I 

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. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Integrated Public Alert 

5 Warning System Modernization Act of 2011’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1) numerous proven and tested technologies 

4 exist to enable the Federal Government to enhance 

5 its public alert and warning system; 

6 (2) the expected benefits of these enhancements 

7 include— 

8 (A) greater security, reliability, and redun9 dancy of the system; 

10 (B) rapid alert dissemination; 

11 (C) an improved ability to notify remote lo12 cations; 

13 (D) the ability to geographically target and 

14 deliver alerts and warnings to multiple devices; 

15 and 

16 (E) the ability to permit State homeland 

17 security grants to be utilized for the purposes 

18 of modernizing public alert and warning sys19 tems; 

20 (3) there is a need to test the viability of deliv21 ering messages through diverse communications 

22 modes to effectively alert and warn the public; 

23 (4) there is a need to modernize and improve 

24 the ability of the Federal Government to provide 

25 residents of the United States with timely and effec26 tive warnings; and 


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1 (5) although significant Federal integration ef2 forts are underway, the aggregation, dissemination, 

3 and reporting system necessary for effective public 

4 alert and warning will require an integrated national 

5 network for reliable, secure, and authentic dissemi6 nation of emergency alerts and warnings to and 

7 from all Federal, State, local, and tribal entities that 

8 alert the public when appropriate. 

9 SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARN10 ING SYSTEM MODERNIZATION. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.— 

12 (1) AMENDMENT.—Title V of the Homeland 

13 Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is 

14 amended by adding at the end of the following new 

15 section: 

16 ‘‘SEC. 526. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND 

17 WARNING SYSTEM MODERNIZATION. 

18 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to provide timely and 

19 effective warnings and disseminate homeland security in20 formation and other information, the Secretary shall mod21 ernize and implement the national integrated public alert 

22 and warning system (in this section referred to as ‘the 

23 public alert and warning system’). 

24 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS.—In car25 rying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 


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1 ‘‘(1) establish or adapt, as appropriate, common 

2 alerting and warning protocols, standards, termi3 nology, and operating procedures for the public alert 

4 and warning system; 

5 ‘‘(2) include in the public alert and warning 

6 system the capability to adapt the dissemination of 

7 homeland security information and other informa8 tion and the content of communications on the basis 

9 of geographic location, risks, or personal user pref10 erences, as appropriate; 

11 ‘‘(3) include in the public alert and warning 

12 system the capability to alert, warn, and provide the 

13 equivalent amount of information to individuals with 

14 disabilities and access and functional needs; 

15 ‘‘(4) ensure the conduct of training, tests, and 

16 exercise for the public alert and warning system, and 

17 that the system is incorporated into other training 

18 and exercise programs of the Department, as appro19 priate; 

20 ‘‘(5) ensure that the public alert and warning 

21 system uses the National Terrorism Advisory Sys22 tem, including ensuring that the National Terrorism 

23 Advisory System participates in tests of the public 

24 alert and warning system; 


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1 ‘‘(6) conduct periodic nationwide tests of the 

2 public alert and warning system; and 

3 ‘‘(7) consult, coordinate, and cooperate, to the 

4 extent practicable, with other Federal agencies and 

5 departments and with State, local, and tribal govern6 ments, the private sector, and other key stakeholders 

7 to leverage existing alert and warning capabilities. 

8 ‘‘(c) SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 

9 ensure that the system— 

10 ‘‘(1) incorporates redundant and diverse modes 

11 to disseminate homeland security information and 

12 other information in warning messages to the public 

13 so as to reach the greatest number of individuals; 

14 ‘‘(2) can be adapted to incorporate future tech15 nologies; 

16 ‘‘(3) is resilient, secure, and can withstand acts 

17 of terrorism and other external attacks; 

18 ‘‘(4) promotes State, local, tribal, and regional 

19 partnerships to enhance coordination; 

20 ‘‘(5) is designed to provide alerts that are ac21 cessible to the largest portion of the affected popu22 lation feasible, including nonresident visitors and 

23 tourists and individuals with disabilities and access 

24 and functional needs, and improves the ability of re25 mote areas to receive alerts; and 


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1 ‘‘(6) includes mechanisms to ensure the protec2 tion of individual privacy. 

3 ‘‘(d) REPORT.—Not later than one year after the 

4 date on which the system established under subsection (a) 

5 is fully functional and every six months thereafter, the 

6 Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Se7 curity of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

8 on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

9 Senate, a report on the functionality and performance of 

10 the integrated public alert and warning system, includ11 ing— 

12 ‘‘(1) an assessment of the accomplishments and 

13 deficiencies of the system; 

14 ‘‘(2) recommendations for improvements to the 

15 system; 

16 ‘‘(3) information on the feasibility and effective17 ness of disseminating homeland security information 

18 and other information, notices, and alerts prior to 

19 and following an incident requiring use of the sys20 tem. 

21 ‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

22 is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 

23 out this section $13,400,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

24 through 2016.’’. 


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1 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of con2 tents in section 1(b) of such Act is amended by add3 ing at the end of the items relating to such title the 

4 following: 

‘‘Sec. 526. National integrated public alert and warning system modernization.’’. 

5 (b) LIMITATION ON STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION.— 

6 Nothing in this Act (including the amendment made by 

7 this Act) shall be construed to affect the authority of the 

8 Department of Commerce, the Federal Communications 

9 Commission, or the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

10 Emergency Assistance Act. 

11 (c) HOMELAND SECURITY GRANTS.—Section 

12 2008(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

13 609(a)) is amended— 

14 (1) in paragraph (12), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

15 end; 

16 (2) by redesignating paragraph (13) as para17 graph (14); and 

18 (3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the fol19 lowing new paragraph: 

20 ‘‘(13) improving public alert and warning capa21 bilities; and’’. 

Æ 


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