SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new bill in Springfield could require the state to provide funding for the mutual aid box alarm system to help first responders address disasters at large warehouses.
FILE - An Amazon distribution center is heavily damaged after a strong thunderstorm moved through the area, Dec. 10, 2021, in Edwardsville, Ill. Several members of Congress want Amazon to explain why an Illinois warehouse that collapsed during a 2021 tornado, killing six employees, is being rebuilt without adding upgraded storm shelters, according to a letter released Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)
Rep. Katie Stuart (D-Edwardsville) said many leaders quickly learned about the importance of MABAS after the 2021 tornado that killed six employees at the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville.
Stuart told her colleagues Thursday that fire departments deserve state funding for MABAS to alleviate difficulties instead of forcing small governments to pay the bill.
"This is a system that depends on federal funds," Stuart said. "Those funds have declined by 80% since 2022, and there's a lot of worry about the future of those funds. This is something our state tax dollars should invest in."
The Illinois Emergency Management Agency would be required to establish a formula for distribution of MABAS funding by July 1, 2026.
House Bill 1271 passed unanimously out of the House Police & Fire Committee Thursday. The measure now moves to the House floor.
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