Social Media Working Group Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 623, the DHS Social Media
Improvement Act of 2015, was introduced by my good friend and colleague
from Indiana, Congresswoman Susan Brooks.

The bill, Mr. Speaker, was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure and to the Committee on Homeland
Security. This bill codifies the Department of Homeland Security's
Social Media Working Group to enhance the use of social media during
disasters and other events, and to provide guidance and best practices
in emergency preparedness and response. Social media, especially
Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, can play a critical role in
preparedness, response, and recovery operations during emergencies.

Emergency managers at all levels use social media to warn those in
harm's way of impending natural hazards. Social media is also used to
inform survivors on how to access disaster assistance and tips for
speedier recoveries. Equally important, Mr. Speaker, social media has
been used to coordinate and manage assistance from nonprofits and
volunteers who want to help in recovery efforts.

More and more, we are seeing individuals take to social media during
emergencies. Individuals have used social media to help identify
locations where assistance may still be needed and to raise awareness
of impending hazards. They have also used it, Mr. Speaker, to
communicate with loved ones who may be impacted by an event as well as
reconnect pets with their owners. This has certainly been the case in
the great Hoosier State.

This last summer, Mr. Speaker, will go down as the wettest summer in
Indianapolis history. Rainfall in July broke a 140-year-old record in
our great city, making it the wettest month ever recorded, and social
media helped keep residents informed in real time. In Indianapolis, the
National Weather Service, Department of Homeland Security, and local
broadcasters routinely used social media to post updates on ever-
changing weather conditions.

The very unique benefit of social media alerts is that you don't have
to be right next to a radio or TV to be informed; you can virtually be
anywhere. This summer, when dangerous flooding covered many roads in
our city, social media exploded with pictures of flooded roadways and
stranded motorists. This nontraditional tool enabled people to know
where major problems were located and to avoid danger with the famous
catchphrase, ``Turn Around Don't Drown.''

The existing DHS Social Media Working Group provides recommendations
on how to use social media before, during, and after emergencies. This
working group, Mr. Speaker, consists of emergency responders, NGOs,
nonprofits, and Federal agencies.

I support the provisions in today's bill to broaden the group's
membership to include private sector representatives and to require
consultation with nonmembers.

To ensure accountability, this requires an annual report to Congress
on important issues, such as best practices and lessons learned. It
would also provide recommendations on how to improve the use of the
social mediaplatform for emergency management purposes.

Finally, Mr. Speaker, we recognize the importance of this platform
for emergency management. I would be remiss not to remind our
colleagues of the need to authorize the Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System, also known as IPAWS.

As the committee of primary jurisdiction over IPAWS, the
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the
Barletta-Carson IPAWS authorization bill back in April and ordered the
bill reported. It is past time for this bill to be considered in the
House.

Despite the Senate's inadvertent omission of the Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, I support this bill, Mr. Speaker, and I urge
our colleagues to do the same to approve this measure.
I yield back the balance of my time.

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