HB5528ham001 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Rep. John E. Bradley

Filed: 2/28/2012

09700HB5528ham001 LRB097 17545 KMW 66514 a

AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 5528

AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 5528 by replacing everything after the enacting clause with the following:

"Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the First Informer Broadcasters Act.

Section 5. Definitions.

"Broadcaster" means a radio broadcasting station, cable operator, or other video service provider or television broadcasting station primarily engaged in, and deriving income from, the business of facilitating speech via over-the-air communications, both as to pure speech and commercial speech.

"First informer broadcaster" means a person who has been certified as a first informer broadcaster pursuant to Section 15 of this Act.

Section 10. Broadcasters. Broadcasters in this State shall, in cooperation with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Broadcasters Association, or its successor organization, develop comprehensive, coordinated plans for preparing for and responding appropriately to an emergency or disaster.

Section 15. First informer broadcasters; training and certification.

(a) The Illinois Broadcasters Association, or its successor organization, the Cable Television and Communications Association of Illinois, or its successor organization, any member of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, Cable Television and Communications Association of Illinois, or its successor organization, and any other provider of emergency broadcasts, including, without limitation, a provider who uses emerging technologies, may establish a program for training and certifying broadcast engineers and technical personnel as first response broadcasters. Each program established pursuant to this subsection must:

(i) be consistent with federal law and guidelines;

(ii) provide training and education concerning restoring, repairing and resupplying any facilities and equipment of a broadcaster in an area affected by an emergency or disaster; and

(iii) provide training and education concerning the personal safety of a first informer broadcaster in an area affected by an emergency or disaster.

(b) To the extent practicable and consistent with not endangering public safety or inhibiting recovery efforts, State and local governmental agencies shall allow a first informer broadcaster access to an area affected by an emergency or disaster for the purpose of restoring, repairing, or resupplying any facility or equipment critical to the ability of a broadcaster to acquire, produce, and transmit essential emergency or disaster-related public information programming, including, without limitation, repairing and maintaining transmitters and generators, and transporting fuel for generators.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.".