Revision: March 27, 2014, midnight
SB 239 – AS INTRODUCED
2014 SESSION
05/01
SENATE BILL 239
AN ACT relative to the statewide emergency notification system.
SPONSORS: Sen. Kelly, Dist 10; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Reagan, Dist 17; Rep. Shepardson, Ches 10; Rep. Levesque, Hills 26; Rep. Borden, Rock 24
COMMITTEE: Energy and Natural Resources
This bill expands access to the statewide emergency notification system and removes prior opt-in requirements.
The bill is a request of the department of safety.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
14-2658
05/01
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fourteen
AN ACT relative to the statewide emergency notification system.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Emergency Notification System. Amend RSA 106-H:16, I-IV to read as follows:
106-H:16 Emergency Notification System.
I. For the purposes of alerting members of the public about emergencies in a particular area and delivering rapid emergency notification and information, the bureau shall develop and maintain a statewide emergency notification system (ENS). The bureau shall work with technical members from the wireline, wireless, voice over Internet Protocol, and cable industries to design the ENS for the delivery of emergency messages for emergency state and local government purposes in a manner conducive with existing communications systems and networks.
II. The ENS shall use the E911 database [and a database developed for persons who request inclusion in the ENS] for wired telephone numbers. All telephone numbers in the E911 database shall automatically be included in the ENS. This data shall remain confidential and shall be used solely by the ENS for the purposes of emergency notification and message delivery.
III. The bureau shall, to the greatest extent possible, ensure that the ENS is fully geographic information system (GIS) capable and able to define an emergency zone by address or geographic area. Telephone numbers shall be linked to a GIS mapping database and able to perform a query based on address or a general geographic area. Commercial mobile radio service (cellular) phones shall be included in a notification by geographic boundaries established by the municipal, county, or state official authorized to use the ENS and listed with the bureau as authorized to issue the emergency notification.
IV. The ENS shall include means by which persons can [opt-out of the system and also opt-in to the system for] receive ENS emergency messages over communications devices not otherwise included in the system, such as nomadic voice over Internet Protocol phones, internet protocol enabled services, and commercial mobile radio services. The bureau shall provide persons the option of not receiving these messages and shall maintain a separate database of those persons to ensure their exclusion from the system.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect January 1, 2015.