[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 166 (Thursday, September 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5879-S5880]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           TEXT OF AMENDMENTS

  SA 2660. Mr. PORTMAN (for himself and Mr. Gardner) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making 
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in Division A, insert the 
     following:
       Sec. 1__.  In addition to amounts provided in section 101, 
     for ``Department of Homeland Security--Protection, 
     Preparedness, Response, and Recovery--Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency--Disaster Relief Fund'' there is 
     appropriated $86,600,000,000, to remain available until 
     expended:  Provided, That the amount provided herein is 
     designated by the Congress as being for an emergency 
     requirement pursuant to section 251(b)(2)(A)(i) of the 
     Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 
     U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)(i)).
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2661. Mr. DAINES submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing appropriations for fiscal 
year 2021, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the 
table; as follows:

       (c) Temporary Prohibition on Reductions in Amtrak 
     Operations.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
     National Railroad Passenger Corporation (commonly known as 
     ``Amtrak'') may not institute any service cuts or furlough or 
     terminate the employment of any employee (without cause) 
     during the period beginning on October 1, 2020, and ending on 
     the date specified in section 106.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2662. Mr. HAWLEY (for himself and Mrs. Loeffler) submitted an 
amendment intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making 
continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; 
which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the appropriate place in division A, insert the 
     following:
       Sec. __.  No recipient, direct or indirect, of funds 
     appropriated under this Act may use the funds to conduct, or 
     enter into a contract for, a management or employee training 
     program or other initiative that--
       (1) segregates participants on the basis of race, sex, 
     religion, or any other class enumerated under section 703 of 
     the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000e-2);
       (2) does not permit or encourage participants to challenge 
     particular claims made in the course of such initiative; or
       (3) advocates or promotes any or all of the following 
     claims that are sometimes considered a part of ``Critical 
     Race Theory'':
       (A) One race or sex is inherently superior to another race 
     or sex.
       (B) The United States is fundamentally racist or sexist.
       (C) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or 
     sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether 
     consciously or unconsciously.
       (D) An individual should be discriminated against or 
     receive adverse treatment solely or partly because of the 
     individual's race or sex.
       (E) Members of one race or sex cannot and should not 
     attempt to treat others without respect to race or sex.
       (F) An individual's moral character is necessarily 
     determined by the individual's race or sex.
       (G) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or 
     sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past 
     by other members of the same race or sex.
       (H) Any individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, 
     or any other form of psychological distress on account of the 
     individual's race or sex.
       (I) Meritocracy or traits such as a hard work ethic are 
     racist or sexist, or were created by a particular race to 
     oppress another race.
       (J) Character traits, values, moral and ethical codes, 
     privileges, status, or beliefs may be ascribed to a race or 
     sex, or to an individual because of the individual's race or 
     sex.
       (K) Fault, blame, or bias may be attributed to a race or 
     sex, or to members of a race or sex because of their race or 
     sex.
       (L) Consciously or unconsciously, and by virtue of their 
     race or sex, members of any race are inherently racist or are 
     inherently inclined to oppress others, or members of any sex 
     are inherently sexist or are inherently inclined to oppress 
     others.
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2663. Mr. McCONNELL proposed an amendment to the bill H.R. 8337, 
making continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2021, and for other 
purposes; as follows:

       At the end add the following.
       ``This Act shall take effect 1 day after the date of 
     enactment.''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2664. Mr. McCONNELL proposed an amendment to amendment SA 2663 
proposed by Mr. McConnell to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing 
appropriations for fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; as 
follows:


[[Page S5880]]


  

       Strike ``1 day'' and insert ``2 days''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2665. Mr. SCHUMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing appropriations for 
fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       At the end add the following.
       ``This Act shall take effect 3 days after the date of 
     enactment.''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2666. Mr. SCHUMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing appropriations for 
fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       Strike ``3 days'' and insert ``4 days''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2667. Mr. SCHUMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing appropriations for 
fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       At the end add the following.
       ``This Act shall take effect the day after the date of 
     enactment.''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2668. Mr. SCHUMER submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
by him to the bill H.R. 8337, making continuing appropriations for 
fiscal year 2021, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on 
the table; as follows:

       Strike ``the day'' and insert ``two days''
                                 ______
                                 
  SA 2669. Mr. McCONNELL (for Mr. Schatz) proposed an amendment to the 
bill S. 2693, to improve oversight by the Federal Communications 
Commission of the wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems; as 
follows:

        Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Reliable Emergency Alert 
     Distribution Improvement Act of 2020'' or ``READI Act''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act--
       (1) the term ``Administrator'' means the Administrator of 
     the Federal Emergency Management Agency;
       (2) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
     Communications Commission;
       (3) the term ``Emergency Alert System'' means the national 
     public warning system, the rules for which are set forth in 
     part 11 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any 
     successor regulation); and
       (4) the term ``Wireless Emergency Alerts System'' means the 
     wireless national public warning system established under the 
     Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act (47 U.S.C. 1201 et 
     seq.), the rules for which are set forth in part 10 of title 
     47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 
     regulation).

