Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2019 or READI Act
This bill modifies how citizens receive emergency alerts through wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems.
Specifically, the bill includes emergency alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a type of alert that mobile subscribers may not block from their devices (currently, only alerts from the President may not be blocked). FEMA must develop and issue guidance for how state, tribal, and local governments can participate in the integrated public alert and warning system.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must adopt regulations that encourage states to establish a State Emergency Communications Commission (SECC) and require each SECC to meet at least annually to review and update its Emergency Alert System Plan. The FCC must approve or disapprove the updated plan.
The FCC shall also (1) establish a system to receive from FEMA or state, tribal, or local governments reports of false alerts under the Emergency Alert System (EAS) or the Wireless EAS to record such false alerts and examine their causes; (2) modify the EAS to provide for repeating messages while an alert remains pending; and (3) examine the feasibility of updating the EAS to enable or improve alerts provided through the internet, including through audio and video streaming services.
| Action Date | Type | Text | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-02-27 | Committee | Subcommittee Hearings Held. | House committee actions |
| 2019-11-14 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. | House committee actions |
| 2019-10-25 | Committee | Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. | House committee actions |
| 2019-10-24 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 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. | House floor actions |
| 2019-10-24 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 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. | House floor actions |
| 2019-10-24 | IntroReferral | Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, and 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. | House floor actions |
| 2019-10-24 | IntroReferral | Introduced in House | Library of Congress |