AGREEMENTS ON ALL HAZARD INCIDENTS

House Bill 5198 as introduced

Sponsor:  Rep. Sue Allor

Committee:  Natural Resources

Complete to 12-4-17

SUMMARY:

House Bill 5198 would amend Part 515 (Prevention and Suppression of Forest Fires) of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act.

Currently, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) may enter into agreements with other states and the federal government to provide and accept assistance in the control of forest fires, including the training of personnel. Additionally, all employee benefits and compensation apply to DNR employees assigned to fire control duties or training programs outside of Michigan as if they were working within Michigan.

House Bill 5198 would extend those provisions so that the DNR would be able to enter into agreements for all hazard incidents, and DNR employees assigned to out-of-state all hazard incidents would be entitled to the same compensation and employee benefits as they would be in Michigan.

All hazard incident would be defined in the bill as an incident, whether natural or human-caused, that requires an organized response by a public, private, or government entity to protect life, public health or safety, or other values or to minimize any disruption of governmental, social, or economic services. One or more kinds of incident, such as fire, flood, mass casualty, search, rescue, or evacuation, may occur simultaneously as a part of an all hazard incident.

The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.

MCL 324.51501 and 324.51514

FISCAL IMPACT:

The fiscal impact of House Bill 5198 is indeterminate.  It is unclear whether providing assistance to other states or the federal government in all hazard incidents would necessarily result in increased or decreased costs or revenues for the DNR.  Potential fiscal impacts would vary with the nature of the “agreement to provide assistance” and the magnitude of the all hazard event.  It is unlikely that this bill would affect local government revenues or costs.

                                                                                         Legislative Analyst:   Jenny McInerney

                                                                                                 Fiscal Analyst:   Austin Scott

■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.