SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Active Shooter Alert 
Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ACTIVE SHOOTER.—The term ‘‘active shoot-
er’’ means an individual who is engaged in killing or 
attempting to kill persons with a firearm in a popu-
lated area and who is determined to pose an active, 
imminent threat to people in that populated area. 
(2) ADMINISTRATOR OF FEMA.—The term ‘‘Ad-
ministrator of FEMA’’ means the Administrator of 
the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 
(3) CHAIRMAN OF THE FCC.—The term ‘‘Chair-
man of the FCC’’ means the Chairman of the Fed-
eral Communications Commission. 
(4) COORDINATOR.—The term ‘‘Coordinator’’ 
means the Active Shooter Alert Coordinator of the 
Department of Justice designated under section 
3(a). 
(5) NETWORK.—The term ‘‘Network’’ means 
the Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, 
an interconnected system of Federal, State, Tribal, 
and local governments that is organized to provide 
information to the public, within geographically rel-
evant areas, on active shooter situations.
(6) POPULATED AREA.—The term ‘‘populated 
area’’ means a location where one or more persons 
other than the active shooter are present. 
(7) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means any of 
the 50 States, the District of Columbia, American 
Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana 
Islands, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and 
any other territory of the United States. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL COORDINATION OF ACTIVE SHOOTER 
ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) COORDINATION WITHIN DEPARTMENT OF JUS-
TICE.—The Attorney General shall assign an officer of the 
Department of Justice to act as the national coordinator 
of the Active Shooter Alert Communications Network re-
garding an emergency involving an active shooter. The of-
ficer so designated shall be known as the Active Shooter 
Alert Coordinator of the Department of Justice. 
(b) DUTIES.—The Coordinator shall— 
(1) encourage Federal, State, Tribal, and local 
government agencies to establish procedures to re-
spond to an active shooter, including active shooter 
procedures relating to interstate or interjurisdic-
tional travel (including airports and border crossing 
areas and checkpoints), and focus on governments 
that have not yet established such procedures; and
(2) work with State, Tribal, and local govern-
ments to encourage appropriate regional and inter-
jurisdictional coordination of various elements of the 
Network. 
(c) GOALS.—The Coordinator shall encourage the 
adoption of best practices established under section 4(a) 
in State, Tribal, and local governments for— 
(1) the development of policies and procedures 
to guide the use of mass alert systems, changeable 
message signs, or other information systems to no-
tify local residents, motorists, travelers, and individ-
uals in the vicinity of an active shooter; 
(2) the development of guidance or policies on 
the content and format of alert messages to be con-
veyed on mass alert systems, changeable message 
signs, or other information systems relating to an 
active shooter; 
(3) the coordination of State, Tribal, and local 
Active Shooter Alert communications plans within a 
region for the use of mass alert systems relating to 
an active shooter; 
(4) the planning and designing of mass alert 
systems for multilingual communication with local 
residents, motorists, travelers, and individuals in the 
vicinity of an active shooter, which system may in-
clude the capability for issuing wide area alerts to 
local residents, motorists, travelers, and individuals 
in the vicinity of an active shooter; 
(5) the planning of systems and protocols to fa-
cilitate the efficient issuance of active shooter alerts 
and other key information to local residents, motor-
ists, travelers, and individuals in the vicinity of an 
active shooter during times of day outside of normal 
business hours; 
(6) the provision of training and guidance to 
transportation authorities to facilitate the appro-
priate use of mass alert systems and other informa-
tion systems for the notification of local residents, 
motorists, travelers, and individuals in the vicinity of 
an active shooter; and 
(7) the development of appropriate mass alert 
systems to ensure that alerts sent to individuals in 
the immediate vicinity of an active shooter do not 
alert the active shooter to the location of individuals 
sheltering in place near the active shooter. 
(d) INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARNING SYS-
TEM.—In carrying out duties under subsection (b), the 
Coordinator shall notify and coordinate with the Adminis-
trator of FEMA, the Secretary of Transportation, and the
Chairman of the FCC on using the Integrated Public Alert 
and Warning System to issue alerts for the Network. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after the 
date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years thereafter 
until such time as each of the State, Tribal, and local gov-
ernments have adopted an active shooter alert protocol, 
the Coordinator, in consultation with the Administrator 
of FEMA, Secretary of Transportation, and the Chairman 
of the FCC, shall submit to Congress a report on the ac-
tivities of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and status 
of the Active Shooter Alert communications plan of each 
State, Tribal, and local government within each region 
that has implemented such a plan. 
