Public Safety Communications Act

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.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1519 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.''.
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