HB305: Higher educational institutions; crisis and emergency management plans.

HOUSE BILL NO. 305
Offered January 11, 2012
Prefiled January 10, 2012
A BILL to amend and reenact § 23-9.2:9 of the Code of Virginia, relating to institutional crisis and emergency management plans.
Patron-- Crockett-Stark

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 23-9.2:9 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 23-9.2:9. Institutional crisis and emergency management plan; review required; annual functional exercise required.

A. The board of visitors or other governing body of each public institution of higher education shall develop, adopt, and keep current a written crisis and emergency management plan. The plan shall include a provision that the Department of Criminal Justice Services and the Virginia Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund shall be contacted immediately to deploy assistance in the event of an emergency as defined in the emergency response plan when there are victims as defined in § 19.2-11.01, as well as current contact information for both.

B. Every four years, each institution shall conduct a comprehensive review and revision of its crisis and emergency management plan to ensure the plan remains current, and the revised plan shall be adopted formally by the board of visitors or other governing body. Such review shall also be certified in writing to the Department of Emergency Management. The institution shall coordinate with the local emergency management organization, as defined by § 44-146.16, to ensure integration into the local emergency operations plan.

C. In addition, the president and vice-president of each public institution of higher education, or in the case of the Virginia Military Institute, the superintendent, shall annually (i) review the institution's crisis and emergency management plan; (ii) certify in writing to the Department of Emergency Management that the president and vice-president, or the superintendent, have reviewed the plan; and (iii) make recommendations to the institution for appropriate changes to the plan.

D. Each public institution of higher education shall annually conduct a functional exercise in accordance with the protocols established by the institution's crisis and emergency management plan and certify in writing to the Department of Emergency Management that such exercise was conducted.