Illinois House passes school hazmat emergency preparedness bill

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — The Illinois House passed legislation Tuesday to help schools be prepared for hazmat emergencies.

This plan calls on the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security to work with the State Board of Education to develop guidance for local emergency responders and school districts.

Sponsors said the guidance will cover federal, state, or local agencies responsible for identifying whether a spill or explosion has occurred and how that information can be communicated to school personnel.

The bill also requires school evacuation plans and a list of available training programs.

"We see this arising out of a chemical spill that happened in Ohio a couple years ago where the school district wasn't aware of what they should do in the event of a chemical spill," said Rep. Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore). "Do they keep the kids inside? Do they shut off the HVAC? Do they turn it on? Do they send them home?"

Each school district would be required to develop procedures for its schools to address hazardous emergencies based on the state guidance.

Senate Bill 71 passed unanimously out of the House and now moves back to the Senate for concurrence on an amendment. The Senate passed the original bill language unanimously in early April.