Nov. 6 tornado law goes before legislature
Jan 31, 2007 10:40 PM
Reporter: Drew Speier
New Media Producer: Rachel Chambliss
Update, Tue 7 pm: C.J.'s Law went before a House committee in Indianapolis Tuesday morning. The bill, authored by Representative Phil Hoy, is the brainchild of tornado survivor, Kathryn Martin, who lost her 2-year-old son, C.J., in the tornado.
She appeared before the committee Tuesday morning, and 14 News was there.
On Tuesday, Martin had her chance to speak before the Technology, Research and Development Committee and plea her case. She wants the committee to vote into law C.J.'s Law, which requires all mobile homes and manufactured homes to have weather radios.
In a small, but crowded, committee room at the statehouse Tuesday morning, Kathryn gave an emotional testimony before the committee and talked about what it was like in the early morning hours of November 6, 2005. "There's been laws mandating that people put up six foot fences to keep children from drowning. There's been laws to put smoke detectors in mobile homes because mobile homes catch fire, and they just burn up. This is a simple way to insure the safety of people in all Hoosier communities."
The director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association opposed the bill, saying weather radios aren't reliable and send out too many false alarms; also adding, people are more apt to turn them off before they go to bed.
The committee now plans to make some amendments and could vote on the bill one week from Tuesday.
Update, Tue 5 pm: Tri-State tornado survivor Kathryn Martin testifies before a House committee in Indianapolis in support of a bill in memory of her son, C.J., who died in the November 6 tornado.
C.J.'s Law, or House Bill 1033, would require that all mobile homes and manufactured homes in Indiana be equipped with a weather radio.
Now, the committee will decide whether to pass it onto the House after hearing both support and opposition.
Kathryn Martin, supporter Debbie Burns and Representative Phil Hoy who authored the bill, arrived at the statehouse confident as they appeared before the technology, research and development committee.
Kathryn, in a small, crowded room, gave an emotional and moving testimony of what happened during the early morning hours of November 6. "We had no warning; it was 2 o'clock in the morning."
Because there was no warning, 25 people died including Kathryn's 2-year-old son, C.J. Every one of them lived in a mobile home.
Kathryn says weather radios could have given them the warning they needed. "The only thing that would have woke me up was something next to my bed. And, now, I have a weather radio next to my bed."
House will 1033 would require all mobile and manufactured homes to have weather radios at the cost to the consumer.
Evansville supporter, Debbie Burns, told the committee it's a small price to pay. "What is a life worth, whether it's a few pennies a month or whether it's a million dollars."
But James Keller, with the Indiana Manufacturing and Housing Association, opposed the bill, saying after testing radios in 2002, they were unreliable and provided a false sense of security. "It's not going to take more than a couple of false alarms for people to turn them off when they go to bed."
And would be a liability for his company to provide them. That brought immediate opposition from committee member, Representative Matt Pierce from Bloomington. "I'm getting a little angry, you can probably tell."
Two more supporters spoke on behalf of the bill, Paul Medcalf of Newburgh and Chaplain Steve Holden with the U.S. Chaplain Corporation, who deals with emergencies and disasters.
Chaplain Steve Holden says, "It's ironic that the Bill Number is 1033. Back when we used 10 codes in the emergency management system, 1033 was synonymous with emergency."
The committee tabled the bill and will now work on some minor amendments.
Representative Phil Hoy says, "I think we'll get a positive vote out of the committee once we shape it a little bit. I'm open to shaping it."
The committee is expected to vote next week. If it passes, the bill will move onto the House. If it passes the House, it will go to the Senate in March. If it passes the Senate, it would then be signed into law by Governor Mitch Daniels, and that could happen by July 1.
Previously: Tornado survivor, Kathryn Martin has a message for Indiana legislators. "They have an opportunity to possibly save thousands upon thousands of lives."
On Tuesday, C.J.'s Law, or House Bill 1033, will be introduced before the General Assembly. It's a big step for Martin and state representative Phil Hoy. Both hope to make it a state law to have weather radios in all mobile homes and manufactured homes in Indiana.
Martin says, "Had this been implemented two years ago, I know for a fact that my son would be celebrating his fourth birthday this year."
On November 6, 2005, Kathryn Martin's two year old son C.J., and two other family members were killed in the deadly tornado that ripped through the Eastbrook mobile home park. She has been on a mission ever since to help save other people's lives. "I don't know many people have to die before this gets passed, how many children had to drown before they mandated six foot privacy fences around pools, how many people had to die in mobile home fires before they decided to make it a law that there's smoke detectors."
Martin has been involved in several projects since the tornado. She was instrumental in getting the memorial park and playground built at Eastbrook and she's also working on C.J.'s Bus, a mobile childcare facility loaded with games and toys. It would be driven into disasters areas to help kids in need. "I can't bring C.J. back, but I can surely make his name known and surely make a legacy for him saving other people's lives."
On Tuesday, a big part of making that legacy happen takes place at the statehouse. Martin will speak before the technology, research and development committee in the morning. Drew Speier will be there and he'll have more on this story Tuesday on 14 News.
