HOUSE BILL No. 5416

 

 

January 21, 2004, Introduced by Reps. Nofs, Stahl, Pastor, Steil, Shackleton, Gaffney, Shaffer, Amos, Hoogendyk, Taub, LaJoy, Brandenburg, Hummel, Garfield, Palmer, Nitz, Newell, Emmons, Pappageorge, Ruth Johnson, McConico, Rivet, Moolenaar, Hunter, DeRossett, Rocca, DeRoche, Farhat, Walker, Caul and Wenke and referred to the Committee on Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security.

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend 1976 PA 390, entitled                                             

                                                                                

    "Emergency management act,"                                                 

                                                                                

    by amending the title and section 11 (MCL 30.411), the title as             

                                                                                

    amended by 1990 PA 50 and section 11 as amended by 2002 PA 132.             

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1                                 TITLE                                         

                                                                                

2                                                                                An act to provide for planning, prevention, mitigation,                            

                                                                                

3   response, and recovery  from  in relation to natural and                    

                                                                                

4   human-made disaster within this state; to create the Michigan               

                                                                                

5   emergency management advisory council and prescribe its powers              

                                                                                

6   and duties; to prescribe the powers and duties of certain state             

                                                                                

7   and local agencies and officials; to prescribe immunities and               

                                                                                

8   liabilities; to provide for the acceptance of gifts; to repeal              

                                                                                

9   certain acts and parts of acts; and to repeal certain parts of              

                                                                                

10  the act.                                                                    

                                                                                


                                                                                

1       Sec. 11.  (1) Personnel of disaster relief forces while on                  

                                                                                

2   duty are subject to all of the following provisions:                        

                                                                                

3       (a) If they are  an employee  employees of this state, they                 

                                                                                

4   have the powers, duties, rights, privileges, and immunities of              

                                                                                

5   and receive the compensation incidental to their employment.                

                                                                                

6       (b) If they are employees of a political subdivision of this                

                                                                                

7   state, regardless of where serving, they have the powers, duties,           

                                                                                

8   rights, privileges, and immunities and receive the compensation             

                                                                                

9   incidental to their employment.                                             

                                                                                

10      (c) If they are not employees of this state or a political                  

                                                                                

11  subdivision of this state, they are entitled to the same rights             

                                                                                

12  and immunities as provided by law for the employees of this                 

                                                                                

13  state.  All personnel of disaster relief forces shall, while on             

                                                                                

14  duty, be subject to the operational control of the authority in             

                                                                                

15  charge of disaster relief activities in the area in which they              

                                                                                

16  are serving, and shall be reimbursed for all actual and necessary           

                                                                                

17  travel and subsistence expenses.                                            

                                                                                

18      (2) This state, any political subdivision of this state, or                 

                                                                                

19  the employees, agents, or representatives of this state or any              

                                                                                

20  political subdivision of this state are not liable for personal             

                                                                                

21  injury or property damage sustained by any person appointed or              

                                                                                

22  acting as a member of disaster relief forces.  This act  shall              

                                                                                

23  does not affect the right of a person to receive benefits or                

                                                                                

24  compensation  to which he or she may otherwise be entitled to               

                                                                                

25  under the worker's disability compensation act of 1969, 1969                

                                                                                

26  PA 317, MCL 418.101 to 418.941, any pension law, or any act of              

                                                                                

27  congress.                                                                   


                                                                                

1       (3) This state or a political subdivision of this state                     

                                                                                

2   engaged in disaster relief activity is not liable for the death             

                                                                                

3   of or injury to a person,  or persons,  or for damage to                    

                                                                                

4   property, as a result of that activity.  The employees, agents,             

                                                                                

5   or representatives of this state or a political subdivision of              

                                                                                

6   this state and nongovernmental disaster relief force workers or             

                                                                                

7   private or volunteer personnel engaged in disaster relief                   

                                                                                

8   activity are immune from tort liability to the extent provided              

                                                                                

9   under section 7 of 1964 PA 170, MCL 691.1407.   As used in this             

                                                                                

10  section, "disaster relief activity" includes training for or                

                                                                                

11  responding to an actual, impending, mock, or practice disaster or           

                                                                                

12  emergency.                                                                  

                                                                                

13      (4) A person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic                   

                                                                                

14  medicine and surgery, or a licensed hospital, registered nurse,             

                                                                                

15  practical nurse, dentist, veterinarian, or paramedical person,              

                                                                                

16  whether licensed in this or another state or by the federal                 

                                                                                

17  government or a branch of the armed forces of the United States,            

                                                                                

18  or a student nurse undergoing training in a licensed hospital in            

                                                                                

