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1 S.139
2 Introduced by Senate Committee on Government Operations
3 Date:
4 Subject: Public safety communications; E-911 Board; dispatch services
5 Statement of purpose of bill as introduced: This bill proposes to expand the
6 jurisdiction of the Enhanced 911 Board to include development,
7 implementation, and supervision of regional public safety dispatch services.
8 An act relating to the modernization of public safety communications in
9 Vermont
10 It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont:
11 Sec. 1. TITLE
12 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Vermont Public Safety
13 Communications Modernization Act of 2023.
14 Sec. 2. FINDINGS AND INTENT
15 (a) The General Assembly finds:
16 (1) Protecting public safety and welfare is an essential function of State
17 government.
18 (2) A comprehensive and effective public safety communications
19 system comprises both an emergency calling system and a public safety
20 dispatch system.
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1 (3) Since 1994, the Enhanced 911 Board has successfully overseen the
2 development and implementation of a nationally recognized, statewide
3 Enhanced 911 system.
4 (4) Over the past few decades, the State has not developed or equitably
5 financed a regional public safety dispatch system.
6 (5) As stated in the 1974 report from the Governor’s Commission on the
7 Administration of Justice, “Police communications as presently structured in
8 Vermont demonstrate more than any other component of law enforcement the
9 dearth of planning and coordination that exists throughout the system.
10 Duplication fostered by this absence of planning is proving costly in terms of
11 efficiency as well as money.” See the Regional Dispatch Working Group
12 Report, dated December 1, 2022, for a brief history of past efforts to improve
13 emergency communications.
14 (6) There are currently approximately 40 dispatch centers in the State,
15 including two State-run public safety answering points, as well as six dispatch
16 centers located in neighboring states, that provide dispatch services for
17 hundreds of local, largely volunteer first responders in Vermont, such as fire,
18 emergency medical, and law enforcement agencies.
19 (7) In several areas of the State, regional dispatch centers have designed,
20 funded, and implemented exceptional systems that practically ensure every VT LEG #368475 v.1
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1 caller in their respective catchment areas receives timely and appropriate
2 emergency response services.
3 (8) Some municipalities and State and local agencies rely on the
4 dispatch services offered by the two regional public safety answering points
5 operated by the Vermont State Police in Williston and Westminster, and do not
6 pay directly for those services.
7 (9) Nearly all dispatch centers struggle with staff recruitment and
8 retention. These staffing shortages jeopardize the reliability of public safety
9 communications and exacerbate the stress on existing personnel who provide
10 the critical link between caller and responder.
11 (10) The General Assembly established the Regional Dispatch Working
12 Group in 2022 to make recommendations regarding a new regional dispatch
13 model, including a mechanism for transitioning to and equitably financing that
14 model.
15 (11) In retrospect, the Working Group was not given sufficient time and
16 resources to accomplish its tasks. Despite this, the Working Group made
17 substantial and effective progress with further framing the issues, underscoring
18 the challenges, and compiling significant historical and current data that will
19 underpin the State’s future efforts to build a statewide public safety
20 communications system.
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1 (b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to draw upon the expertise and
2 successes of the E-911 Board and the existing dispatch centers for the purpose
3 of creating a reliable, resilient, high-quality, secure, interoperable, cost-
4 effective statewide public safety communications system overseen and
5 managed at the State level, and to do so in a manner that does not disrupt or in
6 any way jeopardize either the exceptional dispatch services currently in place
7 or the existing E-911 system.
8 Sec. 3. 30 V.S.A. chapter 87 is amended to read:
9 CHAPTER 87. ENHANCED 911; EMERGENCY PUBLIC SAFETY
10 COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
11 § 7050. PURPOSE
12 Protecting public safety and welfare is an essential function of State
13 government and, to that end, it is the purpose of this chapter to establish a
14 statewide, reliable, state-of-the art public safety communications system that is
15 equitably and sustainably financed and universally accessible by all persons
16 throughout the State.
17 § 7051. DEFINITIONS
18 As used in this chapter:
19 (1) “Automatic location identification” or “ALI” means the system
20 capability to identify automatically the geographical location of the electronic
21 device being used by the caller to summon assistance and to provide that VT LEG #368475 v.1
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1 location information to an appropriate device located at any public safety
2 answering point for the purpose of sending emergency assistance.
