A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to designate september eleven of each year as a day to honor and remember first responders.
Whereas, millions of North Carolinians have benefited from the courageous service of first responders across the State; and
Whereas, the police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, State troopers, and public health personnel (commonly known as first responders) work devotedly and selflessly on behalf of the people of this nation, regardless of the peril or hazard to themselves; and
Whereas, in emergency situations, first responders carry out the critical role of protecting and ensuring public safety; and
Whereas, the men and women who bravely serve as first responders have found themselves on the frontlines of homeland defense in the war against terrorism; and
Whereas, first responders are called upon in the event of a natural disaster, such as Hurricane Matthew and the western North Carolina wild fires in 2016; and
Whereas, North Carolina has 504 law enforcement agencies, 24,000 police officers, 51,000 firefighters, 1,600 State Troopers, and 40,500 emergency medical technicians that risk their lives every day to make our communities safe; and
Whereas, these 24,000 sworn police officers from State, tribal, city, and county law enforcement agencies protect lives and property, detect and prevent crimes, uphold the law, and ensure justice; and
Whereas, these 51,000 firefighters, both volunteer and career, provide fire suppression, emergency medical services, search and rescue, hazardous materials response, suspected terrorism response, and critical fire prevention and safety education; and
Whereas, the 1,600 State Troopers protect the lives and property, uphold the law, and ensure justice throughout our State; and
Whereas, the 40,500 emergency medical professionals in the State respond to and treat a variety of life‑threatening emergencies, from cardiac and respiratory arrest to traumatic injuries; and
Whereas, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a total of 1,649 law enforcement officers throughout our country died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of one death every 53 hours or 165 per year; and
Whereas, according to the United States Fire Administration, from 1996 through 2005 over 1,500 firefighters were killed in the line of duty and tens of thousands were injured; and
Whereas, four in five medics are injured on the job, more than one in two (50%) have been assaulted by a patient, and one in two (50%) have been exposed to an infectious disease; emergency medical service personnel in the United States have an estimated fatality rate of 12.7 per 100,000 workers, more than twice the national average for all occupations; and
Whereas, hundreds of first responders have made the ultimate sacrifice in North Carolina; and
Whereas, North Carolina's 117,100 first responders make personal sacrifices to protect our communities every day; and
Whereas, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, America's firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical workers were universally recognized for the sacrifices they made on that tragic day and should be honored each year as these tragic events are remembered; and
Whereas, there currently exists no national day to honor the brave men and women of the first responder community, who give so much of themselves for the sake of others; and
Whereas, these men and women by their service and their dedicated efforts have earned the gratitude of the people of North Carolina; Now, therefore,
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 103‑4 reads as rewritten:
"§ 103‑4.  Dates of public holidays.
(a)	The following are declared to be legal public holidays:
(1)	New Year's Day, January 1.
(1a)	Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, Birthday, the third Monday in January.
(2)	Robert E. Lee's Birthday, January 19.
(3)	Washington's Birthday, the third Monday in February.
(3a)	Greek Independence Day, March 25.
(4)	Anniversary of signing of Halifax Resolves, April 12.
(5)	Confederate Memorial Day, May 10.
(6)	Anniversary of Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence, May 20.
(7)	Memorial Day, the last Monday in May.
(8)	Good Friday.
(9)	Independence Day, July 4.
(10)	Labor Day, the first Monday in September.
(10a)	First Responders Day, September 11.
(11)	Columbus Day, the second Monday in October.
(11a)	Yom Kippur.
(12)	Veterans Day, November 11.
(13)	Tuesday after the first Monday in November in years in which a general election is to be held.
(14)	Thanksgiving Day, the fourth Thursday in November.
(15)	Christmas Day, December 25.
(b)	Whenever any public holiday shall fall upon Sunday, the Monday following shall be a public holiday."
SECTION 2.  This act is effective when it becomes law.