105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. J. RES. 35

JOINT RESOLUTION

Granting the consent of Congress to the Pacific Northwest

Emergency Management Arrangement.

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL CONSENT.

4 Congress consents to the Pacific Northwest Emer5 gency Management Arrangement entered into between the

6 States of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, and the

7 Province of British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.

8 The arrangement is substantially as follows:

9 ‘‘PACIFIC NORTHWEST EMERGENCY

10 MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT

11 ‘‘Whereas, Pacific Northwest emergency management

12 arrangement between the government of the States of

13 Alaska, the government of the State of Idaho, the gov14 ernment of the State of Oregon, the government of

15 the State of Washington, the government of the State

16 of the Providence of British Columbia, and the gov17 ernment of Yukon Territory hereinafter referred to
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1 collectively as the ‘Signatories’ and separately as a

2 ‘Signatory’;

3 ‘‘Whereas, the Signatories recognize the importance

4 of comprehensive and coordinated civil emergency pre5 paredness, response and recovery measures for natu6 ral and technological emergencies or disasters, and for

7 declared or undeclared hostilities including enemy at8 tack;

9 ‘‘Whereas, the Signatories further recognize the bene10 fits of coordinating their separate emergency pre11 paredness, response and recovery measures with that

12 of contiguous jurisdictions for those emergencies, dis13 asters, or hostilities affecting or potentially affecting

14 any one or more of the Signatories in the Pacific

15 Northwest; and

16 ‘‘Whereas, the Signatories further recognize that re17 gionally based emergency preparedness, response and

18 recovery measures will benefit all jurisdictions within

19 the Pacific Northwest, and best serve their respective

20 national interests in cooperative and coordinated

21 emergency preparedness as facilitated by the Consult22 ative Group on Comprehensive Civil Emergency and

23 Management established in the Agreement Between

24 the government of the United States of America and

25 the government of Canada on Cooperation and Com-
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1 prehensive Civil Emergency Planning and Manage2 ment signed at Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on April 28,

3 1986: Now, therefore, be it is hereby agreed by and

4 between each and all of the Signatories hereto as fol5 lows:

6 ‘‘ADVISORY COMMITTEE

7 ‘‘(1) An advisory committee named the Western Re8 gional Emergency Management Advisory Committee (W–

9 REMAC) shall be established which will include one mem10 ber appointed by each Signatory.

11 ‘‘(2) The W–REMAC will be guided by the agreed12 upon Terms of Reference-Annex A.

13 ‘‘PRINCIPLES OF COOPERATION

14 ‘‘(3) Subject to the laws of each Signatory, the follow15 ing cooperative principles are to be used as a guide by

16 the Signatories in civil emergency matters which may af17 fect more than one Signatory:

18 ‘‘(A) The authorities of each Signatory may

19 seek the advice, cooperation, or assistance of any

20 other Signatory in any civil emergency matter.

21 ‘‘(B) Nothing in the arrangement shall derogate

22 from the applicable laws within the jurisdiction of

23 any Signatory. However, the authorities of any Sig24 natory may request from the authorities of any other

25 signatory appropriate alleviation of such laws if their

26 normal application might lead to delay or difficulty
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1 in the rapid execution of necessary civil emergency

2 measures.

3 ‘‘(C) Each Signatory will use its best efforts to

4 facilitate the movement of evacuees, refugees, civil

5 emergency personnel, equipment or other resources

6 into or across its territory, or to a designated stag7 ing area when it is agreed that such movement or

8 staging will facilitate civil emergency operations by

9 the affected or participating Signatories.

10 ‘‘(D) In times of emergency, each Signatory will

11 use its best efforts to ensure that the citizens or

12 residents of any other Signatory present in its terri13 tory are provided emergency health services and

14 emergency social services in a manner no less favor15 able than that provided to its own citizens.

16 ‘‘(E) Each Signatory will use discretionary

17 power as far as possible to avoid levy of any tax, tar18 iff, business license, or user fees on the services,

19 equipment, and supplies of any other Signatory

20 which is engaged in civil emergency activities in the

21 territory of another Signatory, and will use its best

22 efforts to encourage local governments or other ju23 risdictions within its territory to do likewise.

24 ‘‘(F) When civil emergency personnel, con25 tracted firms or personnel, vehicles, equipment, or
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1 other services from any Signatory are made available

2 to or are employed to assist any other Signatory, all

3 providing Signatories will use best efforts to ensure

4 that charges, levies, or costs for such use or assist5 ance will not exceed those paid for similar use of

6 such resources within their own territory.

7 ‘‘(G) Each Signatory will exchange contact lists,

8 warning and notification plans, and selected emer9 gency plans and will call to the attention of their re10 spective local governments and other jurisdictional

11 authorities in areas adjacent to intersignatory

12 boundaries, the desirability of compatibility of civil

13 emergency plans and the exchange of contact lists,

14 warning and notification plans, and selected emer15 gency plans.

16 ‘‘(H) The authority of any Signatory conduct17 ing an exercise will ensure that all other signatories

18 are provided an opportunity to observe, and/or par19 ticipate in such exercises.

20 ‘‘COMPREHENSIVE NATURE

21 ‘‘(4) This document is a comprehensive arrangement

22 on civil emergency planning and management. To this end

23 and from time to time as necessary, all Signatories shall—

24 ‘‘(A) review and exchange their respective con25 tact lists, warning and notification plans, and se26 lected emergency plans; and
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1 ‘‘(B) as appropriate, provide such plans and

2 procedures to local governments, and other emer3 gency agencies within their respective territories.

4 ‘‘ARRANGEMENT NOT EXCLUSIVE

5 ‘‘(5) This is not an exclusive arrangement and shall

6 not prevent or limit other civil emergency arrangements

7 of any nature between Signatories to this arrangement.

8 In the event of any conflicts between the provisions of this

9 arrangement and any other arrangement regarding emer10 gency service entered into by two or more States of the

11 United States who are Signatories to this arrangement,

12 the provisions of that other arrangement shall apply, with

13 respect to the obligations of those States to each other,

14 and not the conflicting provisions of this arrangement.

15 ‘‘AMENDMENTS

16 ‘‘(6) This Arrangement and the Annex may be

17 amended (and additional Annexes may be added) by ar18 rangement of the Signatories.

19 ‘‘CANCELLATION OR SUBSTITUTION

20 ‘‘(7) Any Signatory to this Arrangement may with21 draw from or cancel their participation in this Arrange22 ment by giving sixty days, written notice in advance of

23 this effective date to all other Signatories.
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1 ‘‘AUTHORITY

2 ‘‘(8) All Signatories to this Arrangement warrant

3 they have the power and capacity to accept, execute, and

4 deliver this Arrangement.

5 ‘‘EFFECTIVE DATE

6 ‘‘(9) Notwithstanding any dates noted elsewhere, this

7 Arrangement shall commence April 1, 1996.’’.

8 SEC. 2. INCONSISTENCY OF LANGUAGE.

9 The validity of the arrangements consented to by this

10 Act shall not be affected by any insubstantial difference

11 in their form or language as adopted by the States and

12 provinces.

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

14 The right to alter, amend, or repeal this Act is hereby

15 expressly reserved.

Passed the Senate July 31, 1998.

Attest:

Secretary.
105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. J. RES. 35

JOINT RESOLUTION

Granting the consent of Congress to the Pacific

Northwest Emergency Management Arrangement.