I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6427 
To improve oversight by the Federal Communications Commission of the 
wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2018 
Ms. GABBARD (for herself and Ms. HANABUSA) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, 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 com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To improve oversight by the Federal Communications Com-
mission of the wireless and broadcast emergency alert 
systems. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Reliable Emergency 
Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2018’’ or ‘‘READI 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act— 
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(1) the term ‘‘Administrator’’ means the Ad-
ministrator 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 Alert Sys-
tem’’ 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 regu-
lation). 
SEC. 3. WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERT 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 
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(2) by striking ‘‘other than an alert issued by 
the President.’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘other 
than an alert issued by— 
‘‘(A) the President; or 
‘‘(B) 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 con-
sultation 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 
COMMIT-
TEES. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 
(1) the term ‘‘SECC’’ means a State Emer-
gency Communications Committee; 
(2) the term ‘‘State’’ means any State of the 
United States, the District of Columbia, the Com-
monwealth of Puerto Rico, the United States Virgin 
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Common-
wealth 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. 
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(b) STATE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS COM-
MITTEE.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment 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 up-
dated 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— 
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(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 check-
list 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 regula-
tions under subsection (b)(3). 
SEC. 5. EMERGENCY ALERT BEST PRACTICES. 
(a) GUIDANCE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Adminis-
trator shall develop and issue guidance for State, 
Tribal, and local governments regarding policies and 
procedures relating to emergency alerts. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The guidance developed under 
paragraph (1) shall include best practices and rec-
ommendations for— 
(A) the processes and procedures that a 
State, Tribal, or local government official 
should use to issue an alert that will use the 
Emergency Alert System or Wireless Emer-
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gency Alert System, including information 
about the technology used to issue such an 
alert; 
(B) steps that a State, Tribal, or local gov-
ernment official should take to mitigate the 
possibility of the issuance of a false alert 
through the Emergency Alert System and re-
lated emergency alerting systems; 
(C) the process that a State, Tribal, or 
local government official should adopt to retract 
a false alert in the case of the issuance of such 
an alert; 
(D) the annual training of State, Tribal, 
and local alert origination staff related to the— 
(i) issuance of alerts; 
(ii) avoidance of false alerts; and 
(iii) retracting of false alerts; and 
(E) a plan by which participants in the 
Emergency Alert System and the Wireless 
Emergency Alert System and other relevant 
State, Tribal, and local government officials 
may, during an emergency, contact each other, 
as well as Federal officials, when appropriate 
and necessary, by telephone, text message, or 
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