I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5497 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve the integrated 

public alert and warning system relating to active shooters, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023 

Ms. MACE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee 

on Homeland Security, 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 improve 

the integrated public alert and warning system relating 

to active shooters, 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 ‘‘Active Shooter Alert 

5 System Improvements Act of 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYS2 TEM MODERNIZATION AND COORDINATION. 

3 (a) ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT COORDINATOR.—Sec4 tion 2006 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

5 607) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)(4)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon; 

9 (B) in subparagraph (F), by striking the 

10 period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

12 subparagraph: 

13 ‘‘(G) shall serve as, or appoint an indi14 vidual within the Office for State and Local 

15 Law Enforcement to serve as, the Active Shoot16 er Alert Coordinator of the Department.’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub18 section: 

19 ‘‘(c) ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT COORDINATOR DU20 TIES.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Active Shooter Alert 

22 Coordinator of the Department shall— 

23 ‘‘(A) seek to eliminate gaps in the inte24 grated public alert and warning system under 

25 section 526 relating to active shooters, includVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:01 Sep 18, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5497.IH H5497

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1 ing gaps relating to interstate travel of active 

2 shooters; 

3 ‘‘(B) work with law enforcement, States, 

4 and localities to encourage the development of 

5 additional elements, such as local active shooter 

6 plans, when utilizing such integrated public 

7 alert and warning systems; 

8 ‘‘(C) encourage States and localities to 

9 apply for grants under subtitle A of this title to 

10 obtain, improve, train users of, and implement 

11 integrated public alert and warning systems re12 lating to active shooters; and 

13 ‘‘(D) work with States and localities to en14 sure appropriate regional and local coordination 

15 of various elements of the integrated public 

16 alert and warning systems relating to active 

17 shooters. 

18 ‘‘(2) ACTIVE SHOOTER ALERT COOPERATION.— 

19 The Active Shooter Alert Coordinator of the Depart20 ment shall cooperate with appropriate authorities in 

21 carrying out activities under this subsection.’’. 

22 (b) PERFORMANCE REPORTS.—Subparagraph (B) of 

23 section 526(e)(1) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

24 (6 U.S.C. 321o(e)(1)) is amended— 


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1 (1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 

2 semicolon; 

3 (2) in clause (iii), by striking the period and in4 serting a semicolon; and 

5 (3) by adding at the end the following new 

6 clauses: 

7 ‘‘(iv) the recruitment and registration 

8 of alerting authorities of States and units 

9 of local government to use the public alert 

10 and warning system, whether an alerting 

11 authority was appointed, efforts to solicit 

12 local law enforcement participation in the 

13 public alert and warning system, and the 

14 number of alerts sent in a calendar year by 

15 altering authorities; and 

16 ‘‘(v) efforts to improve the geolocation 

17 capabilities of the public alert and warning 

18 system.’’. 

Æ 


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