
97	97	(b) An emergency management director that requests
98	98	activation of the alert system under this subchapter shall notify
99	99	the division as soon as possible that the local public health or
100	100	public safety threat is resolved.
101	101	SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 2009.