Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. McNERNEY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding.

I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 6096, the READI Act.

The emergency alerting system and the wireless emergency alerting system provide safe, lifesaving tools to disseminate information during emergencies.

In recent years, we have seen devastating fires in my home State of California, including the Tubbs fire; the Camp fire, which was the deadliest wildfire our Nation has faced in the last century; and the Kincade fire.

This year, we have seen some of the largest and most devastating fires in the State's history, with a record of more than 4 million acres burned and more than 8,100 fires across the State. Nearly every part of the great State of California has been touched by wildfires this season. These events demonstrate that we must improve the reliability of emergency alerts.

As we continue to battle COVID-19, this year's wildfire season has also presented unprecedented challenges for firefighters, emergency managers, and the public, particularly when it comes to evacuations. This makes it even more crucial that we have emergency alerting systems in place that are both robust and reliable.

This legislation will improve the current wireless emergency alerting system, and emergency alerting systems more broadly, so that my constituents and Americans across the country can count on receiving these alerts when faced with emergencies, including wildfires.

H.R. 6096 will ensure that more people receive critical emergency alerts on their mobile devices, televisions, and radios, and will pave the way for examining the feasibility of issuing alerts through online audio and video streaming services.

Additionally, this legislation will help States improve their plans for emergency alerting, and it will establish a reporting system for false alerts.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleagues, including Representative Bilirakis, Mr. Olson, and Ms. Gabbard, for working with me on the READI Act, as well as Senators Schatz and Thune for their leadership on this legislation in the Senate.

Madam Speaker, I also thank Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Walden, and Chairman Doyle and Ranking Member Latta, for their working with me to move this legislation through the committee.

Madam Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 6096.

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