[Second Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 2405

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

214th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 4, 2010

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman  PAMELA R. LAMPITT

District 6 (Camden)

Assemblyman  PATRICK J. DIEGNAN, JR.

District 18 (Middlesex)

Assemblyman  CRAIG J. COUGHLIN

District 19 (Middlesex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Conners, Assemblywomen Greenstein, Riley, Assemblyman Chivukula and Senators Beach and Greenstein

SYNOPSIS

     Directs each institution of higher education to develop and coordinate a comprehensive disaster preparedness plan.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As amended by the General Assembly on May 20, 2010.

An Act concerning the disaster preparedness of institutions of higher education and supplementing chapter 3B of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    a.  The governing board of each institution of higher education shall develop and coordinate an emergency operations plan to ensure the continuity of essential institution functions under all circumstances.  The plan shall:

     (1)   identify a baseline of preparedness for all potential emergencies, including pandemics, to establish a viable capability to perform essential functions during any emergency that disrupts normal operations;  and

     (2)   be coordinated with State and local authorities including, but not limited to, the State Office of Emergency Management, local law enforcement officers, ¹county and local health officers,¹ county offices of emergency management, and other emergency responders.

     b.    The plan shall include, but not be limited to, the following components: identification of essential functions, programs, and personnel; procedures to implement the plan; delegation of authority and lines of succession; identification of alternative facilities and related infrastructure, including those for communications; identification and protection of vital records and databases; and schedules and procedures for periodic tests, training, and exercises. The plan shall be consistent with the local emergency operations plan of the municipality in which the institution is located.

     c.     The governing board of the institution shall adopt and submit for ²[approval] review² an emergency operations plan to the Commission on Higher Education, the State Office of Emergency Management, ¹the Department of Health and Senior Services,¹ and the Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness within six months of the effective date of this act.  The governing board shall review, update, and resubmit the plan to the offices every five years. If an emergency incident occurs at an institution during the five-year period, the plan shall be reviewed immediately.

     d.    The Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, the State Office of Emergency Management, ¹the Department of Health and Senior Services,¹ and the Commission on Higher Education shall review ²[and approve]² the emergency operations plan
submitted by an institution of higher education pursuant to subsection c. of this section and, when necessary, shall in coordination with other State agencies make recommendations to the institution for improving the plan that are deemed necessary.

²e.   Any plan prepared pursuant to this section shall not be considered a government record as defined in section 1 of P.L.1995, c.23 (C.47:1A-1.1) and shall not be available for public inspection, copying, or the purchase of copies.²

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.