The bill amends Section 30-15-15 of the General Laws in Chapter 30-15, titled "Emergency Management," to enhance the legal protections and rights of disaster response workers. It establishes that all functions related to disaster response are governmental functions, thereby granting immunity from liability to the state, its political subdivisions, and disaster response workers, except in cases of willful misconduct, gross negligence, or bad faith. The bill clarifies that disaster response workers are not liable for death, injury, or property damage resulting from their activities during disaster response.

Additionally, the bill ensures that authorized disaster response workers who practice professional skills during a disaster emergency are entitled to all rights in like manner as state employees under the provisions of chapters 29 through 38 of title 28 and under 9-31-8. This includes rights to benefits under existing laws, such as the Workers Compensation Act. The act is set to take effect upon passage.

Statutes affected:
671: 30-15-15
671  SUB A: 30-15-15