Bill Text: NJ S695 | 2016-2017 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes program certifying certain broadcast station personnel to undertake certain actions during emergencies.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-12 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Law and Public Safety Committee [S695 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2016-S695-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
217th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2016 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT M. GORDON
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
Senator STEVEN V. OROHO
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes program certifying certain broadcast station personnel to undertake certain actions during emergencies.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning certain radio and cable and broadcast television station personnel actions for public safety purposes and supplementing P.L.1942, c.251 (C.App.A:9-33 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "First Informer Broadcasters Act."
2. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"Alternative emergency power generator" shall have the same meaning as provided in section 1 of P.L.2011, c.178 (C.App.A:9-43.8).
"Broadcaster" means senior station management or other technical or senior personnel employed by a broadcasting business or an independent contractor that contracts with a broadcasting business.
"Broadcasting business" means a full-power radio broadcasting station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to 47 U.S.C. s.301, a cable television company as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1972, c.186 (C.48:5A-3), a television broadcast station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to 47 C.F.R. s.73.601 et seq., or a Statewide organization that represents broadcasters, and that conducts business in this State.
"Emergency" means an emergency or local disaster emergency as those terms are defined in section 3 of P.L.1953, c.438 (C.App.A:9-33.1).
"First informer broadcaster" means a broadcaster who, during an emergency, has the ability to access, operate, and repair broadcast infrastructure necessary for the transmission to the public of emergency-related alerts and programming and who has been certified as a first informer broadcaster pursuant to section 3 of P.L., c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
"Independent contractor" means a person, firm, company, or organization that enters into a contract with a broadcasting business to work within, supply, or deliver materials to broadcast infrastructure and whose employees have physical access to broadcast infrastructure.
3. a. Consistent with federal and State laws, rules, and regulations, the State Office of Emergency Management in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety, in consultation with a Statewide organization that represents broadcasters, shall develop and oversee a program, to be administered by a Statewide organization that represents broadcasters, for training and certifying a broadcaster as a first informer broadcaster, as defined in section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
b. The program established pursuant to this section shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) training and education concerning restoring, repairing, and resupplying any broadcast infrastructure in an area affected by an emergency;
(2) training and education concerning the personal safety of a first informer broadcaster in an area affected by an emergency; and
(3) certification issued by the State Office of Emergency Management to broadcasters that have completed first informer broadcaster training.
c. To the extent practicable, and consistent with public safety and recovery efforts, a State and local governmental agency shall allow a first informer broadcaster, who is certified pursuant to this section, access to an area affected by an emergency for the purpose of restoring, repairing, or resupplying any facility or equipment necessary to acquire, produce, and transmit to the public essential emergency-related alerts and programming, including, but not limited to, transporting fuel to an alternative emergency power generator.
d. A record of first informer broadcaster certification shall be provided to and remain on file with the State Office of Emergency Management and shall be made available to State and local government agencies.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill, entitled the "First Informer Broadcasters Act," provides that, consistent with federal and State laws, rules, and regulations, the State Office of Emergency Management (OEM) in the Division of State Police in the Department of Law and Public Safety, in consultation with a Statewide organization that represents broadcasters, is to develop and oversee a program, to be administered by a Statewide organization that represents broadcasters, for training and certifying a broadcaster as a first informer broadcaster. The program is to include, but not be limited to:
(1) training and education concerning restoring, repairing, and resupplying any facilities and equipment of a broadcaster in an area affected by an emergency;
(2) training and education concerning the personal safety of a first informer broadcaster in an area affected by an emergency; and
(3) certification issued by the State Office of Emergency Management to broadcasters that have completed first informer broadcaster training.
To the extent practicable and consistent with public safety and recovery efforts, State and local governmental agencies are to allow a first informer broadcaster access to an area affected by an emergency for the purpose of restoring, repairing, or resupplying any facility or equipment necessary to acquire, produce, and transmit to the public essential emergency-related alerts or programming, including, but not limited to, transporting fuel to alternative emergency power generators.
A record of first informer broadcaster certification is to be provided to and remain on file with the State OEM and is to be made available to State and local government agencies.
Under the bill, "broadcaster" means senior station management or other technical or senior personnel employed by a broadcasting business or an independent contractor that contracts with a broadcasting business.
"Broadcasting business" means a full-power radio broadcasting station, a cable television company, or a television broadcast station, and who conducts business in this State.
