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7 LONG TITLE
8 General Description:
9 This bill amends provisions of the Utah Communications Authority Act.
10 Highlighted Provisions:
11 This bill:
12 ▸ defines terms;
13 ▸ authorizes the Utah Communications Authority Board to commission a performance
14 audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system within the public
15 safety communications network, which study shall include:
16 • determining potential cost savings that may be achieved by the functional
17 consolidation of public safety answering points; and
18 • creating a strategic plan for the state's 911 emergency response system;
19 ▸ limits the use of expenditures from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service
20 Account during the study; and
21 ▸ makes technical changes.
22 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
23 None
24 Other Special Clauses:
25 This bill provides a coordination clause.
26 Utah Code Sections Affected:
27 AMENDS:
28 63H-7-103, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2014, Chapter 320
29 ENACTS:
30 63H-7-206, Utah Code Annotated 1953
31 Utah Code Sections Affected by Coordination Clause:
32 63H-7-206, Utah Code Annotated 1953
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34 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
35 Section 1. Section 63H-7-103 is amended to read:
36 63H-7-103. Definitions.
37 As used in this chapter:
38 (1) "Authority" means the Utah Communications Authority, an independent state
39 agency created in Section 67H-7-201.
40 (2) "Board" means the Utah Communications Authority Board created in Section
41 67H-7-203.
42 (3) "Bonds" means bonds, notes, certificates, debentures, contracts, lease purchase
43 agreements, or other evidences of indebtedness or borrowing issued or incurred by the
44 authority pursuant to this chapter.
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46 in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.
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48 similar agreement.
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50 district, or interlocal entity created under Title 11, Chapter 13, Interlocal Cooperation Act.
51 [
52 (a) adopts a membership resolution to be included within the authority; and
53 (b) submits an originally executed copy of an authorizing resolution to the authority's
54 office.
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56 by the governing body of each member.
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58 towns, counties, school districts, local districts, and special service districts, dispatched by a
59 public safety answering point.
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61 combination of entities [
62 the receipt, management, and dissemination to the proper responding agency, of emergency and
63 nonemergency communications, including 911 communications, police, fire, emergency
64 medical, transportation, parks, wildlife, corrections, and any other governmental
65 communications.
66 [
67 (a) a regional or statewide public safety governmental communications network and
68 related facilities, including real property, improvements, and equipment necessary for the
69 acquisition, construction, and operation of the services and facilities; and
70 (b) 911 emergency services, including radio communications, microwave connectivity,
71 FirstNet coordination, and computer aided dispatch system.
72 (12) "State" means the state of Utah.
73 (13) "State representative" means the six appointees of the governor or their designees
74 and the Utah state treasurer or his designee.
75 Section 2. Section 63H-7-206 is enacted to read:
76 63H-7-206. Functional consolidation of PSAPs study.
77 (1) As used in this section:
78 (a) "Functional consolidation" means the process of ensuring that disparate public
79 safety answering points and public safety dispatching centers work together in an efficient and
80 effective way.
81 (b) "PSAP operator":
82 (i) means a public agency that operates a PSAP; and
83 (ii) does not include an institution of higher education, a school district, or an airport
84 authority that operates a PSAP.
85 (2) Beginning on or after July 1, 2015, the board shall commission and oversee a
86 performance audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system and related elements
87 of the public safety communications network, which shall include:
88 (a) a review of statutory provisions and efforts of the Utah 911 Committee, the 911
89 program manager, and the Office of the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator regarding the
90 assessment, planning, rules, technology review, and standardization of the state's 911
91 emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network;
92 (b) working with state and local stakeholders to determine potential cost savings and
93 increases in quality and efficiency that may be achieved by the functional consolidation of
94 PSAPs and dispatch centers throughout the state, including recommendations regarding:
95 (i) an efficient and effective public safety communications management structure to
96 ensure that high quality 911 emergency services are available to the state's citizens;
97 (ii) common standard operating procedures that ensure the least amount of call
98 processing time;
99 (iii) efficient methods to transfer calls between PSAPs and from a PSAP to a first
100 responder, regardless of jurisdiction;
101 (iv) uniformity of equipment and software protocols to accomplish seamless
102 functionality between computer aided dispatch systems;
103 (v) interoperable telephonic and radio systems to ensure coordination between
104 jurisdictions; and
105 (vi) how unnecessary duplication of services may be reduced or eliminated;
106 (c) making recommendations for inclusion in the strategic plan for the state's 911
107 emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network,
108 which recommendations may include:
109 (i) how PSAPs may benefit from functional consolidation;
110 (ii) how PSAPs within designated regions may accept calls and provide emergency
111 communication services for first responders using interoperable equipment, software,
112 protocols, and standard operating procedures; and
113 (iii) how PSAPs, regardless of physical location, may operate on interoperable, shared,
114 or hosted technology platforms and with common policies to reduce the need to transfer calls
115 between PSAPs;
116 (d) describing and recommending potential solutions to the biggest impediments to
117 functional consolidation of PSAPs; and
118 (e) making recommendations regarding necessary personnel and associated job duties
119 within the Utah Communications Authority.
