HB3392 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 10477 BAB 20552 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB3392

Introduced 2/18/2025, by Rep. Norine K. Hammond

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

210 ILCS 9/91 new

Amends the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Establishments Act. Requires each establishment to have a written plan for protection of all persons in the event of disasters, for keeping persons in place, for evacuating persons to areas of refuge, and for evacuating persons from the building when necessary. Provides that the plan shall address the physical and cognitive needs of residents and include special staff response. Provides that the plan shall be amended or revised whenever any resident with unusual needs is admitted. Establishes additional requirements for the plan. Requires each establishment to conduct at least 6 drills per year on a bimonthly basis, and at least 2 of the drills, involving staff only, shall be conducted during the night when residents are sleeping. Provides that all drills shall be held under varied conditions to ensure that all personnel on all shifts are trained to perform assigned tasks; ensure that all personnel on all shifts are familiar with the use of the firefighting equipment in the facility; and evaluate the effectiveness of disaster plans, procedures, and training. Establishes additional drill requirements.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning regulation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act is amended by adding Section 91 as follows:

(210 ILCS 9/91 new)

Sec. 91. Emergency plan; disaster preparedness drills.

(a) Each establishment shall have a written plan for protection of all persons in the event of disasters, for keeping persons in place, for evacuating persons to areas of refuge, and for evacuating persons from the building when necessary. The plan shall address the physical and cognitive needs of residents and include special staff response, including the procedures needed to ensure the safety of any resident. The plan shall be amended or revised whenever any resident with unusual needs is admitted. The plan shall also:

(1) provide for the temporary relocation of residents for any disaster requiring relocation;

(2) provide for the movement of residents to safe locations within the establishment in the event of a tornado warning or severe thunderstorm warning issued by the National Weather Service;

(3) provide for the temporary relocation of residents any time the temperature in residents' bedrooms falls below 55 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 hours or more as a result of a mechanical problem or loss of power in the establishment;

(4) provide for the health, safety, welfare, and comfort of all residents when the heat index/apparent temperature, as established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, inside the residents' living, dining, activities, or sleeping areas of the establishment exceeds a heat index/apparent temperature of 80 degrees Fahrenheit;

(5) address power outages; and

(6) include contingencies in the event of flooding, if located on a flood plain.

(b) Each establishment shall conduct at least 6 drills per year on a bimonthly basis. At least 2 of the drills, involving staff only, shall be conducted during the night when residents are sleeping. All drills shall be held under varied conditions to:

(1) ensure that all personnel on all shifts are trained to perform assigned tasks;

(2) ensure that all personnel on all shifts are familiar with the use of the firefighting equipment in the facility; and

(3) evaluate the effectiveness of disaster plans, procedures, and training.

Drills shall include residents, except at night when residents are sleeping, establishment personnel, and other persons in the establishment.

Drills shall involve the actual evacuation of residents to an assembly point specified in the emergency plan, unless the community has a shelter-in-place protocol approved by the local fire department and shall provide residents with experience using various means of escape. If an establishment has an evacuation capability classification of impractical, those residents who cannot meaningfully assist in their own evacuation or who have special health problems shall not be required to participate in the drill. If weather or other conditions present risk to residents for actual evacuation of the entire building, the establishment shall conduct drills that involve evacuating to designated sections or portions of the building. These drills must simulate real evacuation conditions and ensure that, with the personnel typically available, the entire building could be evacuated if necessary. As used in this subsection, "an evacuation capability of impractical" means a situation where an establishment has a high number of occupants with severe mobility limitations so that a full evacuation within a reasonable time frame is deemed nearly impossible.