First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
Latest action · Apr 21, 2026 Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
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 5, 2026
- Passed HouseApr 20, 2026
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
This bill extends through FY2037 and modifies the management of the First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority. (The FirstNet Authority oversees the development and operation of FirstNet, a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders.) The bill also requires certain actions of the entity operating FirstNet.
Currently, the FirstNet Authority is an independent agency within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The bill removes the FirstNet Authority’s independent status and establishes an associate administrator in the NTIA to manage the FirstNet Authority’s operations. The FirstNet Authority’s actions must be subject to NTIA approval, with exceptions established by the NTIA. The FirstNet Authority’s Board must include at least five (currently, three) individuals who have served as public safety professionals.
The entity contracted to develop and operate FirstNet (currently AT&T) must notify the FirstNet Authority within 30 minutes of any network outage and provide users with a network status tool to monitor outages. Every five years, such entity must submit to the NTIA for approval a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure rapid restoration of the network following disaster-caused outages. Annual audits of the FirstNet Authority must include an evaluation of such entity’s performance.
The NTIA must brief Congress annually regarding FirstNet and provide annual reports relating to cybersecurity and network adoption rates.
Within seven years after the bill’s enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report on what action Congress should take regarding the termination of the FirstNet Authority in 2037.
Cosponsors 1
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Feb 5, 2026.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-VA | Jennifer L. McClellan | Original | Feb 5, 2026 |
Committees 2
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 5, 2026Markup Mar 25, 2026Reported Apr 15, 2026 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Feb 5, 2026Markup Feb 10, 2026Reported Feb 10, 2026 | |
| Senate | Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee | Referred Apr 21, 2026 |
Actions 15
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Apr 21, 2026Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Apr 20, 2026Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H2967-2970)
- Apr 20, 2026Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H2967-2968)
- Apr 20, 2026Mr. Allen moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Apr 20, 2026DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 7386.
- Apr 20, 2026Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- Apr 15, 2026Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-615.
- Apr 15, 2026Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 533.
- Mar 25, 2026Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Mar 25, 2026Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 51 - 0.
- Feb 10, 2026Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
- Feb 10, 2026Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
- Feb 5, 2026Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Feb 5, 2026Introduced in House
- Feb 5, 2026Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In the Congressional Record 2
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Debate and remarks H2967–H2970Text printed H2967 | Jennifer L. McClellan D-VA, Mike Bost R-IL, Neal P. Dunn R-FL, Rick W. Allen R-GA | Apr 20, 2026 |
| House | Lists H2041H.R. 7386–7412 | — | Feb 5, 2026 |
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
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 172, no. 26, February 5, 2026, page H2041.
CRS reports 2
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 2
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| IF12766 | 4.9 GHz Public Safety Band: Competing Views on Use | Resource | Oct 7, 2026 |
| R48923 | First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority: Reauthorization and Selected Issues | Report | Apr 29, 2026 |
Titles 6
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
- Short Title(s) as Reported to House
- First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
- Short Title(s) as Passed House
- First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
- Short Titles from RFS (Referred to Senate) bill text
- First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026
- Official Title from EH (Engrossed in House) bill text
- To amend the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 to reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority, and for other purposes.
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Emergency Management.
- Advisory bodies
- Computer security and identity theft
- Computers and information technology
- Congressional oversight
- Emergency communications systems
- Emergency Management
- Emergency planning and evacuation
- First responders and emergency personnel
- Government information and archives
- Government studies and investigations
- Performance measurement
- Public contracts and procurement
- Telephone and wireless communication
Text 4
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 21, 2026Referred in Senate
- Apr 20, 2026Engrossed in House
- Apr 15, 2026Reported in House
- Feb 5, 2026Introduced 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.
