S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                    896
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                                (PREFILED)
 
                              January 8, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by Sen. MARTINEZ -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Veterans, Homeland Securi-
   ty and Military Affairs
 
 AN ACT to amend the executive law, in relation to the  establishment  of
   local comprehensive emergency management plans

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 5 and paragraph b of subdivision 7  of  section
 23  of the executive law, subdivision 5 as amended by chapter 385 of the
 laws of 2017, paragraph b of subdivision 7 as amended by  section  4  of
 part B of chapter 56 of the laws of 2010, subparagraph 13 of paragraph b
 of  subdivision  7  as  amended  by chapter 724 of the laws of 2022, are
 amended to read as follows:
   5. In preparing such plans, cooperation, advice and  assistance  shall
 be  sought  from local government officials, regional and local planning
 agencies, police agencies, fire departments and  fire  companies,  local
 emergency   management  agencies,  commercial  and  volunteer  ambulance
 services, health and social services officials, community  action  agen-
 cies,  the  chief  administrator  of  the  courts, organizations for the
 elderly and the handicapped, agencies  and  organizations  that  provide
 home  health  care  services,  agencies  and  organizations that provide
 hospice services, LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL ANIMAL SHELTERS, A SOCIETY FOR THE
 PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS, VETERINARY SERVICES, other  interested
 groups  and  the  general  public.  Such  advice  and  assistance may be
 obtained through public hearings held on public notice, or through other
 appropriate and practical methods,  through  which  such  aforementioned
 groups  may  offer  their input for consideration on issues that support
 the effective preparation and execution of the plan. In addition, in the
 case of home care and hospice, such  input  may  address  procedures  by

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD02780-01-5
              

 S. 896                              2
 
 which  such  providers  may be granted essential access to care for such
 patients during an emergency.
   b.  Disaster  response.  Plans  to coordinate the use of resources and
 manpower for service during and after disasters and to deliver  services
 to  aid  citizens  and  reduce human suffering resulting from a disaster
 shall include, but not be limited to:
   (1) coordination of resources, manpower and services, using recognized
 practices in incident management, utilizing existing  organizations  and
 lines of authority and centralized direction of requests for assistance;
   (2)  the  location, procurement, construction, processing, transporta-
 tion, storing, maintenance, renovation, distribution, disposal or use of
 materials, including those donated, and facilities  and  services  which
 may be required in time of disaster;
   (3) a system for warning populations who are or may be endangered;
   (4)  arrangements  for  activating  municipal  and  volunteer  forces,
 through normal chains of command so far as possible, and  for  continued
 communication and reporting;
   (5)  a specific plan for rapid and efficient communication and for the
 integration of local communication facilities during a disaster  includ-
 ing the assignment of responsibilities and the establishment of communi-
 cation priorities and liaison with municipal, private, state and federal
 communication facilities;
   (6) (I) a plan for THE coordination OF evacuation procedures including
 the  establishment  of temporary housing and other necessary facilities;
 AND
   (II) SUCH PLAN SHALL INCLUDE THE IDENTIFICATION OF  TEMPORARY  HOUSING
 AND OTHER NECESSARY FACILITIES DESIGNATED AS ANIMAL-FRIENDLY;
   (7)  criteria for establishing priorities with respect to the restora-
 tion of vital services and debris removal;
   (8) plans for the continued effective operation of the civil and crim-
 inal justice systems;
   (9) provisions for training local government personnel and  volunteers
 in disaster response operations;
   (10) providing information to the public WHICH SHALL:
   (I)  CONSIDER  THE  COMMUNICATION  ACCOMMODATION NEEDS OF PERSONS WITH
 VISION OR HEARING IMPAIRMENTS; AND
   (II) INCLUDE INFORMATION ON WHICH TEMPORARY HOUSING AND  OTHER  NECES-
 SARY FACILITIES ARE DESIGNATED AS ANIMAL-FRIENDLY;
   (11) care for the injured and needy and identification and disposition
 of the dead;
   (12)  utilization  and  coordination  of programs to assist victims of
 disasters, with particular attention to  the  needs  of  the  poor,  the
 elderly,  individuals  with  disabilities  and other groups which may be
 especially affected;
   (13) control of ingress and  egress  to  and  from  a  disaster  area,
 including but not limited to, exempting from travel bans those essential
 private  and  public personnel, as determined by the commission, who are
 summoned by their employers to assist in  emergency  services,  such  as
 utility  and other workers who need to reach declared emergency areas in
 order to perform tasks related to the restoration and/or maintenance  of
 energy and communications infrastructure;
   (14) arrangements to administer state and federal disaster assistance;
   (15)  procedures  under which the county, city, town, village or other
 political subdivision and emergency organization personnel and resources
 will be used in the event of a disaster;
 S. 896                              3
 
   (16) a system for  obtaining  and  coordinating  disaster  information
 including  the  centralized  assessment  of  local  disaster effects and
 resultant needs;
   (17)  continued  operation  of  governments of political subdivisions;
 [and]
   (18) utilization and coordination of programs  to  assist  individuals
 with  household  pets  and  service  animals  following a disaster, with
 particular attention to means of evacuation, shelter and  transportation
 options[.]; AND
   (19)  ESTABLISHING  PARTNERSHIPS WITH LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL ANIMAL SHEL-
 TERS, A SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS AND  VETERINARY
 SERVICES TO ASSIST IN RESPONDING TO EMERGENCIES INVOLVING ANIMALS.
   §  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
 have become a law.