PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 3101                      PRINTER'S NO. 3248

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE RESOLUTION

No. 198 Session of 1980


        INTRODUCED BY MESSRS. J. L. WRIGHT, MANMILLER, PICCOLA, YAHNER,
           STUBAN, COHEN, KLINGAMAN, McKELVEY, RAPPAPORT, REED, DOOR,
           A. C. FOSTER, GEESEY, BARBER, FREIND, MOEHLMANN, HOEFFEL AND
           COWELL, MARCH 18, 1980

        AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON RULES, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
           AS AMENDED, APRIL 29, 1980

                         In the House of Representatives, March 18, 1980

     1     WHEREAS, The House Select Committee - TMI found that the
     2  continuing communications broadcasting at the time of the Three
     3  Mile Island incident and in the days following was at times
     4  misleading; and
     5     WHEREAS, The information being broadcasted was, in many
     6  cases, not current with the status of conditions at the time of
     7  the incident; and
     8     WHEREAS, It is essential to the health and safety of the
     9  citizens in the area of possible damage that the information
    10  broadcast be current and consistent; therefore be it
    11     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
    12  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania urge the Congress and the Federal
    13  Communications Commission to urge that all broadcast media in
    14  the area of a nuclear accident or potential nuclear accident be
    15  required to broadcast simultaneously, at certain intervals
    16  information advising the public of the emergency and the current

     1  status of the emergency; and be it further
     2     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge Congress and
     3  the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the
     4  feasibility of utilizing the national emergency radio alert
     5  system for the purpose of accurate communications during nuclear
     6  emergencies which might require immediate evacuation; and be it
     7  further
     8     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge the Governor
     9  of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania
    10  Emergency Management Agency to study the feasibility of
    11  establishing a central information office to be activated in
    12  cases of fast moving emergencies, for the dissemination of
    13  accurate and current news of the emergency; and be it further
    14     RESOLVED, THAT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES REQUESTS THE       <--
    15  DIRECTOR OF THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION, THE GOVERNOR
    16  OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE
    17  PENNSYLVANIA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY TO INDICATE TO THE
    18  CHAIRMAN OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THREE MILE ISLAND, IN
    19  WRITING WITHIN 30 DAYS FOLLOWING RECEIPT OF A COPY OF THIS
    20  RESOLUTION, THE STATUS OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS SET FORTH HEREIN;
    21  AND BE IT FURTHER
    22     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the
    23  President of the United States, the presiding officer of each
    24  House of the Congress, the Director of the Federal
    25  Communications Commission, to each member of the Senate and the
    26  House of Representatives in the Congress from the Commonwealth
    27  of Pennsylvania and the Director of the Pennsylvania Emergency
    28  Management Agency.


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