Bill Details
View committees (1)
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a new office inside the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to focus on public safety communications. The office would help oversee federal work on emergency communications, including Next Generation 9-1-1, public safety policy, research, testing, and new technology that helps first responders. It would also give one senior official clear responsibility for managing the First Responder Network Authority, better known as FirstNet, and for checking its work through a yearly audit. In simple terms, the bill is meant to strengthen federal leadership over the communications systems that police, firefighters, emergency medical workers, and other public safety officials depend on.
- The bill sets up an Office of Public Safety Communications within NTIA and places it under the Assistant Secretary.
- The office would be led by an Associate Administrator, who must be a career senior executive, not a political appointee.
- That leader would help run federal grant programs tied to Next Generation 9-1-1, study public safety communications problems, and advise the Assistant Secretary on related issues before Congress, federal agencies, and the communications regulator.
- The office would also oversee government studies, testing, and deployment of advanced communication tools for public safety, manage FirstNet, and conduct an annual audit of FirstNet’s activities.
Official Summaries
Public Safety Communications Act
This bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Public Safety Communications within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to support efforts related to public safety communications. The duties of the office include (1) administering federal grant programs for Next Generation 9-1-1 systems, which are interoperable Internet Protocol-based systems for receiving 9-1-1 calls; and (2) managing and auditing the First Responder Network Authority (known as FirstNet), which oversees the communications network for emergency responders and the public safety community.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1519 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1519
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Organization Act to establish the Office of Public Safety
Communications, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 24, 2025
Mrs. Cammack introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration
Organization Act to establish the Office of Public Safety
Communications, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Public Safety Communications Act''.
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS.
Part A of the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration Organization Act (47 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 106. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SAFETY
COMMUNICATIONS.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established within the NTIA the
Office of Public Safety Communications (in this section referred to as
`the Office').
``(b) Head of Office.--
``(1) In general.--The head of the Office shall be the
Associate Administrator for Public Safety Communications.
``(2) Career position.--The position of Associate
Administrator shall be a career position in the Senior
Executive Service occupied by a career appointee (as that term
is defined in section 3132(a)(4) of title 5, United States
Code).
``(3) Requirement to report.--The Associate Administrator
shall report to the Assistant Secretary.
``(c) Duties.--The Associate Administrator shall--
``(1) administer any grant program of the Federal
Government related to Next Generation 9-1-1 on behalf of the
Assistant Secretary;
``(2) analyze public safety policy communications issues,
including by obtaining such analysis;
``(3) provide to the Assistant Secretary advice and
assistance with respect to the Assistant Secretary--
``(A) carrying out the responsibilities of NTIA
related to public safety communications policy; and
``(B) evaluating the domestic impact of public
safety communications matters pending before the
Commission, Congress, or other entities of the
executive branch of the Federal Government;
``(4) carrying out any duties established under section 10
of Department Organizational Order 25-7 of the Department of
Commerce titled `National Telecommunications and Information
Administration', effective September 17, 2012; and
``(5) be responsible for the oversight of--
``(A) the studies carried out by the Federal
Government relating to enhancing public safety
communication; and
``(B) the prototyping (including leading edge
prototyping) and deployment by the Federal Government
of advanced communications technologies that enhance
public safety communications, including through test-
protocol, model, or simulation tool for the testing and
validation of such technologies;
``(6) manage the First Responder Network Authority
established under section 6206 of the Middle Class Tax Relief
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1426), including by
being responsible for the oversight of the duties and
responsibilities carried out by the First Responder Network
Authority;
``(7) at the direction of the Assistant Secretary,
communicate public safety communications policies to public
entities, including the Commission and Congress, or private
entities; and
``(8) carry out any duties regarding the responsibilities
of the NTIA with respect to public safety communications policy
as the Assistant Secretary may designate.
``(d) Audit.--The Associate Administrator--
``(1) shall annually conduct an audit of the activities of
the First Responder Network Authority in accordance with
general accounting principles and procedures; and
``(2) may conduct such audit (or parts thereof) through a
contractor whose services were procured in accordance with
title 41, United States Code.''.
<all>