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 warn-
ing system to disseminate homeland security information 
and other information, and for other purposes. 
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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 ‘‘Integrated Public Alert 
and Warning System Modernization Act of 2012’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) numerous proven and tested technologies exist 
to enable the Federal Government to enhance its dis-
semination of public alerts and warnings; 
(2) the expected benefits of these enhancements 
include— 
(A) greater security, reliability, and redun-
dancy of the Federal Government’s alert and 
warning capabilities; 
(B) rapid alert dissemination; 
(C) an improved ability to notify remote lo-
cations; 
(D) the ability to geographically target and 
deliver alerts and warnings through multiple 
communication modes; and 
(E) the ability to permit homeland security 
grants to be utilized for the purposes of modern-
izing public alert and warning systems; 
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(3) there is a need to test the viability of deliv-
ering messages through diverse communications modes 
to effectively alert and warn the public; 
(4) there is a need to modernize and improve the 
ability of the Federal Government to provide residents 
of the United States with timely and effective warn-
ings; and 
(5) although significant Federal integration ef-
forts are underway, the aggregation, dissemination, 
and reporting system necessary for effective public 
alert and warning will require an integrated national 
network for reliable, secure, and authentic dissemina-
tion of emergency alerts and warnings by Federal, 
State, local, and tribal entities that are authorized to 
issue alerts to the public. 
SEC. 3. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND WARN-
ING SYSTEM MODERNIZATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.— 
(1) AMENDMENT.—Title V of the Homeland Se-
curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 311 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end of the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 526. NATIONAL INTEGRATED PUBLIC ALERT AND 
WARNING SYSTEM MODERNIZATION. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In order to provide timely and ef-
fective warnings and disseminate homeland security infor-
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mation and other information, the Secretary shall, consid-
ering the recommendations of the advisory committee estab-
lished under subsection (d), modernize and implement the 
national integrated public alert and warning system (in 
this section referred to as ‘the public alert and warning sys-
tem’). 
‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION REQUIREMENTS.—In carrying 
out subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) establish or adapt, as appropriate, common 
alerting and warning protocols, standards, termi-
nology, and operating procedures for the public alert 
and warning system; 
‘‘(2) include in the public alert and warning sys-
tem the capability to adapt the dissemination of 
homeland security information and other information 
and the content of communications on the basis of ge-
ographic location, risks, or personal user preferences, 
as appropriate; 
‘‘(3) include in the public alert and warning sys-
tem the capability to alert, warn, and provide the 
equivalent amount of information to individuals with 
disabilities and access and functional needs; 
‘‘(4) ensure the conduct of training, tests, and ex-
ercises for the public alert and warning system, and 
that the system is incorporated into other training 
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