3 (2) “ALI “database” or “database” means a derivative, verified set of
4 records which that contain at a minimum a telephone number and location
5 identification for each unique building or publicly used facility within a
6 defined geographic area in Vermont.
7 (3) “Automatic number identification” or “ANI” means the system
8 capability to identify automatically the calling telephone number and to
9 provide a display of that number at any public safety answering point.
10 (4) “Board” means the Vermont Enhanced 911 Public Safety
11 Communications Board established under section 7053 of this title.
12 (5) “Caller” means a person or an automated device calling on behalf of
13 a person.
14 (6) “Director” means the Executive Director for the statewide Enhanced
15 911 public safety communications system.
16 (7) “Dispatch center” means a facility that provides regional emergency
17 dispatch services and may also be a public safety answering point.
18 (8) “Dispatchable location” means the location information delivered to
19 the public safety answering point with a 911 call.
20 (8) “Emergency call system” or “Enhanced 911 system” means a system
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1 of a caller that who initiates communication for the purpose of summoning
2 assistance in the case of an emergency. In most cases, summoning assistance
3 will occur when a caller dials the digits 9-1-1 on a telephone, mobile phone, or
4 other IP-enabled service, or by a communication technology designed for the
5 purpose of summoning assistance in the case of an emergency.
6 (8)(9) “Emergency response services” means fire, police, medical, and
7 other services of an emergency nature as identified by the Board.
8 (10) “Enterprise communications system” means any networked
9 communication system serving two or more stations or living units within an
10 enterprise and includes circuit-switched networks, such as multiline telephone
11 systems or legacy enterprise communications systems, IP-enabled service, and
12 cloud-based technology.
13 (9)(11) “IP-enabled service” means a service, device, or application that
14 makes use of Internet protocol, or IP, and which that is capable of entering the
15 digits 9-1-1 or otherwise contacting the emergency 911 system. IP-enabled
16 service includes voiceover voice over IP and other services, devices, or
17 applications provided through or using wire line, cable, wireless, or satellite or
18 other facilities.
19 (10)(12) “Municipality” means any city, town, incorporated village,
20 unorganized town, gore, grant, or other political subdivision of the State.
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1 (11)(13) “Other methods of locating caller” means those commercially
2 available technologies designed to provide the location information of callers
3 when a call is initiated to access emergency 911 services regardless of the type
4 of device that is used.
5 (12)(14) “Public safety answering point” means a facility with the
6 capability to receive emergency calls, operated on a 24-hour basis, assigned the
7 responsibility of receiving 911 calls and dispatching, transferring, or relaying
8 emergency 911 calls to other public safety agencies or private safety agencies.
9 (15) “Public safety communications system” or “system” means a
10 system that comprises an integrated emergency call system and a public safety
11 dispatch system.
12 (16) “Public safety dispatch system” means the system for receiving
13 calls from the Enhanced 911 system or directly from the public and requesting
14 emergency or nonemergency response services, as appropriate.
15 (17) “Regional dispatch center” means a facility and that provides
16 regional public safety dispatch services and may also be a public safety
17 answering point. A regional dispatch center shall be a:
18 (A) State dispatch center operated by the Department of Public
19 Safety;
20 (B) dispatch center that is operational on the effective date of this act
21 and approved by the Board; or VT LEG #368475 v.1
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1 (C) union municipal district or public authority formed for the
2 purpose of providing public safety dispatch services and approved by the
3 Board.
4 (13)(18) “Selective routing” means a telecommunications switching
5 system that enables all 911 calls originating from within a defined
6 geographical region to be answered at a predesignated public service
7 answering point.
8 (14) “Dispatchable Location” means the location information delivered
9 to the public safety answering point with a 911 call.
10 (15) “Enterprise Communications Systems (ECS)” means any
11 networked communication system serving two or more stations, or living units,
12 within an enterprise. ECS includes circuit-switched networks, such as multi-
13 line telephone systems or legacy ECS, IP-enabled service, and cloud-based
14 technology.
