A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to continue the Joint legislative study committee on emergency preparedness and disaster management recovery.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  The Joint Select Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Recovery is established. The Committee consists of 30 members, 15 of whom are appointed by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and 15 of whom are appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  A Cochair or other member of the Committee continues to serve until a successor is appointed.  A vacancy shall be filled within 30 days by the officer who made the original appointment.  Members serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer.  The Committee is authorized to meet during the session and, pursuant to G.S. 120‑19.6, is authorized to meet between sessions and during recesses of the General Assembly.
SECTION 2.  The Committee shall study issues related to emergency preparedness and disaster management recovery, including:
(1)	Whether the State building code sufficiently addresses issues related to commercial and residential construction in hurricane and flood prone areas.
(2)	The public health infrastructure in place to respond to natural and nonnatural disasters, including pandemic flu preparation and response. A study of the pandemic flu preparation and response should include an assessment of potential threat; funding and mechanisms needed to produce and distribute a vaccine for the avian flu; review of quarantine and isolation laws and processes; coordination issues for local and State public health officials; coordination between State departments of public health, crime control and public safety, and agriculture; establishment of public education infrastructure for any necessary emergency vaccination program; assessment of needs of public health infrastructure; and hospital capacity to respond.
(3)	Hurricane preparedness, evacuation, and response.
(4)	Energy security, including: identifying the State's energy profile; determining the State's essential energy facilities and their connections; evaluating potential threats and the possible consequences of disruptive events; reviewing long‑term strategies; outlining strategies for communication to the media and public; offering response options for each type of emergency; identifying the response measures and options that industry and government can take; coordinating local, State, and federal level issues; ensuring protection from cyber attack of computer control systems; and monitoring of State's energy supply.
(5)	Bioterrorism preparedness and response.
(6)	Flood and natural disaster preparation and response.
(7)	Any other topic the Committee believes is related to its purpose.
SECTION 3.  The Committee shall meet upon the call of its House and Senate Cochairs.  A quorum of the Committee shall be a majority of its members.  The Committee may be organized into Subcommittees in order to facilitate discussion and to develop recommendations on the several important specialized issues for statewide consideration.
SECTION 4.  The Committee, while in discharge of its official duties, may exercise all powers provided for under G.S. 120‑19 and Article 5A of Chapter 120 of the General Statutes.  The Committee may contract for professional, clerical, or consultant services as provided by G.S. 120‑32.02.
SECTION 5.  Members of the Committee shall receive per diem, subsistence, and travel allowance as provided in G.S. 120‑3.1.  The expenses of the Committee shall be considered expenses incurred for the joint operation of the General Assembly. Individual expenses of five thousand dollars ($5,000) or less, including per diem, travel, and subsistence expenses of members of the Committee, and clerical expenses shall be paid upon the authorization of a Cochair of the Committee.  Individual expenses in excess of five thousand dollars ($5,000) shall be paid upon the written approval of the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.  All expenses of the Committee shall be paid from the Legislative Services Commission's Reserve for Studies.
SECTION 6.  The Legislative Services Officer shall assign professional and clerical staff to assist the Committee in its work.  The House of Representatives' and the Senate's Directors of Legislative Assistants shall assign clerical support staff to the Committee. The Committee may meet at various locations around the State in order to promote greater public participation in its deliberations.  The Legislative Services Commission shall grant adequate meeting space to the Committee in the State Legislative Building or the Legislative Office Building.
SECTION 7.  The Committee may submit an interim report on the results of its study, including any proposed legislation, at any time. The Committee shall submit a final report on the results of its study, including any proposed legislation, to the members of the Senate and the House of Representatives, on or before December 31, 2009.  The Committee shall file a copy of each Committee report with the President Pro Tempore's office, the Speaker's office, and the Legislative Library. The Committee shall terminate on December 31, 2009, or upon the filing of its final report, whichever occurs first.
SECTION 8.  This act is effective when it becomes law.