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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Effective emergency communications are an essential |
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component of homeland security, but the federal government has thus |
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far failed to implement the Integrated Public Alert and Warning |
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System program, launched in 2006 in response to Presidential |
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Executive Order 13407, and related measures that are necessary to |
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alert the American public in situations of war, terrorist attack, |
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natural disaster, or other hazards; and |
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WHEREAS, At present, the capacity of the United States to |
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issue warnings is supported by the Emergency Alert System and the |
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National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Weather Radio |
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All-Hazards Network; the EAS is built on a structure conceived in |
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the 1950s, when the best available technology for widely |
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disseminating emergency alerts was over-the-air broadcasting; NOAA |
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Weather Radio broadcasts National Weather Service forecasts and |
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all-hazard warnings for natural and man-made events; and |
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WHEREAS, Reliance on radio and television to deliver warnings |
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fails to take into account the prevalence and sophistication of |
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other communications technologies, especially the Internet and |
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wireless devices; the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, |
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managed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is intended to |
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modernize and enhance the antiquated Emergency Alert System and |
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provide a fully integrated, multimodal "system of systems" for |
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warning citizens; and |
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WHEREAS, In its initial years, the IPAWS program progressed |
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slowly in the face of major obstacles such as the lack of standards |
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across warning devices, which have traditionally operated using |
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separate, proprietary protocols; however, FEMA recently adopted |
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the new Common Alerting Protocol, which will facilitate the |
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creation of a cohesive alert warning solution; other advancements |
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within the IPAWS program include the Commercial Mobile Alert |
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System, which allows for the mass transmission of text-based alerts |
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to mobile devices in targeted geographic areas; and |
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WHEREAS, Such technology must be deployed as soon as possible |
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in a comprehensive, integrated national alert system, in |
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coordination with federal, state, local, and tribal emergency |
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management systems, to ensure that under all conditions, at all |
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times, and in all places universal communication is available to |
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warn Americans of impending dangers; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby urge the United States Congress to expedite a solution and |
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enact laws that will provide public alert and warning in situations |
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of war, terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other hazards to |
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public safety or the well-being of all people of the United States |
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of America; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby |
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respectfully urge the United States Congress to investigate and |
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conduct hearings to inventory, evaluate, and assess capabilities |
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and integration with the public alert and warning systems of |
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federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal public alert and |
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warning resources and to establish or adopt common alerting and |
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warning protocols, standards, terminology, and operating |
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procedures that are effective without the necessity of maintaining |
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a database of contact information so as to protect the privacy of |
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all Americans and that enable interoperability and the secure |
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delivery of coordinated messages to the American people through as |
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many communication pathways as practicable, utilizing today's |
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technology to guarantee the delivery of warnings and alerts in a |
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timely manner to the entire population when surface infrastructure |
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does not exist, has been compromised, or has been otherwise |
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rendered ineffective; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the |
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United States Congress to ensure that the public alert and warning |
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system is capable of serving all Americans, including those with |
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disabilities and those who lack an understanding of the English |
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language, even in the most remote geographic areas of the United |
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States and its territories, and to ensure that it is capable of |
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adapting the distribution and content of communications on the |
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basis of clearly defined geographic locations, risks, or personal |
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user preferences, as appropriate; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the |
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United States Congress to require media communication |
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organizations and all governments, federal, state, local, tribal, |
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and territorial, to consult, coordinate, and cooperate with the |
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private sector, including emergency response providers and users, |
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as appropriate, for the full implementation of a state-of-the-art |
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early warning and alert system; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the |
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United States Congress to establish training, annual tests, and |
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exercises for the public alert and warning system, to provide for |
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direct access to the system by appropriate federal, state, local, |
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tribal, and territorial emergency personnel, and, through |
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cooperation with the owners and operators of communications |
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facilities, to maintain, protect, and, if necessary, restore |
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communications facilities and capabilities necessary for the |
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public alert and warning system; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the |
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United States Congress to ensure that public education efforts are |
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conducted so that federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal |
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governments, the private sector, and the American people understand |
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the functions of the public alert and warning system and how to |
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access, use, and respond to information issued through all public |
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alert and warning systems and devices; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the legislature hereby respectfully urge the |
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United States Congress, in performing the functions set forth |
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above, to coordinate with all appropriate departments and agencies |
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of all governments referenced in this resolution; and, be it |
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further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, to the majority and |
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minority leaders of both houses, to the secretary of homeland |
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security, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to Congress |
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with the request that this resolution be entered in the |
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Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress of the United |
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States of America. |