09 LC 35
1175
House
Bill 124
By:
Representatives Day of the
163rd,
Talton of the
145th,
Frazier of the
123rd,
Horne of the
71st,
and Neal of the
1st
A
BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
AN ACT
To
amend Code Section 35-5-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, so as to make the center and regional
police academies available for certain public safety training; to amend Code
Section 36-20-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
training of elected members of county governing authorities, so as to require
newly elected members of a county governing authority to satisfactorily complete
a comprehensive public safety training course to better prepare officials for
responding to a state of public emergency; to amend Code Section 36-45-4 of the
Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the training of elected members
of municipal governing authorities, so as to require newly elected members of a
municipal governing authority to satisfactorily complete a comprehensive public
safety training course to better prepare officials for responding to a state of
public emergency; to provide for contingencies; to provide an effective date; to
provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE
IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION
1.
Code
Section 35-5-5 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
Georgia Public Safety Training Center, is amended by adding a new subsection to
read as follows:
"(e)
Provided that space is reasonably available, the Georgia Public Safety Training
Center and regional police academies shall make class room space available free
of charge for providing public safety instruction to local public officials as
required by Code Sections 36-20-4 and
36-45-4."
SECTION
2.
Code
Section 36-20-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
training of elected members of county governing authorities, is amended by
adding a new subsection to read as follows:
"(c)
In addition to the training requirements found in subsection (a) of this Code
section and subject to the appropriation of funds by the General Assembly or
grants or other funds available to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, any
person newly elected as a member of a county governing authority shall enroll
in, attend, and satisfactorily complete a public safety course of training and
instruction on matters pertaining to local preparedness to a natural or manmade
disaster, pandemic, or epidemic, crisis response team development, site surveys
and safety audits, crisis management planning, exercise design, safe school
planning, emergency operations planning, bomb threat management, model safety
plans, and similar instruction related to responding in a state of public
emergency. The course of instruction shall include matters related to chain of
command and methods of communication. Such training shall be conducted at
facilities of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center or regional police
academies. The training shall be conducted by the University of Georgia under
the supervision of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at such time as shall
be determined by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The training
curriculum for such course of instruction shall be approved and developed by the
Georgia Emergency Management Agency with the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation and the Department of Public Safety. The personnel of the Carl
Vinson Institute of Government are authorized to work with the members of county
governing authorities, the Association of County Commissioners of Georgia, the
Georgia Emergency Management Agency, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and
the Georgia Department of Public Safety in establishing and operating the
training course required by this subsection and in establishing the rules and
regulations governing attendance of such training. All reasonable expenses of
attending the training class required by this Code section shall be paid through
the Georgia Emergency Management
Agency."
SECTION
3.
Code
Section 36-45-4 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to the
training of elected members of municipal governing authorities, is amended by
adding a new subsection to read as follows:
"(c)
In addition to the training requirements found in subsection (a) of this Code
section and subject to the appropriation of funds by the General Assembly or
grants or other funds available to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, any
person newly elected as a member of a municipal governing authority shall enroll
in, attend, and satisfactorily complete a public safety course of training and
instruction on matters pertaining to local preparedness to a natural or manmade
disaster, pandemic, or epidemic, crisis response team development, site surveys
and safety audits, crisis management planning, exercise design, safe school
planning, emergency operations planning, bomb threat management, model safety
plans, and similar instruction related to responding in a state of public
emergency. The course of instruction shall include matters related to chain of
command and methods of communication. Such training shall be conducted at
facilities of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center or regional police
academies. The training shall be conducted by the University of Georgia under
the supervision of the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at such time as shall
be determined by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. The training
curriculum for such course of instruction shall be approved and developed by the
Georgia Emergency Management Agency with the assistance of the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation and Department of Public Safety. The personnel of the Carl Vinson
Institute of Government are authorized to work with the members of municipal
governing authorities, the Municipal Association Georgia, the Georgia Emergency
Management Agency, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Department of Public
Safety in establishing and operating the training course required by this
subsection and in establishing the rules and regulations governing attendance of
such training. All reasonable expenses of attending the training class required
by this Code section shall be paid through the Georgia Emergency Management
Agency."
SECTION
4.
This
Act shall become effective on November 30, 2009.
SECTION
5.
All
laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.