READI Act
Latest action · Dec 19, 2018 Held at the desk.
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.
- IntroducedJul 18, 2018
- Passed SenateDec 17, 2018
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2018 or READI Act
This bill amends the Warning, Alert, and Response Network Act to include emergency alerts from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a type of alert that subscribers of commercial mobile service licensees may not block from their devices (currently, alerts from the President may not be blocked).
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must adopt regulations that encourage states to establish a State Emergency Communications Commission (SECC) and provide that each SECC meets at least annually to review and update its Emergency Alert System Plan (State EAS Plan). The FCC must approve or disapprove the updated plan.
FEMA shall develop and issue guidance for state, tribal, and local governments relating to emergency alerts.
The FCC shall complete: (1) a rulemaking proceeding to 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) a rulemaking proceeding to modify the EAS to provide for repeating messages while an alert remains pending; and (3) an inquiry to examine the feasibility of establishing systems and signaling to offer EAS alerts to audio and video streaming services delivered over the Internet.
Cosponsors 2
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Jul 18, 2018 to Nov 27, 2018; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-SD | John Thune | Original | Jul 18, 2018 |
| R-MS | Roger F. Wicker | Nov 27, 2018 |
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 Jul 18, 2018Discharged Dec 18, 2018 |
Actions 8
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 19, 2018Received in the House.
- Dec 19, 2018Held at the desk.
- Dec 18, 2018Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 17, 2018Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.
- Dec 17, 2018Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent. (consideration: CR S7734-7735)
- Dec 17, 2018Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Jul 18, 2018Introduced in Senate
- Jul 18, 2018Read 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 S7734Amendments S7726, S7735 | Brian Schatz D-HI (amendment), John Thune R-SD (amendment), Mike Crapo R-ID, Roger F. Wicker R-MS (amendment) | Dec 17, 2018 |
Amendments 1
Amendments offered to this bill.
| Amendment | Description | Offered by | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| SA 4154 | In the nature of a substitute. | Brian Schatz D-HI | Amendment SA 4154 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent. |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 6427 | READI Act | Identical bill | Jul 19, 2018 |
Titles 5
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to improve oversight by the Federal Communications Commission of the wireless and broadcast emergency alert systems.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- READI Act
- Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2018
- Short Titles as Passed Senate
- Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2018
- READI Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
- Congressional oversight
- Emergency communications systems
- Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Intergovernmental relations
- Internet and video services
- Internet, web applications, social media
- Science, Technology, Communications
- State and local government operations
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 2
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Dec 17, 2018Engrossed in Senate
- Jul 18, 2018Introduced 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.
