[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 35 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.J.Res.35

                       One Hundred Fifth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the twenty-seventh day of January, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-
                                  eight


                            Joint Resolution


 
  Granting the consent of Congress to the Pacific Northwest Emergency 
                         Management Arrangement.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL CONSENT.

    Congress consents to the Pacific Northwest Emergency Management 
Arrangement entered into between the States of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, 
and Washington, and the Province of British Columbia and the Yukon 
Territory. The arrangement is substantially as follows:

          ``PACIFIC NORTHWEST EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT

    ``Whereas, Pacific Northwest emergency management arrangement 
  between the government of the States of Alaska, the government of the 
  State of Idaho, the government of the State of Oregon, the government 
  of the State of Washington, the government of the State of the 
  Providence of British Columbia, and the government of Yukon Territory 
  hereinafter referred to collectively as the `Signatories' and 
  separately as a `Signatory';
    ``Whereas, the Signatories recognize the importance of 
  comprehensive and coordinated civil emergency preparedness, response 
  and recovery measures for natural and technological emergencies or 
  disasters, and for declared or undeclared hostilities including enemy 
  attack;
    ``Whereas, the Signatories further recognize the benefits of 
  coordinating their separate emergency preparedness, response and 
  recovery measures with that of contiguous jurisdictions for those 
  emergencies, disasters, or hostilities affecting or potentially 
  affecting any one or more of the Signatories in the Pacific 
  Northwest; and
    ``Whereas, the Signatories further recognize that regionally based 
  emergency preparedness, response and recovery measures will benefit 
  all jurisdictions within the Pacific Northwest, and best serve their 
  respective national interests in cooperative and coordinated 
  emergency preparedness as facilitated by the Consultative Group on 
  Comprehensive Civil Emergency and Management established in the 
  Agreement Between the government of the United States of America and 
  the government of Canada on Cooperation and Comprehensive Civil 
  Emergency Planning and Management signed at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 
  on April 28, 1986: Now, therefore, be it is hereby agreed by and 
  between each and all of the Signatories hereto as follows:


                           ``Advisory Committee

    ``(1) An advisory committee named the Western Regional Emergency 
Management Advisory Committee (W-REMAC) shall be established which will 
include one member appointed by each Signatory.
    ``(2) The W-REMAC will be guided by the agreed-upon Terms of 
Reference-Annex A.


                       ``Principles of Cooperation

    ``(3) Subject to the laws of each Signatory, the following 
cooperative principles are to be used as a guide by the Signatories in 
civil emergency matters which may affect more than one Signatory:
        ``(A) The authorities of each Signatory may seek the advice, 
    cooperation, or assistance of any other Signatory in any civil 
    emergency matter.
        ``(B) Nothing in the arrangement shall derogate from the 
    applicable laws within the jurisdiction of any Signatory. However, 
    the authorities of any Signatory may request from the authorities 
    of any other signatory appropriate alleviation of such laws if 
    their normal application might lead to delay or difficulty in the 
    rapid execution of necessary civil emergency measures.
        ``(C) Each Signatory will use its best efforts to facilitate 
    the movement of evacuees, refugees, civil emergency personnel, 
    equipment or other resources into or across its territory, or to a 
    designated staging area when it is agreed that such movement or 
    staging will facilitate civil emergency operations by the affected 
    or participating Signatories.
        ``(D) In times of emergency, each Signatory will use its best 
    efforts to ensure that the citizens or residents of any other 
    Signatory present in its territory are provided emergency health 
    services and emergency social services in a manner no less 
    favorable than that provided to its own citizens.
        ``(E) Each Signatory will use discretionary power as far as 
    possible to avoid levy of any tax, tariff, business license, or 
    user fees on the services, equipment, and supplies of any other 
    Signatory which is engaged in civil emergency activities in the 
    territory of another Signatory, and will use its best efforts to 
    encourage local governments or other jurisdictions within its 
    territory to do likewise.
        ``(F) When civil emergency personnel, contracted firms or 
    personnel, vehicles, equipment, or other services from any 
    Signatory are made available to or are employed to assist any other 
    Signatory, all providing Signatories will use best efforts to 
    ensure that charges, levies, or costs for such use or assistance 
    will not exceed those paid for similar use of such resources within 
    their own territory.
        ``(G) Each Signatory will exchange contact lists, warning and 
    notification plans, and selected emergency plans and will call to 
    the attention of their respective local governments and other 
    jurisdictional authorities in areas adjacent to intersignatory 
    boundaries, the desirability of compatibility of civil emergency 
    plans and the exchange of contact lists, warning and notification 
    plans, and selected emergency plans.
        ``(H) The authority of any Signatory conducting an exercise 
    will ensure that all other signatories are provided an opportunity 
    to observe, and/or participate in such exercises.


                          ``Comprehensive Nature

    ``(4) This document is a comprehensive arrangement on civil 
emergency planning and management. To this end and from time to time as 
necessary, all Signatories shall--
        ``(A) review and exchange their respective contact lists, 
    warning and notification plans, and selected emergency plans; and
        ``(B) as appropriate, provide such plans and procedures to 
    local governments, and other emergency agencies within their 
    respective territories.


                       ``Arrangement Not Exclusive

    ``(5) This is not an exclusive arrangement and shall not prevent or 
limit other civil emergency arrangements of any nature between 
Signatories to this arrangement. In the event of any conflicts between 
the provisions of this arrangement and any other arrangement regarding 
emergency service entered into by two or more States of the United 
States who are Signatories to this arrangement, the provisions of that 
other arrangement shall apply, with respect to the obligations of those 
States to each other, and not the conflicting provisions of this 
arrangement.


                               ``Amendments

    ``(6) This Arrangement and the Annex may be amended (and additional 
Annexes may be added) by arrangement of the Signatories.

                     ``Cancellation or Substitution

    ``(7) Any Signatory to this Arrangement may withdraw from or cancel 
their participation in this Arrangement by giving sixty days, written 
notice in advance of this effective date to all other Signatories.

                              ``Authority

    ``(8) All Signatories to this Arrangement warrant they have the 
power and capacity to accept, execute, and deliver this Arrangement.

                            ``Effective Date

    ``(9) Notwithstanding any dates noted elsewhere, this Arrangement 
shall commence April 1, 1996.''.

SEC. 2. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE.

    The validity of the arrangements consented to by this Act shall not 
be affected by any insubstantial difference in their form or language 
as adopted by the States and provinces.

SEC. 3. RIGHT TO ALTER, AMEND, OR REPEAL.

    The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is hereby expressly 
reserved.

                               Speaker of the House of Representatives.

                            Vice President of the United States and    
                                               President of the Senate.