SEC. 4. STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION 
OF 
ALERTS 
THROUGH 
ACTIVE 
SHOOTER 
ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF BEST PRACTICES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c), 
the Coordinator, using the recommendations of the 
Advisory Panel established under subsection (b) and 
in coordination with the Administrator of FEMA, 
the Secretary of Transportation, the Chairman of 
the FCC, local broadcasters, and Federal, State, 
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies, shall es-
tablish best practices for—
(A) the issuance of alerts through the Net-
work; 
(B) the extent of the dissemination of 
alerts issued through the Network; and 
(C) the achievement of the goals described 
in section 3(c). 
(2) UPDATING BEST PRACTICES.—The Coordi-
nator shall review the best practices established 
under paragraph (1) no less frequently than every 5 
years to ensure the best practices are consistent with 
updated data and recommendations on active shoot-
er situations and technological advancements in the 
Integrated Public Alert and Warning System or 
other technologies. The Coordinator shall convene 
the Advisory Panel as necessary to provide updated 
recommendations if the best practices are to be up-
dated. 
(b) ADVISORY PANEL.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Coordinator 
shall establish an Advisory Panel to make rec-
ommendations with respect to the establishment of 
best practices under subsection (a). 
(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Advisory Panel shall 
be comprised of at least 9 members, including—
(A) at least 5 law enforcement officers, in-
cluding at least one nonsupervisory law enforce-
ment officer, who have responded to active 
shooter incidents and who represent rural, sub-
urban, and urban communities; 
(B) at least 1 public safety expert who is 
not a law enforcement officer and who has re-
sponded to an active shooter incident; 
(C) at least 1 emergency response official 
who is not a law enforcement officer; 
(D) at least 1 city planning expert; and 
(E) at least 1 mental and behavioral health 
expert. 
(3) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 15 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Advisory Panel shall submit to Coordinator rec-
ommendations with respect to the establishment of 
best practices under subsection (a). 
(c) LIMITATIONS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The best practices estab-
lished under subsection (a) shall— 
(A) be adoptable on a voluntary basis only; 
and 
(B) to the maximum extent practicable (as 
determined by the Coordinator, in consultation
with State, Tribal, and local law enforcement 
agencies), provide that— 
(i) appropriate information relating to 
an active shooter response is disseminated 
to the appropriate law enforcement, public 
health, communications, and other public 
officials; and 
(ii) the dissemination of an alert 
through the Network be limited to the geo-
graphic areas most likely to be affected by, 
or able to respond to, an active shooter sit-
uation. 
(2) NO INTERFERENCE.—In establishing best 
practices under subsection (a), the Coordinator may 
not interfere with systems of voluntary coordination 
between local broadcasters and State, Tribal, and 
local law enforcement agencies for improving and 
implementing the Network. 
SEC. 5. COMPTROLLER GENERAL STUDY ON STATE RE-
SPONSES TO ACTIVE SHOOTER SITUATIONS 
REQUIRING 
THE 
ISSUANCE 
OF 
PUBLIC 
ALERTS AND WARNINGS. 
(a) STUDY.—The Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct a study on State and local responses 
to active shooters and situations requiring the issuance of
a public alert or warning. Such study shall address each 
of the following: 
(1) Differences between the definitions of the 
term ‘‘active shooter’’ used by different States. 
(2) The amount of time it takes and the proc-
ess in each State to receive approval from the State 
alerting officials after a local law enforcement agen-
cy requests the issuance of a public alert or warning, 
such as an AMBER Alert, a Blue Alert, or an 
Ashanti alert. 
(3) A comparison of the timing and effective-
ness of the issuance of public alerts and warnings by 
State, Tribal, and local alerting officials. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller 
General of the United States shall submit to Congress a 
report containing the findings of the study conducted 
under subsection (a). 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Attorney General to carry out this Act 
$2,000,000 for fiscal year 2023. 
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—Amounts appro-
priated under subsection (a) shall remain available until 
expended.
SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Nothing in this Act may be con-
strued to provide that a participating agency, or an officer, 
employee, or agent thereof, shall be liable for any act or 
omission pertaining to the Network. 
(b) STATE OR OTHER FEDERAL LAW.— Nothing in 
this section may be construed to limit the application of 
any State or other Federal law providing for liability for 
any act or omission pertaining to the Network. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 13, 2022. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6538 
AN ACT 
To create an Active Shooter Alert Communications 
Network, and for other purposes.