Rep. Norm Thurston — Voting Record

Bill

Number

S.B. 237 Second Substitute (2015GS)

Sponsor

Sen. Harper, W.

Final action

Governor Signed 3/31/2015

Outcome

Became law — signed by Gov. Gary R. Herbert

Summary

What it does

• This bill:
• defines terms;
• authorizes the Utah Communications Authority Board to commission a performance audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system within the public safety communications network, which study shall include:
• determining potential cost savings that may be achieved by the functional consolidation of public safety answering points; and
• creating a strategic plan for the state's 911 emergency response system;
• limits the use of expenditures from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account during the study; and
• makes technical changes.

Every vote on this bill

Bill text

PUBLIC SAFETY AMENDMENTS
GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Wayne A. Harper
House Sponsor: 
Brad L. Dee
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions of the Utah Communications Authority Act.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
▸ defines terms;
▸ authorizes the Utah Communications Authority Board to commission a performance
audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system within the public
safety communications network, which study shall include:
• determining potential cost savings that may be achieved by the functional
consolidation of public safety answering points; and
• creating a strategic plan for the state's 911 emergency response system;
▸ limits the use of expenditures from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service
Account during the study; and
▸ makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a coordination clause.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
63H-7-103
, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 320
ENACTS:
63H-7-206
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Utah Code Sections Affected by Coordination Clause:
63H-7-206
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section 
63H-7-103
 is amended to read:
63H-7-103.
Definitions.
As used in this chapter:
(1) "Authority" means the Utah Communications Authority, an independent state
agency created in Section 
67H-7-201
.
(2) "Board" means the Utah Communications Authority Board created in Section
67H-7-203
.
(3) "Bonds" means bonds, notes, certificates, debentures, contracts, lease purchase
agreements, or other evidences of indebtedness or borrowing issued or incurred by the
authority pursuant to this chapter.
[
(5)
] 
(4)
 "FirstNet" means the First Responder Network Authority created by Congress
in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
[
(6)
] 
(5)
 "Lease" means any lease, lease purchase, sublease, operating, management, or
similar agreement.
[
(7)
] 
(6)
 "Local entity" means a county, city, town, local district, special service
district, or interlocal entity created under Title 11, Chapter 13, Interlocal Cooperation Act.
[
(8)
] 
(7)
 "Member" means a public agency which:
(a) adopts a membership resolution to be included within the authority; and
(b) submits an originally executed copy of an authorizing resolution to the authority's
office.
[
(9)
] 
(8)
 "Member representative" means a person or that person's designee appointed
by the governing body of each member.
[
(10)
] 
(9)
 "Public agency" means any political subdivision of the state, including cities,
towns, counties, school districts, local districts, and special service districts, dispatched by a
public safety answering point.
[
(11)
] 
(10)
 "Public safety answering point" 
or "PSAP"
 means an organization, entity, or
combination of entities [
which
] 
that
 have joined together to form a central answering point for
the receipt, management, and dissemination to the proper responding agency, of emergency and
nonemergency communications, including 911 communications, police, fire, emergency
medical, transportation, parks, wildlife, corrections, and any other governmental
communications.
[
(4)
] 
(11)
 "
Public safety
 communications network" means:
(a) a regional or statewide public safety governmental communications network and
related facilities, including real property, improvements, and equipment necessary for the
acquisition, construction, and operation of the services and facilities; and
(b) 911 emergency services, including radio communications, microwave connectivity,
FirstNet coordination, and computer aided dispatch system.
(12) "State" means the state of Utah.
(13) "State representative" means the six appointees of the governor or their designees
and the Utah state treasurer or his designee.
Section 2. Section 
63H-7-206
 is enacted to read:
 63H-7-206.
Functional consolidation of PSAPs study.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Functional consolidation" means the process of ensuring that disparate public
safety answering points and public safety dispatching centers work together in an efficient and
effective way.
(b) "PSAP operator":
(i) means a public agency that operates a PSAP; and
(ii) does not include an institution of higher education, a school district, or an airport
authority that operates a PSAP.
(2) Beginning on or after July 1, 2015, the board shall commission and oversee a
performance audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system and related elements
of the public safety communications network, which shall include:
(a) a review of statutory provisions and efforts of the Utah 911 Committee, the 911
program manager, and the Office of the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator regarding the
assessment, planning, rules, technology review, and standardization of the state's 911
emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network;
(b) working with state and local stakeholders to determine potential cost savings and
increases in quality and efficiency that may be achieved by the functional consolidation of
PSAPs and dispatch centers throughout the state, including recommendations regarding:
(i) an efficient and effective public safety communications management structure to
ensure that high quality 911 emergency services are available to the state's citizens;
(ii) common standard operating procedures that ensure the least amount of call
processing time;
(iii) efficient methods to transfer calls between PSAPs and from a PSAP to a first
responder, regardless of jurisdiction;
(iv) uniformity of equipment and software protocols to accomplish seamless
functionality between computer aided dispatch systems;
(v) interoperable telephonic and radio systems to ensure coordination between
jurisdictions; and
(vi) how unnecessary duplication of services may be reduced or eliminated;
(c) making recommendations for inclusion in the strategic plan for the state's 911
emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network,
which recommendations may include:
(i) how PSAPs may benefit from functional consolidation;
(ii) how PSAPs within designated regions may accept calls and provide emergency
communication services for first responders using interoperable equipment, software,
protocols, and standard operating procedures; and
(iii) how PSAPs, regardless of physical location, may operate on interoperable, shared,
or hosted technology platforms and with common policies to reduce the need to transfer calls
between PSAPs;
(d) describing and recommending potential solutions to the biggest impediments to
functional consolidation of PSAPs; and
(e) making recommendations regarding necessary personnel and associated job duties
within the Utah Communications Authority.
(3) On or before July 1, 2016, the performance audit and study described in Subsection
(2) shall be completed and submitted by the board in writing to the Law Enforcement and
Criminal Justice Interim Committee and the Retirement and Independent Entities Interim
Committee.
(4) (a) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account created in
Section 
63H-7-304
 may not be used to fund a new local PSAP, call taking, or dispatching
project before the completion of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2),
unless the board determines that an exigent circumstance requires the allocation of funds.
(b) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account may be used to
fund ongoing maintenance of existing equipment and projects approved before July 1, 2015.
(5) After July 1, 2016, money spent from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency
Service Account created in Section 
63H-7-304
 for projects, including state and local PSAP and
dispatching projects, shall be made after consideration of the:
(a) recommendations of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2);
and
(b) strategic plan for the state's network 911 emergency response system and related
elements of the public safety communications network described in Subsection (2)(c).
Section 3. 
 Coordinating S.B. 237 with H.B. 343 -- Substantive and technical
amendments.
If this S.B. 237 and H.B. 343, Utah Communication Authority Emergency Radio and
Amendments, both pass and become law, it is the intent of the Legislature that the Office
of Legislative Research and General Counsel, in preparing the Utah Code database for
publication:
(1) renumber Section 
63H-7-206
 created in this S.B. 237 to 
63H-7a-206
;
(2) provide that this S.B. 237 takes effect on July 1, 2015; and
(3) that Section 
63H-7-206
 in this S.B. 237 be replaced with the following:
"
63H-7a-206.
Functional consolidation of PSAPs study.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Functional consolidation" means the process of ensuring that disparate public
safety answering points and public safety dispatching centers work together in an efficient and
effective way.
(b) "PSAP operator":
(i) means a public agency that operates a PSAP; and
(ii) does not include an institution of higher education, a school district, or an airport
authority that operates a PSAP.
(2) Beginning on or after July 1, 2015, the board shall commission and oversee a
performance audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system and related elements
of the public safety communications network, which shall include:
(a) a review of statutory provisions and efforts of the authority, executive director,
Utah 911 Division, and Interoperability Division regarding the assessment, planning, rules,
technology review, and standardization of the state's 911 emergency response system and
related elements of the public safety communications network;
(b) working with state and local stakeholders to determine potential cost savings and
increases in quality and efficiency that may be achieved by the functional consolidation of
PSAPs and dispatch centers throughout the state, including recommendations regarding:
(i) an efficient and effective public safety communications management structure to
ensure that high quality 911 emergency services are available to the state's citizens;
(ii) common standard operating procedures that ensure the least amount of call
processing time;
(iii) efficient methods to transfer calls between PSAPs and from a PSAP to a first
responder, regardless of jurisdiction;
(iv) uniformity of equipment and software protocols to accomplish seamless
functionality between computer aided dispatch systems;
(v) interoperable telephonic and radio systems to ensure coordination between
jurisdictions; and
(vi) how unnecessary duplication of services may be reduced or eliminated;
(c) making recommendations for inclusion in the strategic plan for the state's 911
emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network,
which recommendations may include:
(i) how PSAPs may benefit from functional consolidation;
(ii) how PSAPs within designated regions may accept calls and provide emergency
communication services for first responders using interoperable equipment, software,
protocols, and standard operating procedures; and
(iii) how PSAPs, regardless of physical location, may operate on interoperable, shared,
or hosted technology platforms and with common policies to reduce the need to transfer calls
between PSAPs;
(d) describing and recommending potential solutions to the biggest impediments to
functional consolidation of PSAPs; and
(e) making recommendations regarding necessary personnel and associated job duties
within the authority.
(3) On or before July 1, 2016, the performance audit and study described in Subsection
(2) shall be completed and submitted by the board in writing to the Law Enforcement and
Criminal Justice Interim Committee and the Retirement and Independent Entities Interim
Committee.
(4) (a) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account created in
Section 
63H-7a-304
 may not be used to fund a new local PSAP, call taking, or dispatching
project before the completion of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2),
unless the board determines that an exigent circumstance requires the allocation of funds.
(b) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account may be used to
fund ongoing maintenance of existing equipment and projects approved before July 1, 2015.
(5) After July 1, 2016, money spent from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency
Service Account created in Section 
63H-7a-304
 for projects, including state and local PSAP
and dispatching projects, shall be made after consideration of the:
(a) recommendations of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2);
and
(b) strategic plan for the state's network 911 emergency response system and related
elements of the public safety communications network described in Subsection (2)(c)."