[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3563 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3563

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of 
 Homeland Security to modernize and implement the national integrated 
   public alert and warning system to disseminate homeland security 
       information and other information, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2011

Mr. Bilirakis (for himself and Ms. Richardson) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in 
 addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a 
 period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of 
 Homeland Security to modernize and implement the national integrated 
   public alert and warning system to disseminate homeland security 
       information and other information, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Integrated Public Alert Warning 
System Modernization Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) numerous proven and tested technologies exist to enable 
        the Federal Government to enhance its public alert and warning 
        system;
            (2) the expected benefits of these enhancements include--
                    (A) greater security, reliability, and redundancy 
                of the system;
                    (B) rapid alert dissemination;
                    (C) an improved ability to notify remote locations;
                    (D) the ability to geographically target and 
                deliver alerts and warnings to multiple devices; and
                    (E) the ability to permit State homeland security 
                grants to be utilized for the purposes of modernizing 
                public alert and warning systems;
            (3) there is a need to test the viability of delivering 
        messages through diverse communications modes to effectively 
        alert and warn the public;
            (4) there is a need to modernize and improve the ability of 
        the Federal Government to provide residents of the United 
        States with timely and effective warnings; and
            (5) although significant Federal integration efforts are 
        underway, the aggregation, dissemination, and reporting system 
        necessary for effective public alert and warning will require 
        an integrated national network for reliable, secure, and 
        authentic dissemination of emergency alerts and warnings to and 
        from all Federal, State, local, and tribal entities that alert 
        the public when appropriate.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM 
              MODERNIZATION.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Amendment.--Title V of the Homeland Security Act of 
        2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end of 
        the following new section:

``SEC. 526. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYSTEM 
              MODERNIZATION.

    ``(a) In General.--In order to provide timely and effective 
warnings and disseminate homeland security information and other 
information, the Secretary shall modernize and implement the national 
integrated public alert and warning system (in this section referred to 
as `the public alert and warning system').
    ``(b) Implementation Requirements.--In carrying out subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) establish or adapt, as appropriate, common alerting 
        and warning protocols, standards, terminology, and operating 
        procedures for the public alert and warning system;
            ``(2) include in the public alert and warning system the 
        capability to adapt the dissemination of homeland security 
        information and other information and the content of 
        communications on the basis of geographic location, risks, or 
        personal user preferences, as appropriate;
            ``(3) include in the public alert and warning system the 
        capability to alert, warn, and provide the equivalent amount of 
        information to individuals with disabilities and access and 
        functional needs;
            ``(4) ensure the conduct of training, tests, and exercise 
        for the public alert and warning system, and that the system is 
        incorporated into other training and exercise programs of the 
        Department, as appropriate;
            ``(5) ensure that the public alert and warning system uses 
        the National Terrorism Advisory System, including ensuring that 
        the National Terrorism Advisory System participates in tests of 
        the public alert and warning system;
            ``(6) conduct periodic nationwide tests of the public alert 
        and warning system; and
            ``(7) consult, coordinate, and cooperate, to the extent 
        practicable, with other Federal agencies and departments and 
        with State, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, 
        and other key stakeholders to leverage existing alert and 
        warning capabilities.
    ``(c) System Requirements.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
system--
            ``(1) incorporates redundant and diverse modes to 
        disseminate homeland security information and other information 
        in warning messages to the public so as to reach the greatest 
        number of individuals;
            ``(2) can be adapted to incorporate future technologies;
            ``(3) is resilient, secure, and can withstand acts of 
        terrorism and other external attacks;
            ``(4) promotes State, local, tribal, and regional 
        partnerships to enhance coordination;
            ``(5) is designed to provide alerts that are accessible to 
        the largest portion of the affected population feasible, 
        including nonresident visitors and tourists and individuals 
        with disabilities and access and functional needs, and improves 
        the ability of remote areas to receive alerts; and
            ``(6) includes mechanisms to ensure the protection of 
        individual privacy.
    ``(d) Report.--Not later than one year after the date on which the 
system established under subsection (a) is fully functional and every 
six months thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, a report on 
the functionality and performance of the integrated public alert and 
warning system, including--
            ``(1) an assessment of the accomplishments and deficiencies 
        of the system;
            ``(2) recommendations for improvements to the system;
            ``(3) information on the feasibility and effectiveness of 
        disseminating homeland security information and other 
        information, notices, and alerts prior to and following an 
        incident requiring use of the system.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $13,400,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2012 through 2016.''.
            (2) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents in section 
        1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the items 
        relating to such title the following:

``Sec. 526. National integrated public alert and warning system 
                            modernization.''.
    (b) Limitation on Statutory Construction.--Nothing in this Act 
(including the amendment made by this Act) shall be construed to affect 
the authority of the Department of Commerce, the Federal Communications 
Commission, or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency 
Assistance Act.
    (c) Homeland Security Grants.--Section 2008(a) of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 609(a)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (12), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (13) as paragraph (14); and
            (3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the following new 
        paragraph:
            ``(13) improving public alert and warning capabilities; 
        and''.
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