The bill amends Section 30-15-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 30-15, entitled "Emergency Management," to provide additional protections and benefits to disaster response workers. The amendment declares all disaster response functions as governmental functions and grants immunity from liability to the state, political subdivisions, agencies, and disaster response workers for death, injury, or property damage resulting from disaster response activities, except in cases of willful misconduct, gross negligence, or bad faith. It also states that this immunity does not affect the right to receive benefits under other laws, such as the Workers’ Compensation Act.

The bill further amends the law to include a new subsection (d), which stipulates that in the absence of other legal benefits, disaster response workers practicing professional, mechanical, or other skills during a disaster emergency shall be considered state employees and entitled to the same rights and benefits as state employees under chapters 29 through 38 of title 28 and under § 9-31-8. This includes workers from various jurisdictions and organizations performing services in the state. The act would take effect upon passage, ensuring that disaster response workers are adequately compensated and protected while performing their duties.

Statutes affected:
3109: 30-15-15