FIRST RESPONDER Act of 2020
Latest action · Feb 27, 2020 Subcommittee Hearings Held.
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.
- IntroducedFeb 18, 2020
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Fee Integrity and Responsibilities and To Regain Essential Spectrum for Public-safety Operators Needed to Deploy Equipment Reliably Act of 2020 or the FIRST RESPONDER Act of 2020
This bill repeals a provision requiring the reallocation of spectrum currently used by public safety entities and otherwise addresses 9–1–1 fees and charges collected for the purpose of supporting 9–1–1 services.
Specifically, the bill repeals the requirement for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reallocate and auction the 470-512 MHz band (referred to as the T-Band spectrum). The T-Band spectrum is a frequency range currently utilized by public safety entities in certain urban areas.
The bill also requires the FCC to issue rules designating acceptable purposes and functions for the obligation or expenditure of 9–1–1 fees or charges. Such purposes and functions shall be limited to the support and implementation of 9–1–1 services and the operational expenses of public safety answering points (i.e., the points where emergency calls are routed).
In addition, the bill establishes the Ending 9–1–1 Fee Diversion Now Strike Force, to which the FCC must submit any evidence it obtains that a state or taxing jurisdiction is diverting 9–1–1 fees or charges. The strike force must (1) study how the federal government can end such diversion through a determination of the effectiveness of laws and other constraints, and (2) consider whether criminal penalties should be implemented to prevent further diversion.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Feb 18, 2020 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Feb 19, 2020Hearings Feb 27, 2020 |
Actions 4
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 27, 2020Subcommittee Hearings Held.
- Feb 19, 2020Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Feb 18, 2020Introduced in House
- Feb 18, 2020Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 166, no. 33, February 18, 2020, page H1164.
Printed hearings 1
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 116-105 | STRENGTHENING COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS TO HELP AMERICANS IN CRISIS215 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Feb 27, 2020 |
Related bills 2
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR 451 | Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act of 2020 | Related bill | Sep 24, 2020 |
| HR 2165 | 9–1–1 Fee Integrity Act | Related bill | Apr 10, 2019 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To repeal the requirement to reallocate and auction the T-Band spectrum, to amend the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999 to clarify acceptable 9-1-1 obligations or expenditures, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- FIRST RESPONDER Act of 2020
- Fee Integrity and Responsibilities and To Regain Essential Spectrum for Public-safety Operators Needed to Deploy Equipment Reliably Act of 2020
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Administrative remedies
- Congressional oversight
- Criminal procedure and sentencing
- Emergency communications systems
- Government studies and investigations
- Radio spectrum allocation
- Science, Technology, Communications
- State and local finance
- User charges and fees
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 18, 2020Introduced in House
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.
