Sec. 19. (a) The governor, or the executive director at the request of the governor, may establish the number of mobile support units necessary to respond to a disaster, public health emergency, public safety emergency, or other event that requires emergency action. A mobile support unit may consist of one (1) or more individuals. The executive director shall appoint a commander for each unit who has primary responsibility for the:

(1) organization;

(2) administration; and

(3) operation;

of the unit. Mobile support units shall be called to duty for training, an exercise, or a response upon orders of the governor or the executive director and shall perform the units' functions in any part of Indiana or in other states, upon the conditions specified in this section. The term of this duty shall be for a limited period of not more than sixty (60) days. However, the executive director may renew the duty orders for successive periods of not more than sixty (60) days if necessary for the mobile support unit to participate in or respond to the event. Members serving on the mobile support units are immune from discipline or termination by the members' employers for serving in the units.

(b) An individual selected to serve as a member of a mobile support unit may be unemployed, retired, self-employed, or employed:

(1) in any capacity, including:

(A) emergency management;

(B) fire services;

(C) emergency medical services;

(D) law enforcement;

(E) public health;

(F) medicine;

(G) public works; or

(H) mental health; and

(2) by any employer, including:

(A) the federal government;

(B) the state;

(C) a political subdivision; or

(D) a business or organization.

(c) While on duty for training, an exercise, or a response, an individual serving as a member of a mobile support unit, whether within or outside Indiana:

(1) if the individual is an employee of the state or a political subdivision of the state, whether serving within or outside the political subdivision, has the:

(A) powers;

(B) duties;

(C) rights;

(D) privileges; and

(E) immunities;

and shall receive the compensation and benefits incidental to the individual's employment; and

(2) if the individual is not an employee of the state or a political subdivision of the state, is:

(A) entitled to the same rights and immunities that are provided for an employee of the state; and

(B) notwithstanding section 15(c) of this chapter, considered to be a temporary employee of the state for purposes of the worker's compensation law (IC 22-3-2 through IC 22-3-6) and the worker's occupational diseases law (IC 22-3-7).

An individual described in this subsection is considered an emergency management worker for purposes of section 15 of this chapter.

(d) If a mobile support unit is deployed outside Indiana under the emergency management assistance compact, an individual serving as a member of the mobile support unit who is not an employee of the state is considered an employee of the state for purposes of the compact.

(e) Personnel of mobile support units, while on duty, are subject to the operational control of the authority in charge of emergency management activities in the area in which the personnel are serving.

(f) The state may reimburse a political subdivision for:

(1) the compensation paid and actual and necessary travel, subsistence, and maintenance expenses of an employee of the political subdivision while the employee is serving as a member of a mobile support unit;

(2) all payments for death, disability, or injury of an employee incurred in the course of duty while the employee was serving as a member of a mobile support unit;

(3) all losses of or damage to supplies and equipment of the political subdivision or the employee incurred while the employee was serving as a member of a mobile support unit; and

(4) the cost of a backfill employee necessary for the political subdivision to fill the position and perform the duties of an employee deployed on a mobile support unit to assist another state under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, but only if and to the extent the cost of the backfill employee represents an extra cost to the political subdivision.

(g) For an individual of a mobile support unit who is not an employee of the state or a political subdivision, the state may:

(1) compensate the individual:

(A) at a rate of pay approved by the executive director;

(B) by reimbursing the individual for the actual and necessary:

(i) travel;

(ii) subsistence; and

(iii) maintenance;

expenses of the individual of the mobile support unit incurred while the individual is on duty as a member of a mobile support unit; and

(C) for all losses of or damage to supplies and equipment of the individual incurred while the individual is on duty as a member of a mobile support unit; or

(2) reimburse the individual's employer for:

(A) the compensation paid and the actual and necessary:

(i) travel;

(ii) subsistence; and

(iii) maintenance;

expenses of the employee while the employee is on duty as a member of a mobile support unit; and

(B) all losses of or damage to supplies and equipment of the employer or the employee incurred in the course of duty while the employee was on duty as a member of a mobile support unit.

(h) An officer or employee of the state by virtue of employment is subject to assignment:

(1) on a permanent basis to a mobile support unit in accordance with the state:

(A) emergency management program; and

(B) emergency operations plan; or

(2) on a temporary basis to an emergency management activity to meet a particular need in the event of an emergency.

Refusal to accept and perform the duties of an assignment constitutes grounds for dismissal from state employment.

[Pre-2003 Recodification Citation: 10-4-1-12.]

As added by P.L.2-2003, SEC.5. Amended by P.L.84-2006, SEC.1; P.L.1-2007, SEC.98; P.L.71-2013, SEC.4.