Sec. 28-9. Civil preparedness emergency; Governor's powers.
Sec. 28-9. Civil preparedness emergency; Governor's powers. In the event of
serious disaster, enemy attack, sabotage or other hostile action or in the event of the
imminence thereof, the Governor may proclaim that a state of civil preparedness emergency exists, in which event he may personally take direct operational control of any or
all parts of the civil preparedness forces and functions in the state. Any such proclamation
shall be effective upon filing with the Secretary of the State. Any such proclamation,
or order issued pursuant thereto, issued by the Governor because of a disaster resulting
from man-made cause may be disapproved by majority vote of a joint legislative committee consisting of the president pro tempore of the Senate, the speaker of the House of
Representatives and the majority and minority leaders of both houses of the General
Assembly, provided at least one of the minority leaders votes for such disapproval. Such
disapproval shall not be effective unless filed with the Secretary of the State within
seventy-two hours of the filing of the Governor's proclamation with the Secretary of
the State. As soon as possible after such proclamation, if the General Assembly is not
then in session, the Governor shall meet with the president pro tempore of the Senate,
the speaker of the House of Representatives, and the majority and minority leaders of
both houses of the General Assembly and shall confer with them on the advisability of
calling a special session of the General Assembly. Upon such proclamation, the following provisions of this section and the provisions of section 28-11 shall immediately
become effective and shall continue in effect until the Governor proclaims the end of
the civil preparedness emergency:
(a) The Governor is authorized and empowered to modify or suspend in whole or
in part, by order as hereinafter provided, any statute, regulation or requirement or part
thereof whenever in his opinion it is in conflict with the efficient and expeditious execution of civil preparedness functions. The Governor shall specify in such order the reason
or reasons therefor and any statute, regulation or requirement or part thereof to be modified or suspended and the period, not exceeding six months unless sooner revoked,
during which such order, modification or suspension shall be enforced. Any such order
shall have the full force and effect of law upon the filing of the full text thereof in the
office of the Secretary of the State. The Secretary of the State shall, within four days
after receipt of the order, cause such order to be printed and published in full in at least
one issue of a newspaper published in each county and having general circulation therein,
but failure to publish shall not impair the validity of such order. Any statute, regulation
or requirement inconsistent therewith shall be inoperative for the effective period of
such order or suspension. Any such order shall be communicated by the Governor at
the earliest date to both houses of the General Assembly.
(b) The Governor may order into action all or any part of the department or local
or joint organizations for civil preparedness mobile support units or any other civil
preparedness forces.
(c) The Governor shall order and enforce such blackouts and radio silences as are
authorized by the United States Army or its duly designated agency and may take any
other precautionary measures reasonably necessary in the light of the emergency.
(d) The Governor may designate such vehicles and persons as shall be permitted
to move and the routes which they shall follow.
(e) The Governor shall take appropriate measures for protecting the health and
safety of inmates of state institutions and children in schools.
(f) The Governor may order the evacuation of all or part of the population of stricken
or threatened areas and may take such steps as are necessary for the receipt and care of
such evacuees.
(g) The Governor may take such other steps as are reasonably necessary in the light
of the emergency to protect the health, safety and welfare of the people of the state, to
prevent or minimize loss or destruction of property and to minimize the effects of hostile
action.
(h) In order to insure the automatic and effective operation of civil preparedness in
the event of enemy attack, sabotage or other hostile action, or in the event of the imminence thereof, the Governor may, at his discretion, at any time prior to actual development of such conditions, issue such proclamations and executive orders as he deems
necessary, such proclamations and orders to become effective only under such conditions.
(June, 1951, 1953, S. 1913d; 1959, P.A. 120; 333, S. 2; P.A. 73-544, S. 9; P.A. 75-643, S. 2; P.A. 81-472, S. 58, 159;
P.A. 88-135, S. 7; P.A. 04-219, S. 19.)
History: 1959 acts added new Subsec. (h) authorizing prior issuance of proclamations and executive orders by the
governor which would become effective only in the event of enemy action or imminence thereof and substituted in Subsec.
(b) "the civil defense branch of the military department" for "state civil defense agency"; P.A. 73-544 substituted "civil
preparedness" for "civil defense" throughout; P.A. 75-643 provided for the proclamation to be effective upon filing with
the secretary of the state and that proclamation of disaster from a man-made cause may be disapproved by a majority vote
of a joint legislative committee specially created; P.A. 81-472 made technical changes; P.A. 88-135 substituted office of
"emergency management" for office of "civil preparedness" in Subsec. (b); P.A. 04-219 amended Subsec. (b) to substitute
department for Office of Emergency Management, effective January 1, 2005.
See Sec. 28-8a re powers of chief executive officers of municipalities during major disasters or emergencies.