[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6538 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6538

To create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 1, 2022

 Mr. Cicilline (for himself, Mr. Upton, Ms. Jackson Lee, Mrs. Spartz, 
   Mr. Thompson of California, Mr. Meijer, Mr. Deutch, and Ms. Mace) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, 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 ``Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Active shooter.--The term ``active shooter'' means an 
        individual actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill 
        people with a firearm in a populated area who poses an active, 
        imminent threat to people in that populated area.
            (2) Administrator of fema.--The term ``Administrator of 
        FEMA'' means the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
        Management Agency.
            (3) Chairman of the fcc.--The term ``Chairman of the FCC'' 
        means the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
            (4) Coordinator.--The term ``Coordinator'' means the Active 
        Shooter Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice 
        designated under section 3(a).
            (5) Network.--The term ``Network'' means the Active Shooter 
        Alert Communications Network described in section 3(a).
            (6) Populated area.--The term ``populated area'' means a 
        location where one or more individuals are present.
            (7) State.--The term ``State'' means any of the 50 States, 
        the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, 
        the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United 
        States, and any other territory of the United States.

SEC. 3. NATIONAL COORDINATION OF ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS 
              NETWORK.

    (a) Coordination Within Department of Justice.--The Attorney 
General shall assign an officer of the Department of Justice to act as 
the national coordinator of the Active Shooter Alert Communications 
Network regarding an emergency involving an active shooter. The officer 
so designated shall be known as the Active Shooter Alert Coordinator of 
the Department of Justice.
    (b) Duties.--In acting as the national coordinator of the Network, 
the Coordinator, in coordination with the Administrator of FEMA, the 
Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairman of the FCC, shall--
            (1) seek to eliminate instances in which States and local 
        governments do not have procedures to respond to an active 
        shooter, including active shooter procedures relating to 
        interstate travel (including airports, maritime ports, border 
        crossing areas and checkpoints, and ports of exit from the 
        United States);
            (2) work with States and Tribal governments to encourage 
        the development of additional elements (known as local Active 
        Shooter Alert communications plans) in the Network; and
            (3) work with States and Tribal governments to encourage 
        appropriate regional coordination of various elements of the 
        Network.
    (c) Goals.--The Coordinator shall encourage the adoption of best 
practices established under section 4(a) in States, Tribal governments, 
and units of local government for--
            (1) the development of general policies and procedures to 
        guide the use of mass alert systems or other information 
        systems to notify local residents, motorists, travelers, and 
        others in the vicinity when there is an active shooter;
            (2) the development of guidance or policies on the content 
        and format of alert messages to be conveyed on mass alert 
        systems, changeable message signs, or other information systems 
        relating to an active shooter;
            (3) the coordination of State, regional, and local plans 
        for the use of active shooting alert systems or other emergency 
        response mechanisms;
            (4) the development of a secure and reliable communications 
        protocols among law enforcement, public safety, public health, 
        and transportation agencies or the modification of existing 
        communications systems to support the notification of local 
        residents, motorists, travelers, and those in the vicinity of 
        an active shooter;
            (5) the planning and designing of improved systems for 
        multilingual communication with local residents, motorists, 
        travelers, and those individuals in the vicinity of an active 
        shooter, including the capability for issuing wide area alerts 
        to local residents, motorists, travelers, and those individuals 
        in the vicinity of an active shooter;
            (6) the planning of systems and protocols to facilitate the 
        efficient issuance of active shooter notifications and other 
        key information to local residents, motorists, travelers, and 
        those individuals in the vicinity of an active shooter during 
        off-hours;
            (7) the provision of training and guidance to 
        transportation authorities to facilitate the appropriate use of 
        mass alert systems and other information systems for the 
        notification of local residents, motorists, travelers, and 
        those individuals in the vicinity of an active shooter; and
            (8) the development of appropriate mass alert systems to 
        ensure that alerts sent to individuals in the immediate 
        vicinity of an active shooter do not alert the active shooter 
        to the location of those individuals sheltering in place around 
        the active shooter.
    (d) Coordination With the Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Transportation, and the Federal Communication 
Commission.--In carrying out duties under subsection (b), the 
Coordinator shall notify and coordinate with the Administrator of FEMA, 
the Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairman of the FCC on using 
the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System to issue alerts for the 
Network.
    (e) Cooperation.--The Coordinator shall coordinate with the 
Administrator of FEMA, the Secretary of Transportation, and the 
Chairman of the FCC in carrying out activities under this section.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment 
of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter until such time as each of 
the States and Tribal governments have adopted an active shooter alert 
protocol, the Coordinator, in consultation with the Administrator of 
FEMA, shall submit to Congress a report on the activities of the 
Coordinator and the effectiveness and status of the local Active 
Shooter Alert communications plan of each State and Tribal government 
that has implemented such a plan.

SEC. 4. STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION OF ALERTS THROUGH 
              ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK.

    (a) Establishment of Best Practices.--Subject to subsection (b), 
the Coordinator, in coordination with the Administrator of FEMA, the 
Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairman of the FCC, shall 
establish best practices for--
            (1) the issuance of alerts through the Network;
            (2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts issued 
        through the Network; and
            (3) the goals described in section 3(c).
    (b) Limitations.--
            (1) In general.--The best practices established under 
        subsection (a) shall--
                    (A) be adoptable on a voluntary basis only; and
                    (B) to the maximum extent practicable (as 
                determined by the Coordinator in consultation with 
                State, Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies), 
                provide that--
                            (i) appropriate information relating to an 
                        active shooter response is disseminated to the 
                        appropriate law enforcement, public health, 
                        communications, and other public officials; and
                            (ii) the dissemination of an alert through 
                        the Network be limited to the geographic areas 
                        most likely to be affected by, or able to 
                        respond to, an active shooter situation.
            (2) No interference.--In establishing best practices under 
        subsection (a), the Coordinator may not interfere with the 
        current system of voluntary coordination between local 
        broadcasters and State, Tribal, and local law enforcement 
        agencies for improving and implementing the Network.
    (c) Coordination.--The Coordinator shall coordinate with local 
broadcasters and Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement 
agencies in establishing best practices under this section.

SEC. 5. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON STATE RESPONSES TO ACTIVE SHOOTER 
              SITUATIONS REQUIRING THE ISSUANCE OF PUBLIC ALERTS AND 
              WARNINGS.

    (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study on State and local responses to active shooters and 
situations requiring the issuance of a public alert or warning. Such 
study shall address each of the following:
            (1) Differences between the definitions of ``active 
        shooter'' used by different States.
            (2) The amount of time it takes and the process in each 
        State to receive approval from the State alerting officials 
        after local law enforcement agencies request the issuance of a 
        public alert or warning, such as an AMBER Alert, Blue Alert, or 
        Ashanti alert.
            (3) A comparison of the timing and effectiveness of the 
        issuance of public alerts and warnings by State alerting 
        officials and the issuance of such alerts and warnings by local 
        jurisdictions.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 24 months after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States 
shall submit to Congress a report containing the findings of the study 
conducted under subsection (a).

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the 
Attorney General $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 to carry out this Act.
    (b) Availability of Funds.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
authorization of appropriations under subsection (a) shall remain 
available until expended.

SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to create, or serve as the 
basis for, additional liability for any participating agency, or their 
officers, employees, or agents, beyond existing applicable State and 
Federal laws and regulations.
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