SPRINGFIELD – Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) today secured House passage of House Bill 5018, legislation to designate the second full week of April as Nation Public Safety Telecommunications Week honoring and formally acknowledging the sacrifices of public safety 911 operators, tele-communicators, call-takers, and technicians.
“Telecommunications personnel play a vital role in public safety. They are often the lifeline for our citizens and officers. The important efforts they display can mean the difference between life and death. They work around the clock- holidays, birthdays, and often miss family functions and school activities. They are truly the unseen heroes of emergency services,” said Illinois State Police Director Leo Schmitz. “Telecommunications personnel are critical to every aspect of public safety. Tele-communicators ensure the safety of our officers and the citizens of Illinois by serving as a communications lifeline. Technicians keep that lifeline constantly working even in unpleasant conditions,” Director Schmitz went on to say.
Rep. Norine Hammond shepherded House Bill 5018 through the Illinois House, securing unanimous house passage on Wednesday, April 13th. “I am beyond proud to honor these public safety professionals for their often thankless work. We never think about the professionalism of these tele-communicators until we need them. Then, when we do need them, it’s usually under dire circumstances and we never get an adequate chance to thank them for what they’ve done for us. It was my hope with this bill that we can use the second full week of April each year as an opportunity to formally acknowledge and thank telecommunication personnel for their professionalism and for being there for us when we need them the most,” said Rep. Hammond following passage of House Bill 5018.
I encourage the public to join me in expressing their sincere gratitude to public safety telecommunication personnel for their constant devotion to public safety and their high level of professionalism,” concluded Rep. Hammond.
Hammond encouraged residents of the 93rd district to contact her with questions or concerns on this or any other state issue. Hammond’s Macomb district office can be contacted at (309) 836-2707 and she can be reached via e-mail at rephammond@macomb.com. Constituents can also visit her legislative website at www.norinehammond.org to sign up for her electronic newsletter.
Hammond represents all or part of Brown, Cass, and Fulton, Knox, Mason, McDonough, Schuyler and Warren counties.
####