101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2019 and 2020
SB2265

 

Introduced 10/28/2019, by Sen. John F. Curran

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Protecting First Responders Act. Provides that no specified business shall use, store, or manufacture specified chemicals in excess of 100 pounds within a distance of 1,000 feet of a municipal police or fire station, unless the corporate authorities of any county or municipality define distance requirements that conflict with the Act. Provides that the Illinois Emergency Management Agency shall have the authority to investigate alleged violations of the Act. Provides that any business that operates in violation of the Act shall be liable for a civil penalty not to exceed $50,000 for each violation, and an additional civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each day during which such violation continues. Defines terms.


LRB101 13307 LNS 62149 b

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB2265LRB101 13307 LNS 62149 b

1    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Protecting First Responders Act.
 
6    Section 5. Purpose.
7    (a) The General Assembly finds:
8        (1) that the presence or use of certain chemical
9    substances at facilities may pose acute threats to
10    communities by way of explosion;
11        (2) the storage of such substances in close proximity
12    to police and fire stations poses a critical risk to first
13    responders and the citizens they serve and protect;
14        (3) that current laws and regulations are not adequate
15    to protect first responders from explosion risks.
16    (b) It is the purpose of this Act to assure that those that
17protect the public are adequately protected from the risk of
18incapacitating chemical explosions.
 
19    Section 10. Definitions. In this Act:
20    "Agency" means the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.
21    "Business" means any facility that:
22        (1) is subject to Section 302 of the federal Emergency

 

 

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1    Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986, and is
2    found by the Agency to use, store, or manufacture a listed
3    chemical substance;
4        (2) uses, stores, or manufactures a chemical that meets
5    one or more of the listed criteria for a Degree 4
6    Flammability Hazard under Chapter 6 of National Fire
7    Protection Association Standard 704 ("NFPA 704: Standard
8    System for the Identification of the Hazards of Materials
9    for Emergency Response"); or
10        (3) uses, stores, or manufactures a listed chemical
11    under the Department of Homeland Security Chemical
12    Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards list of chemicals of
13    interest listed in Appendix A to 6 CFR 27.
14    "Distance" means the distance from the center of the
15storage location of a qualifying chemical and the point where
16staff may reasonably occupy a municipal police or fire station.
17    "Facility" means the buildings and all real property
18contiguous thereto, and the equipment at a single location used
19for the conduct of business.
 
20    Section 15. Chemical safety explosion risk mitigation.
21    (a) After March 1, 2020, no business as defined in this Act
22shall use, store, or manufacture chemicals defined by this Act
23in quantities in excess of 100 pounds within a distance of
241,000 feet of a municipal police or fire station, unless
25exempted from this requirement under subsection (b).

 

 

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1    (b) The corporate authorities of any county or municipality
2may, by ordinance, define distance requirements conflicting
3with this Act. In such case, the local ordinance shall prevail.
 
4    Section 20. Enforcement.
5    (a) The Agency shall have the authority to investigate
6alleged violations of subsection (a) of Section 15, and,
7following written notice to the business, to refer violations
8for prosecution by the State's Attorney of the county in which
9the violation occurred, or by the Attorney General. The State's
10Attorney or the Attorney General may, at the request of the
11Agency or on his or her own motion, institute a civil action
12for the penalties as are authorized by this Act, as well as
13other remedies, including injunctive relief, as are necessary
14to restrain or remedy violations of this Act.
15    (b) When alleged violations of this Act have been referred
16to the Attorney General or a State's Attorney, the Chairman of
17the County Board of the county and the chief executive officer
18of any municipality in which the alleged violations occurred
19shall be notified in writing by either the Agency.
 
20    Section 25. Penalties. Any business that operates in
21violation of this Act shall be liable for a civil penalty not
22to exceed $50,000 for each violation, and an additional civil
23penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each day during which such
24violation continues.
 

 

 

SB2265- 4 -LRB101 13307 LNS 62149 b

1    Section 30. Severability. This Act is declared to be
2severable, and should any word, phrase, sentence, provision, or
3Section hereof be hereafter declared unconstitutional or
4otherwise invalid, the remainder of this Act shall not thereby
5be affected, but shall remain valid and in full force and
6effect for all intents and purposes.