BILL REQ. #:  H-0785.1 

Read first time 01/22/2003.   Referred to Committee on Technology, Telecommunications & Energy.

     AN ACT Relating to enhancing interoperability of the state's emergency communication systems; adding new sections to chapter 38.52 RCW; providing an effective date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 38.52 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) The strategic interoperability executive committee is created within the state military department. The department is responsible for the planning, development, management, maintenance, accountability, and performance of the state's emergency communication systems. The director of the military department and the director of the department of information services shall be co-chairs of the committee. The membership of the committee must include, but not be limited to, representatives of state government, city and county governments, sheriffs and police chiefs, the Washington state patrol, the military department, state and local fire chiefs, and state and local emergency management directors.
     (2) The strategic interoperability executive committee is responsible for emergency communication system assets and the acquiring and allocation of emergency communication frequencies to insure the interoperability of all emergency communications systems within the state.
     (3) The legislative accountability and evaluation program will inventory and evaluate all state and local government-owned emergency communication systems. The joint legislative audit and review committee will work in conjunction with the legislative accountability and evaluation program committee in researching and developing alternatives that will result in a statewide emergency communications plan to be jointly presented to the Washington state legislature. An interim report will be presented on or before January 31, 2004, with the final plan being presented on or before January 31, 2005. Due to changes forthcoming from the Federal Communication Commission, the plan must include two strategic components: (a) A short-term plan to insure that emergency communication agencies can communicate with each other in the immediate future and that decisions will be short-term or will be in support of future Federal Communication Commission decisions and frequency allocations; and (b) a long-term strategic emergency communications interoperability plan to insure that all emergency communication agencies can communicate with each other once the future Federal Communication Commission decisions and frequency allocations are implemented. The statewide emergency communications strategic plan will be used by the strategic interoperability committee in the allocation of frequencies, planning, development, management, maintenance, accountability, and performance of the state's emergency communication systems. Existing state systems will be evaluated and existing systems, along with the associated current funding sources that can be used in the new statewide emergency communication system, will be transferred to the department on a date that is a reasonable time frame as specified in the statewide interoperability strategic plan. During the 2003-05 biennium, funding for the review of existing systems and the development of the statewide interoperability communications plan will be transferred from the enhanced 911 account under RCW 38.52.540 to the strategic interoperability emergency communications account created in section 2 of this act.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 2   A new section is added to chapter 38.52 RCW to read as follows:
     The strategic interoperability emergency communications account is created in the state treasury. All receipts for emergency communication systems from homeland security, new state-provided funding, and existing state agency emergency communication funding must be deposited in the account. Moneys in the account may be spent only after appropriation. Expenditures from the account may be used for the review of the existing systems, development of the statewide strategic interoperability plan, and the future planning, development, management, maintenance, accountability, and performance of the state's emergency communication systems.

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 3   This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and takes effect July 1, 2003.