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Social Media Working Group Act of 2014

Floor Speech

Date: July 8, 2014
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Technology and Communication

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4263, the Social Media Working Group Act.

Since I arrived in Congress, I have seen the destruction caused by man-made and natural disasters.

From the September 11th attacks--to Hurricane Katrina--to the mass shootings that have devastated communities across America, one truism that has repeatedly been identified is that early alerts and timely information saves lives.

Toward that end, the Committee on Homeland Security has worked hard to support the Department's efforts to harness all means of communication to ensure that that public can take appropriate action before, during, and after disaster strikes.

To date, Federal efforts have focused on the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and the Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System.

But, as we have seen during recent disasters, social media allows the government and private sector to disseminate useful information to hundreds of thousands of people.

I support the innovative use of social media in disaster preparedness and response because it has the ability to make more people safer, faster.

It can also help first responders work more quickly and more efficiently.

That said, we must work to implement practices to ensure that social media is used appropriately and effectively, and that the information distributed is reliable.

It is critical that information after a disaster must be accurate. There needs to be guidance and policies in place to ensure that widely-distributed disaster-related information is accurate, or to correct the information when it is not.

I am hopeful that H.R. 4263 would provide a forum for government officials and the private sector to come together to address this and other challenges related to the use of social media during disasters and to share best practices.

I congratulate Subcommittee Chairwoman BROOKS and Ranking Member PAYNE, Jr. on their work to ensure that government officials and first responders take full advantage of the technology available to communicate with the public during a disaster.

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