,,ii  #aagth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #difh  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,september #bg1
 #bjbb,mr4 ,padilla 7for himself and    
,mr4 ,durbin7 introduced the following  
bill2 which was read twice and referred 
to the ,committee on the ,judiciary  ,a 
,,bill  ,to create an ,active ,shooter  
,alert ,communications ,network1 and for
 other purposes4  #a4 ,short title ,this
 ,act may be cited as the ,active       
,shooter ,alert ,act of #bjbb4  #b4     
,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,active
 shooter ,the term active shooter means 
an individual who is engaged in killing 
or attempting to kill persons with a    
firearm in a populated area and who is  
determined to pose an active1 imminent  
threat to people in that populated area4
  7#b7 ,active ,shooter ,alert          
,communications ,network2 ,network ,the 
term ,active ,shooter ,alert            
,communications ,network or ,network    
means an interconnected system of the   
,federal ,government and ,state1        

,tribal1 and local governments that is  
organized to provide information to the 
public1 within geographically relevant  
areas1 on active shooter situations4    
7#c7 ,administrator of ,,fema ,the term 
,administrator of ,,fema means the      
,administrator of the ,federal          
,emergency ,management ,agency4  7#d7   
,advisory ,panel ,the term ,advisory    
,panel means the ,advisory ,panel       
established under section #d7;b74  7#e7 
,chairman of the ,,fcc ,the term        
,chairman of the ,,fcc means the        
,chairman of the ,federal               
,communications ,commission4  7#f7      
,coordinator ,the term ,coordinator     
means the ,active ,shooter ,alert       
,coordinator of the ,department of      
,justice designated under section       
#c7;a74  7#g7 ,populated area ,the term 
populated area means a location where #a
 or more persons other than the active  
shooter are present4  7#h7 ,state ,the  
term ,state means any of the #ej        
,states1 the ,district of ,columbia1    

,american ,samoa1 ,guam1 ,puerto ,rico1 
the ,northern ,mariana ,islands1 the    
,virgin ,islands of the ,united ,states1
 and any other territory of the ,united 
,states4  #c4 ,national coordination of 
,active ,shooter ,alert ,communications 
,network  7a7 ,coordination within      
,department of ,justice  7#a7           
,designation of coordinator ,the        
,attorney ,general shall designate an   
officer of the ,department of ,justice  
to act as the national coordinator of   
the ,active ,shooter ,alert             
,communications ,network regarding an   
emergency involving an active shooter4  
7#b7 ,title ,the officer designated     
under paragraph 7#a7 shall be known as  
the ,active ,shooter ,alert ,coordinator
 of the ,department of ,justice4  7b7   
,duties ,the ,coordinator shall-- 7#a7  
encourage ,federal agencies and ,state1 
,tribal1 and local government agencies  
to establish procedures to respond to an
 active shooter1 including active       
shooter procedures relating to          

interstate or interjurisdictional travel
 7including airports and border crossing
 areas and checkpoints71 and focus on   
,federal agencies and ,state1 ,tribal1  
and local governments that have not yet 
established such procedures2 and  7#b7  
work with ,state1 ,tribal1 and local    
governments to encourage appropriate    
regional and interjurisdictional        
coordination of various elements of the 
,network4  7c7 ,goals ,the ,coordinator 
shall encourage the adoption of best    
practices established under section     
#d7;a7 by ,state1 ,tribal1 and local    
governments for-- 7#a7 the development  
of policies and procedures to guide the 
use of mass alert systems1 changeable   
message signs1 or other information     
systems to notify local residents1      
motorists1 travelers1 and individuals in
 the vicinity of an active shooter2     
7#b7 the development of guidance or     
policies on the content and format of   
alert messages to be conveyed on mass   
alert systems1 changeable message signs1

 or other information systems relating  
to an active shooter2  7#c7 the         
coordination of ,state1 ,tribal1 and    
local active shooter alert              
communications plans within a region for
 the use of mass alert systems relating 
to an active shooter2  7#d7 the planning
 and designing of mass alert systems for
 multilingual communication with local  
residents1 motorists1 travelers1 and    
individuals in the vicinity of an active
 shooter1 which system may include the  
capability for issuing wide area alerts 
to local residents1 motorists1          
travelers1 and individuals in the       
vicinity of an active shooter2  7#e7 the
 planning of systems and protocols to   
facilitate the efficient issuance of    
active shooter alerts and other key     
information to local residents1         
motorists1 travelers1 and individuals in
 the vicinity of an active shooter      
during times of day outside of normal   
business hours2  7#f7 the provision of  
training and guidance to transportation 

authorities to facilitate the           
appropriate use of mass alert systems   
and other information systems for the   
notification of local residents1        
motorists1 travelers1 and individuals in
 the vicinity of an active shooter2 and 
7#g7 the development of appropriate mass
 alert systems to ensure that alerts    
sent to individuals in the immediate    
vicinity of an active shooter do not    
alert the active shooter to the location
 of individuals sheltering in place near
 the active shooter4  7d7 ,integrated   
,public ,alert and ,warning ,system ,in 
carrying out duties under subsection    
7b71 the ,coordinator shall notify and  
coordinate with the ,administrator of   
,,fema1 the ,secretary of               
,transportation1 and the ,chairman of   
the ,,fcc on using the ,integrated      
,public ,alert and ,warning ,system to  
issue alerts for the ,network4  7e7     
,report ,not later than #ah months after
 the date of enactment of this ,act1 and
 every #b years thereafter until each of

