[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S.J. Res. 35 Referred in House (RFH)]

  2d Session
S. J. RES. 35


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             August 3, 1998

               Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            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.

            Passed the Senate July 31, 1998.

            Attest:

                                                    GARY SISCO,

                                                             Secretary.