[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 126 (Thursday, July 26, 2018)]
[House]
[Page H7692]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    ADDRESSING THE NEED FOR UPDATED CRITICAL EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEMS

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, on January 13, earlier this year, there was 
a text message that was sent out to over a million phones across the 
State of Hawaii that read: ``Ballistic missile threat inbound to 
Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.''
  Now, this turned out to be a false alarm, but this message terrified 
residents and visitors all across our State and revealed deep gaps 
within an alert system, preparedness measures, and communication 
channels at every level of government.
  In the months since, my colleagues from Hawaii and I have introduced 
several pieces of legislation to address the problems that led to and 
contributed to this false alert going out so that we can try to prevent 
something like this from happening again, not only in Hawaii but 
anywhere in the country.
  We have introduced the READI Act to expand delivery of critical 
emergency alerts to cellphones, TVs, and radios; recognize, with 
technology, the new ways that people are getting information; and see 
how we can get alerts through streaming services like Pandora, Spotify, 
Netflix, and others.
  Ensuring that we take these steps now, ahead of any future disaster, 
is critical for every community across this country, and I urge my 
colleagues to join us in supporting and passing this timely and 
important legislation.

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