120 (3) On or before July 1, 2016, the performance audit and study described in Subsection
121 (2) shall be completed and submitted by the board in writing to the Law Enforcement and
122 Criminal Justice Interim Committee and the Retirement and Independent Entities Interim
123 Committee.
124 (4) (a) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account created in
125 Section 63H-7-304 may not be used to fund a new local PSAP, call taking, or dispatching
126 project before the completion of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2),
127 unless the board determines that an exigent circumstance requires the allocation of funds.
128 (b) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account may be used to
129 fund ongoing maintenance of existing equipment and projects approved before July 1, 2015.
130 (5) After July 1, 2016, money spent from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency
131 Service Account created in Section 63H-7-304 for projects, including state and local PSAP and
132 dispatching projects, shall be made after consideration of the:
133 (a) recommendations of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2);
134 and
135 (b) strategic plan for the state's network 911 emergency response system and related
136 elements of the public safety communications network described in Subsection (2)(c).
137 Section 3. Coordinating S.B. 237 with H.B. 343 -- Substantive and technical
138 amendments.
139 If this S.B. 237 and H.B. 343, Utah Communication Authority Emergency Radio and
140 911 Amendments, both pass and become law, it is the intent of the Legislature that the Office
141 of Legislative Research and General Counsel, in preparing the Utah Code database for
142 publication:
143 (1) renumber Section 63H-7-206 created in this S.B. 237 to 63H-7a-206;
144 (2) provide that this S.B. 237 takes effect on July 1, 2015; and
145 (3) that Section 63H-7-206 in this S.B. 237 be replaced with the following:
146 "63H-7a-206. Functional consolidation of PSAPs study.
147 (1) As used in this section:
148 (a) "Functional consolidation" means the process of ensuring that disparate public
149 safety answering points and public safety dispatching centers work together in an efficient and
150 effective way.
151 (b) "PSAP operator":
152 (i) means a public agency that operates a PSAP; and
153 (ii) does not include an institution of higher education, a school district, or an airport
154 authority that operates a PSAP.
155 (2) Beginning on or after July 1, 2015, the board shall commission and oversee a
156 performance audit and study of the state's 911 emergency response system and related elements
157 of the public safety communications network, which shall include:
158 (a) a review of statutory provisions and efforts of the authority, executive director,
159 Utah 911 Division, and Interoperability Division regarding the assessment, planning, rules,
160 technology review, and standardization of the state's 911 emergency response system and
161 related elements of the public safety communications network;
162 (b) working with state and local stakeholders to determine potential cost savings and
163 increases in quality and efficiency that may be achieved by the functional consolidation of
164 PSAPs and dispatch centers throughout the state, including recommendations regarding:
165 (i) an efficient and effective public safety communications management structure to
166 ensure that high quality 911 emergency services are available to the state's citizens;
167 (ii) common standard operating procedures that ensure the least amount of call
168 processing time;
169 (iii) efficient methods to transfer calls between PSAPs and from a PSAP to a first
170 responder, regardless of jurisdiction;
171 (iv) uniformity of equipment and software protocols to accomplish seamless
172 functionality between computer aided dispatch systems;
173 (v) interoperable telephonic and radio systems to ensure coordination between
174 jurisdictions; and
175 (vi) how unnecessary duplication of services may be reduced or eliminated;
176 (c) making recommendations for inclusion in the strategic plan for the state's 911
177 emergency response system and related elements of the public safety communications network,
178 which recommendations may include:
179 (i) how PSAPs may benefit from functional consolidation;
180 (ii) how PSAPs within designated regions may accept calls and provide emergency
181 communication services for first responders using interoperable equipment, software,
182 protocols, and standard operating procedures; and
183 (iii) how PSAPs, regardless of physical location, may operate on interoperable, shared,
184 or hosted technology platforms and with common policies to reduce the need to transfer calls
185 between PSAPs;
186 (d) describing and recommending potential solutions to the biggest impediments to
187 functional consolidation of PSAPs; and
188 (e) making recommendations regarding necessary personnel and associated job duties
189 within the authority.
190 (3) On or before July 1, 2016, the performance audit and study described in Subsection
191 (2) shall be completed and submitted by the board in writing to the Law Enforcement and
192 Criminal Justice Interim Committee and the Retirement and Independent Entities Interim
193 Committee.
194 (4) (a) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account created in
195 Section 63H-7a-304 may not be used to fund a new local PSAP, call taking, or dispatching
196 project before the completion of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2),
197 unless the board determines that an exigent circumstance requires the allocation of funds.
198 (b) Money from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency Service Account may be used to
199 fund ongoing maintenance of existing equipment and projects approved before July 1, 2015.
200 (5) After July 1, 2016, money spent from the Unified Statewide 911 Emergency
201 Service Account created in Section 63H-7a-304 for projects, including state and local PSAP
202 and dispatching projects, shall be made after consideration of the:
203 (a) recommendations of the performance audit and study described in Subsection (2);
204 and
205 (b) strategic plan for the state's network 911 emergency response system and related
206 elements of the public safety communications network described in Subsection (2)(c)."