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Committee moves bill to designate water and wastewater operators as emergency personnel
Summary
The committee approved House Bill 22 to add certified water and wastewater operators to the definition of emergency responders and to include them in local Homeland Security planning; supporters said it is a technical clarification with no budgetary impact.
The Corporations, Elections & Political Subdivisions Committee voted to move House Bill 22, which adds certified water and wastewater operators to Wyoming's list of emergency responders and directs that local Homeland Security plans coordinate with those operators, committee members said.
Representative Alisa Campbell, who introduced the bill, told the committee the change responds to concerns from municipal leaders that water and wastewater operators were not consistently included in emergency plans, creating barriers for those operators to be on-site during natural disasters or emergency responses. "When there is an emergency, when there is a natural disaster ... having our water and wastewater operators being allowed on-site and offering their expertise" is the goal, Campbell said.
Campbell said the measure amends the definitions found in Wyoming Statute 19-13-108 and language tied to emergency personnel definitions (transcribed as 35-9-152(a)(i) in committee remarks) so that local Homeland Security plans coordinate with water and wastewater personnel. She told members that the designation does not change municipal hiring, retirement or insurance status: "They still maintain their certification and designation as water wastewater operators. It truly just includes them in the list of people who are able to respond and be on-site during those emergency situations."
Bob McLaren of the Wyoming Association of Municipalities testified in support and said all 99 cities and towns are members of his organization. "It's a just cleans up a little one. So we're fully supportive of it," McLaren said, and he told the committee there was no budgetary impact to municipalities.
The committee recorded the motion to move the bill as made by Representative Lucas and seconded by Representative Johnson. Roll call recorded eight ayes and one excused; the chair announced that "House Bill 22, Water and Wastewater Operator Emergency response has passed the committee."
