S 1223 · 110th Congress 2007–2009, ended

First Response Broadcasters Act of 2007

Fact sheet

Latest action · Apr 25, 2007 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5107-5109)

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.

  1. IntroducedApr 25, 2007
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

First Response Broadcasters Act of 2007 - Authorizes appropriations to the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for facility and equipment expenses to construct an additional 25 Primary Entry Point stations (radio broadcast stations designated to provide public information following emergencies where there is no commercial power) in the continental United States and territories.

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a pilot program, the Broadcast Disaster Preparedness Grant Program, under which the Administrator may make grants to first response broadcasters. Sets forth provisions regarding priorities in making grants, use of funds, the federal share, and termination of grant authority.

Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to: (1) include specified assistance to first response broadcasters among the essential assistance that federal agencies may provide to meet immediate threats to life and property resulting from a major disaster; (2) prohibit a federal officer or employee from confiscating fuel, water, or food from such a broadcaster during a disaster if that broadcaster documents that such supplies will be used to enable the broadcast of essential disaster-related public information in the affected area; and (3) direct the head of a federal agency to allow access to the area affected by a major disaster for technical personnel, broadcast engineers, and equipment needed to restore, repair, or resupply any facility or equipment critical to such a broadcaster's ability to continue to acquire, produce, and transmit essential disaster-related public information, subject to specified limitations. Establishes guidelines for press access to a disaster area.

Cosponsors 16

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 25, 2007 to Jul 21, 2008, with 3 there on the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-ARMark L. PryorOriginalApr 25, 2007
R-AKTed StevensOriginalApr 25, 2007
D-DEThomas R. CarperOriginalApr 25, 2007
R-ORGordon H. SmithMay 8, 2007
R-NMPete V. DomeniciJun 5, 2007
R-MSThad CochranJun 13, 2007
R-AZJohn McCainJun 20, 2007
R-MEOlympia J. SnoweJul 11, 2007
D-MTJon TesterAug 2, 2007
D-MNAmy KlobucharFeb 27, 2008
R-TXKay Bailey HutchisonFeb 27, 2008
R-NEChuck HagelFeb 29, 2008
R-NHJohn E. SununuApr 2, 2008
R-NHJudd GreggApr 3, 2008
R-MSRoger F. WickerApr 8, 2008

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Apr 25, 2007Introduced in Senate
  2. Apr 25, 2007Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5107-5109)
  3. Apr 25, 2007Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5019, S5106-5107)

Related bills 1

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
HR 2331First Response Broadcasters Act of 2007Identical billMay 16, 2007

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Emergency Management.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Apr 25, 2007Introduced in Senate

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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.