By: Phillips H.B. No. 2257
 
 
 
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
 
AN ACT
  relating to the procurement and use of an emergency notification
  system by public service providers.
         BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
         SECTION 1.  Subchapter H, Chapter 418, Government Code, is
  amended by adding Section 418.192 to read as follows:
         Sec. 418.192.  COMMUNICATIONS BY PUBLIC SERVICE PROVIDERS
  DURING DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES. (a) In this section:
               (1)  "Emergency" means a temporary, sudden, and
  unforeseen occurrence that requires action by a public service
  provider to correct the occurrence, inform others of the
  occurrence, protect lives or property, or temporarily reduce demand
  for or allocate supply of the provider's products or services to
  ensure public safety or preserve the integrity of service delivery
  mechanisms.
               (2)  "Public service provider" means any person or
  entity that provides essential products or services to the public
  that are regulated under the Natural Resources Code, Utilities
  Code, or Water Code, including:
                     (A)  common carriers under Section 111.002,
  Natural Resources Code;
                     (B)  telecommunications providers as defined by
  Section 51.002, Utilities Code; and
                     (C)  any other person or entity providing or
  producing heat, light, power, or water.
         (b)  A public service provider may enter into a contract for
  an emergency notification system described by this section for use
  in informing the provider's customers, governmental entities, and
  other affected persons regarding:
               (1)  notice of a disaster or emergency; and
               (2)  any actions a recipient is required to take during
  a disaster or emergency.
         (c)  The emergency notification system for which a contract
  is entered into under Subsection (b) must rely on a dynamic
  information database that:
               (1)  is capable of simultaneous transmission of
  emergency messages to all recipients through at least two
  industry-standard gateways to one or more telephones or electronic
  devices owned by a recipient in a manner that does not negatively
  impact the existing communications infrastructure;
               (2)  allows the public service provider to:
                     (A)  store prewritten emergency messages in the
  dynamic information database for subsequent use; and
                     (B)  generate emergency messages in real time
  based on provider inputs;
               (3)  allows a recipient to select the language in which
  the recipient would prefer to receive messages;
               (4)  transmits the message in the recipient's language
  of choice to that recipient;
               (5)  converts text messages to sound files and
  transmits those sound files to the appropriate device;
               (6)  assigns recipients to priority groups for
  notification;
               (7)  allows for the collection and verification of
  responses by recipients of emergency messages; and
               (8)  reads or receives alerts from a commercial mobile
  alert system established by the Federal Communications Commission
  or complies with standards adopted for a commercial mobile alert
  system by the Federal Communications Commission.
         (d)  The dynamic information database must comply with:
               (1)  the Telecommunications Service Priority program
  established by the Federal Communications Commission; and
               (2)  the Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2
  governing compliant cryptographic modules for encryption and
  security issued by the National Institute of Standards and
  Technology.
         (e)  A public service provider that uses an emergency
  notification system described by this section is entitled to
  information that is confidential under Section 771.061, Health and
  Safety Code, from a governmental entity providing 9-1-1 service to
  a public service provider's customers. The public service provider
  shall use information collected or received under this subsection
  only for informing persons under Subsection (b).
         SECTION 2.  This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
  a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
  provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.  If this
  Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
  Act takes effect September 1, 2011.