     SEC. 3. WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS SYSTEM OFFERINGS.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 602(b)(2)(E) of the Warning, Alert, 
     and Response Network Act (47 U.S.C. 1201(b)(2)(E)) is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking the second and third sentences; and
       (2) by striking ``other than an alert issued by the 
     President.'' and inserting the following: ``other than an 
     alert issued by--
       ``(i) the President; or
       ``(ii) the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
     Management Agency.''.
       (b) Regulations.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consultation with 
     the Administrator, shall adopt regulations to implement the 
     amendment made by subsection (a)(2).

     SEC. 4. STATE EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM PLANS AND EMERGENCY 
                   COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEES.

       (a) Definitions.--In this section--
       (1) the term ``SECC'' means a State Emergency 
     Communications Committee;
       (2) the term ``State'' means any State of the United 
     States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
     Rico, the United States Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, 
     the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 
     possession of the United States; and
       (3) the term ``State EAS Plan'' means a State Emergency 
     Alert System Plan, the rules for which are set forth in part 
     11 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 
     regulation).
       (b) State Emergency Communications Committee.--Not later 
     than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
     Commission shall adopt regulations that--
       (1) encourage the chief executive of each State--
       (A) to establish an SECC if the State does not have an 
     SECC; or
       (B) if the State has an SECC, to review the composition and 
     governance of the SECC;
       (2) provide that--
       (A) each SECC, not less frequently than annually, shall--
       (i) meet to review and update its State EAS Plan;
       (ii) certify to the Commission that the SECC has met as 
     required under clause (i); and
       (iii) submit to the Commission an updated State EAS Plan; 
     and
       (B) not later than 60 days after the date on which the 
     Commission receives an updated State EAS Plan under 
     subparagraph (A)(iii), the Commission shall--
       (i) approve or disapprove the updated State EAS Plan; and
       (ii) notify the chief executive of the State of the 
     Commission's findings; and
       (3) establish a State EAS Plan content checklist for SECCs 
     to use when reviewing and updating a State EAS Plan for 
     submission to the Commission under paragraph (2)(A).
       (c) Consultation.--The Commission shall consult with the 
     Administrator regarding the adoption of regulations under 
     subsection (b)(3).

     SEC. 5. FALSE ALERT REPORTING.

       Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
     Act, the Commission, in consultation with the Administrator, 
     shall complete a rulemaking proceeding to establish a system 
     to receive from the Administrator or State, Tribal, or local 
     governments reports of false alerts under the Emergency Alert 
     System or the Wireless Emergency Alerts System for the 
     purpose of recording such false alerts and examining their 
     causes.

     SEC. 6. REPEATING EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM MESSAGES FOR 
                   NATIONAL SECURITY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Commission, in consultation with 
     the Administrator, shall complete a rulemaking proceeding to 
     modify the Emergency Alert System to provide for repeating 
     Emergency Alert System messages while an alert remains 
     pending that is issued by--
       (1) the President;
       (2) the Administrator; or
       (3) any other entity under specified circumstances as 
     determined by the Commission, in consultation with the 
     Administrator.
       (b) Scope of Rulemaking.--Subsection (a)--
       (1) shall apply to warnings of national security events, 
     meaning emergencies of national significance, such as a 
     missile threat, terror attack, or other act of war; and
       (2) shall not apply to more typical warnings, such as a 
     weather alert, AMBER Alert, or disaster alert.

     SEC. 7. INTERNET AND ONLINE STREAMING SERVICES EMERGENCY 
                   ALERT EXAMINATION.

       (a) Study.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, and after providing public notice and 
     opportunity for comment, the Commission shall complete an 
     inquiry to examine the feasibility of updating the Emergency 
     Alert System to enable or improve alerts to consumers 
     provided through the internet, including through streaming 
     services.
       (b) Report.--Not later than 90 days after completing the 
     inquiry under subsection (a), the Commission shall submit a 
     report on the findings and conclusions of the inquiry to--
       (1) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
     of the Senate; and
       (2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
     Representatives.

                          ____________________