I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6538 
To create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, and for other 
purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 1, 2022 
Mr. CICILLINE (for himself, Mr. UPTON, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mrs. SPARTZ, 
Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. MEIJER, Mr. DEUTCH, and Ms. MACE) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the 
Judiciary 
A BILL 
To create an Active Shooter Alert Communications Network, 
and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Active Shooter Alert 
Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ACTIVE SHOOTER.—The term ‘‘active shoot-
er’’ means an individual actively engaged in killing 
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or attempting to kill people with a firearm in a pop-
ulated area who poses 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 
described in section 3(a). 
(6) POPULATED AREA.—The term ‘‘populated 
area’’ means a location where one or more individ-
uals 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. 
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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.—In acting as the national coordinator 
of the Network, the Coordinator, in coordination with the 
Administrator of FEMA, the Secretary of Transportation, 
and the Chairman of the FCC, shall— 
(1) seek to eliminate instances in which States 
and local governments do not have procedures to re-
spond to an active shooter, including active shooter 
procedures relating to interstate travel (including 
airports, maritime ports, border crossing areas and 
checkpoints, and ports of exit from the United 
States); 
(2) work with States and Tribal governments to 
encourage the development of additional elements 
(known as local Active Shooter Alert communica-
tions plans) in the Network; and 
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(3) work with States and Tribal governments to 
encourage appropriate regional coordination of var-
ious elements of the Network. 
(c) GOALS.—The Coordinator shall encourage the 
adoption of best practices established under section 4(a) 
in States, Tribal governments, and units of local govern-
ment for— 
(1) the development of general policies and pro-
cedures to guide the use of mass alert systems or 
other information systems to notify local residents, 
motorists, travelers, and others in the vicinity when 
there is 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, regional, and 
local plans for the use of active shooting alert sys-
tems or other emergency response mechanisms; 
(4) the development of a secure and reliable 
communications protocols among law enforcement, 
public safety, public health, and transportation agen-
cies or the modification of existing communications 
systems to support the notification of local residents, 
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motorists, travelers, and those in the vicinity of an 
active shooter; 
(5) the planning and designing of improved sys-
tems for multilingual communication with local resi-
dents, motorists, travelers, and those individuals in 
the vicinity of an active shooter, including the capa-
bility for issuing wide area alerts to local residents, 
motorists, travelers, and those individuals in the vi-
cinity of an active shooter; 
(6) the planning of systems and protocols to fa-
cilitate the efficient issuance of active shooter notifi-
cations and other key information to local residents, 
motorists, travelers, and those individuals in the vi-
cinity of an active shooter during off-hours; 
(7) 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 those individuals in the vi-
cinity of an active shooter; and 
(8) 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 those indi-
viduals sheltering in place around the active shooter. 
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(d) COORDINATION WITH
THE FEDERAL EMER-
GENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DEPARTMENT OF TRANS-
PORTATION, AND THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATION COM-
MISSION.—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) COOPERATION.—The Coordinator shall coordi-
nate with the Administrator of FEMA, the Secretary of 
Transportation, and the Chairman of the FCC in carrying 
out activities under this section. 
(f) 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 States and Tribal govern-
ments have adopted an active shooter alert protocol, the 
Coordinator, in consultation with the Administrator of 
FEMA, shall submit to Congress a report on the activities 
of the Coordinator and the effectiveness and status of the 
local Active Shooter Alert communications plan of each 
State and Tribal government that has implemented such 
a plan. 
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SEC. 4. STANDARDS FOR ISSUANCE AND DISSEMINATION 
OF 
ALERTS 
THROUGH 
ACTIVE 
SHOOTER 
ALERT COMMUNICATIONS NETWORK. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT OF BEST PRACTICES.—Subject 
to subsection (b), the Coordinator, in coordination with 
the Administrator of FEMA, the Secretary of Transpor-
tation, and the Chairman of the FCC, shall establish best 
practices for— 
(1) the issuance of alerts through the Network; 
(2) the extent of the dissemination of alerts 
issued through the Network; and 
(3) the goals described in section 3(c). 
(b) 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 
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(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 the current system of voluntary 
coordination between local broadcasters and State, 
Tribal, and local law enforcement agencies for im-
proving and implementing the Network. 
(c) COORDINATION.—The Coordinator shall coordi-
nate with local broadcasters and Federal, State, Tribal, 
and local law enforcement agencies in establishing best 
practices under this section. 
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: 
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(1) Differences between the definitions of ‘‘ac-
tive 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 local law enforcement agencies 
request the issuance of a public alert or warning, 
such as an AMBER Alert, Blue Alert, or Ashanti 
alert. 
(3) A comparison of the timing and effective-
ness of the issuance of public alerts and warnings by 
State alerting officials and the issuance of such 
alerts and warnings by local jurisdictions. 
(b) REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 24 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Comp-
troller General of the United States shall submit to Con-
gress a report containing the findings of the study con-
ducted under subsection (a). 
SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Attorney General $2,000,000 for fiscal year 
2023 to carry out this Act. 
(b) AVAILABILITY
OF
FUNDS.—Amounts appro-
priated pursuant to the authorization of appropriations 
under subsection (a) shall remain available until expended. 
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SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON LIABILITY. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to create, or 
serve as the basis for, additional liability for any partici-
pating agency, or their officers, employees, or agents, be-
yond existing applicable State and Federal laws and regu-
lations. 
Æ 
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