SAVE LIVES Act
Latest action · Dec 7, 2004 By Senator McCain from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 108-428.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedSep 21, 2004
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services (SAVE LIVES) Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from granting any extension in the required reassignment of broadcasting stations between 764 and 776 and 794 and 806 megahertz for public safety services. Directs the FCC to complete the assignment of the electromagnetic spectrum between such stations, and to permit operations by public safety services on those frequencies commencing no later than January 1, 2008. Authorizes the FCC, beginning on such date, to modify or reassign the licenses of licensees as necessary to permit such new operations. Allows the FCC to waive such requirements in specified circumstances.
Requires the FCC to report to specified congressional committees on strategies for meeting public safety communications needs and the advisability of reallocating spectrum in the 700 megahertz band for unlicensed broadband uses.
Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security's Under Secretary for Science and Technology to establish the Wireless Public Safety Interoperability Communications Program (SAFECOM) and to complete a communications interoperability study. Authorizes appropriations.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a grant program to help first responders acquire and deploy interoperable communications equipment.
Establishes the Digital Transition Consumer Assistance Fund. Authorizes appropriations.
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program to assist households in transitioning from analog to digital television. Requires the program to: (1) become publicly available no later than January 1, 2008; and (2) give first priority to assisting lower income households.
Gives the FCC authority to require analog television sets sold or offered for sale after September 30, 2005, that will be incapable of broadcasting digital signals without an external device to be labeled as such.
Requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to recommend to specified congressional committees a program to educate consumers about the transition to digital broadcast signals.
Directs the FCC to issue final decisions in three pending proceedings. Requires the FCC, in one of the proceedings, to establish minimum guidelines for locally originated programming, local electoral and public affairs programming, and independently produced programming for television broadcast licensees.
Cosponsors
Members who signed on, in the order they did.
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Sep 21, 2004Markup Sep 22, 2004Reported Nov 20, 2004 |
Actions 7
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 7, 2004By Senator McCain from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report. Report No. 108-428.
- Nov 19, 2004Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator McCain with amendments. Without written report.
- Nov 19, 2004Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 816.
- Sep 22, 2004Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with amendments favorably.
- Sep 21, 2004Introduced in Senate
- Sep 21, 2004Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9445-9447)
- Sep 21, 2004Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
In the Congressional Record 1
Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senate | Debate and remarks S9445–S9447 | John McCain R-AZ | Sep 21, 2004 |
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Committee report
Congressional Budget Office cost estimates 2
- Nov 1, 2004S. 2820, SAVE LIVES Act<p>Cost estimate for the bill as ordered reportd by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on September 22, 2004</p>
- Nov 1, 2004S. 2820, SAVE LIVES ActCost estimate for the bill as ordered reportd by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation on September 22, 2004
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| RL32635 | H.R. 10 (9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act) and S. 2845 (National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004): A Comparative Analysis Archived | Report | Oct 21, 2004 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to ensure the availability of certain spectrum for public safety entities by amending the Communications Act of 1934 to establish January 1, 2009, as the date by which the transition to digital television shall be completed, and for other puropses.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement To Improve Vital Emergency Services Act
- SAVE LIVES Act
- Short Titles as Reported to Senate
- Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement To Improve Vital Emergency Services Act
- SAVE LIVES Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Administrative procedure
- Auctions
- Broadband
- Commerce
- Competitive bidding
- Congress
- Congressional reporting requirements
- Consumer education
- Economics and Public Finance
- Emergency communication systems
- Emergency Management
- Emergency medicine
- Equipment and supplies
- Federal Communications Commission
- Federal-Indian relations
- Federal-local relations
- Federal-state relations
- Government Operations and Politics
- Government trust funds
- Governmental investigations
- Grants-in-aid
- Health
- Health information systems
- Hospitals
- Independent regulatory commissions
- Labeling
- Law
- Licenses
- Medical personnel
- Minorities
- Native Americans
- Police communication systems
- Radio spectrum allocation
- Research and development
- Science, Technology, Communications
- Signs and signboards
- Standards
- Strategic planning
- Subsidies
- Telecommunication systems
- Television
- Television frequency allocation
- Television industry
- Television relay systems
- Wireless communication
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Nov 19, 2004Reported to Senate
- Sep 21, 2004Introduced in Senate
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.