 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local government  
has adopted an active shooter alert     
protocol1 the ,coordinator1 in          
consultation with the ,administrator of 
,,fema1 the ,secretary of               
,transportation1 and the ,chairman of   
the ,,fcc1 shall submit to ,congress a  
report on-- 7#a7 the activities of the  
,coordinator2 and  7#b7 the             
effectiveness and status of the active  
shooter alert communications plan of    
each ,state1 ,tribal1 and local         
government within each region in which  
such governments have coordinated their 
plans4  #d4 ,standards for issuance and 
dissemination of alerts through active  
shooter alert communications network    
7a7 ,establishment of best practices    
7#a7 ,in general ,subject to subsection 
7c71 the ,coordinator1 using the        
recommendations of the ,advisory ,panel 
and in coordination with the            
,administrator of ,,fema1 the ,secretary
 of ,transportation1 the ,chairman of   
the ,,fcc1 local broadcasters1 and      

,federal1 ,state1 ,tribal1 and local law
 enforcement agencies1 shall establish  
best practices for-- 7,a7 the issuance  
of alerts through the ,network2  7,b7   
the extent of the dissemination of      
alerts issued through the ,network2 and 
7,c7 the achievement of the goals       
described in section #c7;c74  7#b7      
,updating best practices  7,a7 ,review  
,not less frequently than once every #e 
years1 the ,coordinator shall review the
 best practices established under       
paragraph 7#a7 to ensure that the best  
practices are consistent with updated   
data and recommendations on active      
shooter situations and technological    
advancements in the ,integrated ,public 
,alert and ,warning ,system or other    
technologies4  7,b7 ,convening ,advisory
 ,panel ,the ,coordinator shall convene 
the ,advisory ,panel as necessary to    
provide updated recommendations if the  
,coordinator determines under           
subparagraph 7,a7 that the best         
practices established under paragraph   

7#a7 need to be updated4  7b7 ,advisory 
,panel  7#a7 ,in general ,not later than
 #ij days after the date of enactment of
 this ,act1 the ,coordinator shall      
establish an ,advisory ,panel to make   
recommendations with respect to the     
establishment of best practices under   
subsection 7a74  7#b7 ,membership ,the  
,advisory ,panel shall be comprised of  
not fewer than #i members1 including--  
7,a7 not fewer than #e law enforcement  
officers1 including not less than #a    
nonsupervisory law enforcement officer1 
who have responded to active shooter    
incidents and who represent rural1      
suburban1 and urban communities2  7,b7  
not less than #a public safety expert   
who is not a law enforcement officer and
 who has responded to an active shooter 
incident2  7,c7 not less than #a        
emergency response official who is not a
 law enforcement officer2  7,d7 not less
 than #a city planning expert2 and  7,e7
 not less than #a mental and behavioral 
health expert4  7#c7 ,recommendations   

,not later than #ae months after the    
date of enactment of this ,act1 the     
,advisory ,panel shall submit to        
,coordinator recommendations with       
respect to the establishment of best    
practices under subsection 7a74  7c7    
,limitations  7#a7 ,in general ,the best
 practices established under subsection 
7a7 shall-- 7,a7 be adoptable on a      
voluntary basis only2 and  7,b7 to the  
maximum extent practicable 7as          
determined by the ,coordinator1 in      
consultation with ,state1 ,tribal1 and  
local law enforcement agencies71 provide
 that-- 7i7 appropriate information     
relating to an active shooter response  
is disseminated to the appropriate law  
enforcement1 public health1             
communications1 and other public        
officials2 and  7ii7 the dissemination  
of an alert through the ,network be     
limited to the geographic areas most    
likely to be affected by1 or able to    
respond to1 an active shooter situation4
  7#b7 ,no interference ,in establishing

 best practices under subsection 7a71   
the ,coordinator may not interfere with 
systems of voluntary coordination       
between local broadcasters and ,state1  
,tribal1 and local law enforcement      
agencies for improving and implementing 
the ,network4  #e4 ,comptroller ,general
 study on ,state responses to active    
shooter situations requiring the        
issuance of public alerts and warnings  
7a7 ,study  7#a7 ,in general ,the       
,comptroller ,general of the ,united    
,states shall conduct a study on ,state 
and local responses to active shooters  
and situations requiring the issuance of
 a public alert or warning4  7#b7       
,contents ,in conducting the study under
 paragraph 7#a71 the ,comptroller       
,general shall address each of the      
following3 7,a7 ,differences between the
 definitions of the term active shooter 
used by different ,states4  7,b7 ,the   
amount of time it takes and the process 
in each ,state to receive approval from 
the ,state alerting officials after a   

local law enforcement agency requests   
the issuance of a public alert or       
warning1 such as an ,,amber ,alert1 a   
,blue ,alert1 or an ,ashanti alert4     
7,c7 ,a comparison of the timing and    
effectiveness of the issuance of public 
alerts and warnings by ,state1 ,tribal1 
and local alerting officials4  7b7      
,report to ,congress ,not later than #b 
years after the date of enactment of    
this ,act1 the ,comptroller ,general    
shall submit to ,congress a report      
containing the findings of the study    
conducted under subsection 7a74  #f4    
,authorization of appropriations  7a7   
,in general ,there is authorized to be  
appropriated to the ,attorney ,general  
to carry out this ,act #b1jjj1jjj for   
fiscal year #bjbc4  7b7 ,availability of
 funds ,amounts appropriated under      
subsection 7a7 shall remain available   
until expended4  #g4 ,limitation on     
liability  7a7 ,in general ,nothing in  
this ,act may be construed to provide   
that a participating agency1 or an      

officer1 employee1 or agent thereof1    
shall be liable for any act or omission 
pertaining to the ,network4  7b7 ,state 
or other ,federal law ,nothing in this  
section may be construed to limit the   
application of any ,state or other      
,federal law providing for liability for
 any act or omission pertaining to the  
,network4