INDIANAPOLIS (April 23, 2007) - Governor Mitch Daniels signed into law today a measure that will require weather radios to be installed in manufactured homes. Known as C.J.'s Law, House Bill 1033 was initiated by Kathryn Martin, whose 2-year-old son, C.J., and two other family members died in a November 6, 2005 tornado that struck the Eastbrook Mobile Home Park.

Governor Mitch Daniels phoned Martin as he signed the measure so she would be the first to know he had taken action. The governor invited Martin to participate in a ceremonial signing of the measure at a later date.

"She's turned an unthinkable tragedy into something positive. It's a wonderful act of citizenship, and I wanted to let her know that the change she worked for had been made real," said Daniels.

The bill was authored by Rep. Phil Hoy (D-Evansville); co-authors were Rep. Suzanne Crouch (R-Evansville), Rep. Matt Pierce (D-Bloomington), and Rep. Peggy Welch (D-Bloomington. The Senate sponsor was Vaneta Becker (R-Evansville).

The bill requires that after June 30, the installer of a manufactured home in Indiana must equip it with a weather radio; it also encourages mobile home operators to provide a written reminder to home owners in a mobile home community to replace batteries in their weather radio and smoke detector each year during National Fire Prevention Week.

The tornado in Evansville struck in the middle of the night with little warning.      Twenty-five people died in the storm.

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