[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 115 (Thursday, July 11, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5035-S5036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 2771. Ms. KLOBUCHAR submitted an amendment intended to be proposed
by her to the bill S. 4638, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2025 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
At the end of title X, add the following:
Subtitle I--Enhancing First Response Act
SEC. 1096. SHORT TITLE.
This subtitle may be cited as the ``Enhancing First
Response Act''.
SEC. 1097. REPORTS AFTER ACTIVATION OF DISASTER INFORMATION
REPORTING SYSTEM; IMPROVEMENTS TO NETWORK
OUTAGE REPORTING.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Automatic location information; automatic number
identification.--The terms ``Automatic Location Information''
and ``Automatic Number Identification'' have the meanings
given those terms in section 9.3 of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations, or any successor regulation.
(2) Broadband internet access service.--The term
``broadband internet access service'' has the meaning given
the term in section 8.1(b) of title 47, Code of Federal
Regulations, or any successor regulation.
(3) Commercial mobile service.--The term ``commercial
mobile service'' has the meaning given the term in section
332(d) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 332(d)).
(4) Commercial mobile data service.--The term ``commercial
mobile data service'' has the meaning given the term in
section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation
Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401).
(5) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(6) Indian tribal government; local government.--The terms
``Indian tribal government'' and ``local government'' have
the meanings given those terms in section 102 of the Robert
T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42
U.S.C. 5122).
[[Page S5036]]
(7) Interconnected voip service; state.--The terms
``interconnected VoIP service'' and ``State'' have the
meanings given those terms in section 3 of the Communications
Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153).
(8) Outage.--The term ``outage'' has the meaning given the
term in section 4.5 of title 47, Code of Federal Regulations,
or any successor regulation.
(9) Public safety answering point.--The term ``public
safety answering point'' has the meaning given the term in
section 222(h) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C.
222(h)).
(10) System.--The term ``System'' means the Disaster
Information Reporting System.
(b) Reports After Activation of Disaster Information
Reporting System.--
(1) Preliminary report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 6 weeks after the
deactivation of the System with respect to an event for which
the System was activated for not less than 7 days, the
Commission shall issue a preliminary report on, with respect
to such event and to the extent known--
(i) the number and duration of any outages of--
(I) broadband internet access service;
(II) interconnected VoIP service;
(III) commercial mobile service; and
(IV) commercial mobile data service;
(ii) the approximate number of users or the amount of
communications infrastructure potentially affected by an
outage described in clause (i);
(iii) the number and duration of any outages that prevent
public safety answering points from receiving caller location
or number information or receiving emergency calls and
routing such calls to emergency service personnel; and
(iv) any additional information determined appropriate by
the Commission.
(B) Development of report.--The Commission shall develop
the report required by subparagraph (A) using information
collected by the Commission, including information collected
by the Commission through the System.
(2) Public field hearings.--
(A) Requirement.--Not later than 8 months after the
deactivation of the System with respect to an event for which
the System was activated for not less than 7 days, the
Commission shall hold not less than 1 public field hearing in
the area affected by such event.
(B) Inclusion of certain individuals in hearings.--For each
public field hearing held under subparagraph (A), the
Commission shall consider including--
(i) representatives of State government, local government,
or Indian tribal governments in areas affected by such event;
(ii) residents of the areas affected by such event, or
consumer advocates;
(iii) providers of communications services affected by such
event;
(iv) faculty of institutions of higher education;
(v) representatives of other Federal agencies;
(vi) electric utility providers;
(vii) communications infrastructure companies; and
(viii) first responders, emergency managers, or 9-1-1
directors in areas affected by such event.
(3) Final report.--Not later than 12 months after the
deactivation of the System with respect to an event for which
the System was activated for not less than 7 days, the
Commission shall issue a final report that includes, with
respect to such event--
(A) the information described in paragraph (1)(A); and
(B) any recommendations of the Commission on how to improve
the resiliency of affected communications or networks
recovery efforts.
(4) Development of reports.--In developing a report
required under this subsection, the Commission shall consider
information collected by the Commission, including
information collected by the Commission through the System,
and any public hearing described in paragraph (2) with
respect to the applicable event.
(5) Publication.--The Commission shall publish each report,
excluding information that is otherwise exempt from public
disclosure under the rules of the Commission, issued under
this subsection on the website of the Commission upon the
issuance of such report.
(c) Improvements to Network Outage Reporting.--Not later
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Commission shall investigate and publish a report on--
(1) the value to public safety agencies of originating
service providers including visual information to improve
situational awareness about outages in the notifications
provided to public safety answering points, as required by
rules issued by the Commission;
(2) the volume and nature of 911 outages that may go
unreported under the outage notification thresholds of the
Commission; and
(3) recommended changes to rules issued by the Commission
to address paragraphs (1) and (2).
SEC. 1098. REPORTING OF PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATORS AS
PROTECTIVE SERVICE OCCUPATIONS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Public safety telecommunicators play a critical role in
emergency response, providing medical instruction, gathering
lifesaving information, and protecting civilians and first
responders.
(2) The Standard Occupational Classification system is
designed and maintained solely for statistical purposes, and
is used by Federal statistical agencies to classify workers
and jobs into occupational categories for the purpose of
collecting, calculating, analyzing, or disseminating data.
(3) Occupations in the Standard Occupational Classification
are classified based on work performed and, in some cases, on
the skills, education, or training needed to perform the
work.
(4) Classifying public safety telecommunicators as a
protective service occupation would correct an inaccurate
representation in the Standard Occupational Classification,
recognize these professionals for the lifesaving work they
perform, and better align the Standard Occupational
Classification with related classification systems.
(b) Standard Occupational Classification System.--The
Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall, not
later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, categorize public safety telecommunicators as a
protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational
Classification system.
SEC. 1099. REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE KARI'S LAW ACT OF
2017.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Commission.--The term ``Commission'' means the Federal
Communications Commission.
(2) Multi-line telephone system.--The term ``multi-line
telephone system'' has the meaning given the term in section
721(f) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 623(f)).
(b) Report Required.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Inspector General of the
Commission shall publish a report regarding the enforcement
by the Commission of section 721 of the Communications Act of
1934 (47 U.S.C. 623), which shall include--
(1) a summary of the extent to which multi-line telephone
system manufacturers and vendors have complied with that
section;
(2) potential difficulties and obstacles in complying with
that section;
(3) recommendations to the Commission, if necessary, on
ways to improve the policies of the Commission to better
enforce that section; and
(4) recommendations to Congress, if necessary, on further
legislation that could mitigate problems like those that are
addressed by that section.
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