EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM S.B. 1267 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS




Senate Bill 1267 (Substitute S-2 as reported)
Sponsor: Senator Jud Gilbert, II
Committee: Technology and Energy

CONTENT
The bill would amend the Emergency Telephone Service Enabling Act to allow a 9-1-1 service district to implement an emergency notification system that would allow emergency service responders to contact service users within a specific geographic area regarding an imminent danger or emergency that could affect the user's health, safety, or welfare.
Upon request, a telephone service supplier would have to provide each 9-1-1 service district within the provider's service area with the telephone number data and address data for each service user within the district. A service supplier could charge a reasonable rate to provide the data. A 9-1-1 service district could not request the data more than once per month. The data could be used only for the purposes provided in the bill. The bill would not apply to a wireless carrier. A person who violated the bill's provisions would be guilty of a misdemeanor. (Under the Michigan Penal Code, if a person is convicted of a misdemeanor for which no punishment is specified in statute, the person may be punished by imprisonment for up to 90 days and/or a maximum fine of $500.)


Currently, a 9-1-1 system agency, its agents, or its employees may not use or disclose a caller's name, address, or telephone number information for any purpose except to identify the caller's telephone location or identity, unless the information is used or disclosed pursuant to a court order. Under the bill, personal information also could be used or disclosed as otherwise provided in the Act, to a member of a public safety agency if necessary to respond to events or situations that were dangerous or threatened individual or public safety.


MCL 484.1317 et al. Legislative Analyst: Julie Koval

FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on State and local government. The bill would allow a service provider to charge a reasonable rate for providing telephone and address data upon request. Whether a service provider would charge a 9-1-1 service district for this information, and at what cost if it chose to do so, cannot be determined at this time.


There are no data to indicate how many offenders would be convicted of the proposed misdemeanor. Local units of government would incur any additional criminal justice costs. Public libraries would benefit from any additional penal fine revenue.


Date Completed: 11-15-04 Fiscal Analyst: Bruce Baker Bethany Wicksall

Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb1267/0304