15 (16)(19) “Station” means a telephone handset, customer premise
16 premises equipment (CPE), or calling device that is capable of initiating a call
17 to 911.
18 § 7052. VERMONT ENHANCED 911 PUBLIC SAFETY
19 COMMUNICATIONS BOARD
20 (a) The Vermont Enhanced 911 Public Safety Communications Board is
21 established to develop, implement, and supervise the operation of the statewide VT LEG #368475 v.1
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1 Enhanced 911 public safety communications system. The Vermont Public
2 Safety and Communications Board shall be the successor in interest to and the
3 continuation of the Enhanced 911 Board with respect to the statewide
4 Enhanced 911 system.
5 (b) The Board shall consist of nine 12 members as follows:
6 (1) one county law enforcement officer elected by the membership of
7 the Vermont State Sheriffs’ Association;
8 (2) one municipal law enforcement officer elected by the Vermont
9 Association of Chiefs of Police;
10 (3) one official of a municipality two municipal officials appointed by
11 the Executive Director of the Vermont League of Cities and Towns from
12 different geographical regions of the State, one of whom shall represent a
13 municipality with low population density and one of whom shall represent a
14 municipality with high population density;
15 (4) a one firefighter appointed by the Governor;
16 (5) an one emergency medical services provider technician or paramedic
17 appointed by the Governor;
18 (6) a one Department of Public Safety representative appointed by the
19 Commissioner of Public Safety; and three members of the public
20 (7) one public member appointed by the Governor who shall have
21 expertise in finance;
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1 (8) one public member appointed by the Governor who shall have
2 technical expertise in public safety communications systems;
3 (9) two professional dispatchers, one of whom shall be appointed by the
4 Governor and one of whom shall be appointed by the Vermont State
5 Employees Association; and
6 (10) Board members shall be appointed by the Governor to three-year
7 terms, except that the Governor shall stagger initial appointments so that the
8 terms of no more than four members expire during a calendar year. In
9 appointing Board members, the Governor shall give due consideration to the
10 different geographical regions of the State, and the need for balance between
11 rural and urban areas. Board members shall serve at the pleasure of the
12 Governor. one member appointed by the Commissioner of Health who shall
13 have expertise in the area of public health.
14 (c) Members shall serve terms of three years, except that the members first
15 appointed by the Governor shall each serve an initial term of four years. A
16 vacancy shall be filled by the respective appointing authority for the balance of
17 the unexpired term. A member may be reappointed. A member may be
18 removed for cause only. Any member of the Enhanced 911 Board on July 30,
19 2024 shall serve on the Public Safety Communications Board for the balance
20 of the member’s unexpired term as of that date, and may be reappointed. In
21 appointing members to the Board, the Governor shall give due consideration to
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1 the different geographical regions of the State and to the need for balance
2 between rural and urban areas. Members who are not State employees or not
3 otherwise compensated in the course of their employment shall receive per
4 diem compensation and expense reimbursement for meetings in accordance
5 with the provisions of 32 V.S.A. § 1010. Members who receive per diem shall
6 receive compensation for no not more than 12 meetings per year.
7 (d) The Governor shall annually appoint a member to serve as Board chair
8 and a member to serve as Board vice chair. The Board shall hold at least four
9 regular meetings a year. Meetings of the Board may be held at any time or
10 place within Vermont upon call of the Chair or a majority of the members,
11 after reasonable notice to the other members, and shall be held at such times
12 and places as in the judgment of the Board will best serve the convenience of
13 all parties in interest. The Board shall adopt rules and procedures with respect
14 to the conduct of its meetings and other affairs. Membership on the Board
15 does not constitute the holding of an office for any purpose, and members of
16 the Board shall not be required to take and file oaths of office before serving
17 on the Board. A member of the Board shall not be disqualified from holding
18 any public office or employment, and shall not forfeit any office or
19 employment, by reason of their appointment to the Board, notwithstanding any
20 statute, ordinance, or charter to the contrary.
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1 (e) The Board shall appoint, subject to the approval of the Governor, the
2 Executive Director who shall hold office at the pleasure of the Board. He or
3 she The Director shall p