HB5528 EnrolledLRB097 17545 KMW 62750 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 First
5Informer Broadcasters Act.
 
6    Section 5. Definitions.
7    "Broadcaster" means a radio broadcasting station, cable
8operator, or television broadcasting station primarily engaged
9in, and deriving income from, the business of facilitating
10speech via over-the-air communications, both as to pure speech
11and commercial speech.
12    "First informer broadcaster" means a person who has been
13certified as a first informer broadcaster pursuant to Section
1415 of this Act.
 
15    Section 10. Broadcasters. Broadcasters in this State may,
16in cooperation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency
17and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, or its successor
18organization, develop comprehensive, coordinated plans for
19preparing for and responding appropriately to an emergency or
20disaster.
 
21    Section 15. First informer broadcasters; training and

 

 

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1certification.
2    (a) Any Statewide organization, or any member of a
3Statewide organization, that represents broadcasters, cable
4television communications, or any other provider that uses
5emerging technologies may establish a program for training and
6certifying broadcast engineers and technical personnel as
7first informer broadcasters. Each program established pursuant
8to this subsection must:
9        (i) be consistent with federal law and guidelines;
10        (ii) provide training and education concerning
11    restoring, repairing and resupplying any facilities and
12    equipment of a broadcaster in an area affected by an
13    emergency or disaster; and
14        (iii) provide training and education concerning the
15    personal safety of a first informer broadcaster in an area
16    affected by an emergency or disaster.
17    (b) To the extent practicable and consistent with not
18endangering public safety or inhibiting recovery efforts,
19State and local governmental agencies shall allow a first
20informer broadcaster access to an area affected by an emergency
21or disaster for the purpose of restoring, repairing, or
22resupplying any facility or equipment critical to the ability
23of a broadcaster to acquire, produce, and transmit essential
24emergency or disaster-related public information programming,
25including, without limitation, repairing and maintaining
26transmitters and generators, and transporting fuel for

 

 

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1generators.
 
2    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
3becoming law.