19  this or another state, that renders services during a state of              

                                                                                

20  disaster declared by the governor and at the express or implied             

                                                                                

21  request of a state official or agency or county or local                    

                                                                                

22  coordinator or executive body, is considered an authorized                  

                                                                                

23  disaster relief worker or facility and is not liable for an                 

                                                                                

24  injury sustained by a person by reason of those services,                   

                                                                                

25  regardless of how or under what circumstances or by what cause              

                                                                                

26  those injuries are sustained.  The immunity granted by this                 

                                                                                

27  subsection does not apply in the event of a willful act or                  


                                                                                

1   omission.  If a civil action for malpractice is filed alleging a            

                                                                                

2   willful act or omission resulting in injuries, the services                 

                                                                                

3   rendered that resulted in those injuries shall be judged                    

                                                                                

4   according to the standards required of persons licensed in this             

                                                                                

5   state to perform those services.                                            

                                                                                

6       (5) A licensed dentist, veterinarian, registered nurse,                     

                                                                                

7   practical nurse, or licensed paramedical person, whether licensed           

                                                                                

8   in this or another state or by the federal government or a branch           

                                                                                

9   of the armed forces of the United States, or a student nurse                

                                                                                

10  undergoing training in a licensed hospital in this or another               

                                                                                

11  state, during a state of disaster declared by the governor, may             

                                                                                

12  practice, in addition to the authority granted by other statutes            

                                                                                

13  of this state, the administration of anesthetics; minor surgery;            

                                                                                

14  intravenous, subcutaneous, or intramuscular procedure;  or  oral            

                                                                                

15  and topical medication; or a combination of these under the                 

                                                                                

16  supervision of a member of the medical staff of a licensed                  

                                                                                

17  hospital of this state, and may assist the staff member in other            

                                                                                

18  medical and surgical proceedings.                                           

                                                                                

19      (6) A person owning or controlling real estate or other                     

                                                                                

20  premises who voluntarily and without compensation grants to this            

                                                                                

21  state or a political subdivision of this state a license or                 

                                                                                

22  privilege, or otherwise permits this state or a political                   

                                                                                

23  subdivision of this state to inspect, designate, and use the                

                                                                                

24  whole or any part or parts of the real estate or other premises             

                                                                                

25  for the purpose of sheltering persons during an actual,                     

                                                                                

26  impending, mock, or practice disaster,  together with  and his or           

                                                                                

27  her successors in interest,  if any,  is not civilly liable for             


                                                                                

1   negligently causing the death of or injury to any person on or              

                                                                                

2   about the real estate or premises under the license, privilege,             

                                                                                

3   or permission or for loss or damage to the property of the                  

                                                                                

4   person.                                                                     

                                                                                

5       (7) A person owning or controlling real estate or other                     

                                                                                

6   premises who has gratuitously granted the use of the real estate            

                                                                                

7   or other premises for the purposes stated in this section is                

                                                                                

8   legally obligated to make known to the licensee any hidden                  

                                                                                

9   dangers or safety hazards that are known to the owner or occupant           

                                                                                

10  of the real estate or premises that might possibly result in                

                                                                                

11  the  death,  or  injury, or loss of property to a person using             

                                                                                

12  the real estate or premises.                                                

                                                                                

13      (8) A volunteer member of the citizen corps or other                        

                                                                                

14  component of the USA freedom corps is immune from tort liability            

                                                                                

15  for injury to or death of a person or damage to property caused             

                                                                                

16  by the volunteer while in the course of providing service as a              

                                                                                

17  member of the citizen corps or other component of the USA freedom           

                                                                                

18  corps if all of the following apply:                                        

                                                                                

19      (a) The volunteer is acting or reasonably believes he or she                

                                                                                

20  is acting within the scope of his or her authority.                         

                                                                                

21      (b) The volunteer's conduct is not willful or does not amount               

                                                                                

22  to gross negligence that is the proximate cause of the injury or            

                                                                                

23  damage.                                                                     

                                                                                

24      (9) As used in this section:                                                

                                                                                

25      (a) "Disaster relief activity" includes training for or                     

                                                                                

26  responding to an actual, impending, mock, or practice disaster or           

                                                                                

27  emergency.                                                                  


                                                                                

1       (b) "Gross negligence" means conduct so reckless as to                      

                                                                                

2   demonstrate a substantial lack of concern for whether an injury             

                                                                                

3   results.                                                                    

                                                                                

4       (c) "USA freedom corps" means the interagency initiative                    

                                                                                

5   established by executive order no. 13,254, 3 CFR 196 (2003),                

                                                                                

6   reprinted in 42 USC 12501 note.