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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to a study by the Department of Public Safety on emergency |
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alert notification systems in this state. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. DEFINITION. In this Act, "department" means the |
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Department of Public Safety of the State of Texas. |
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SECTION 2. STUDY ON EMERGENCY ALERT NOTIFICATION SYSTEMS. |
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The department, in coordination with the Department of State Health |
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Services, the Texas Division of Emergency Management, the Texas |
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Commission on Environmental Quality, and the Texas Department of |
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Transportation, shall conduct a study on the efficacy of emergency |
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alert notification systems in this state, including the alert |
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notification systems established under Subchapters K-1, L, L-1, M, |
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P, and Q, Chapter 411, Government Code, and any other alert |
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notification systems operated by the Texas Division of Emergency |
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Management. In conducting the study, the department shall: |
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(1) analyze the means by which emergency alerts are |
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communicated to the public, including roadside dynamic message |
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signs and phone alerts; |
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(2) analyze the appropriateness of the geographic |
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regions to which emergency alerts are broadcast, including whether |
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the size of those geographic regions should be increased or |
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decreased; |
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(3) consider whether there are too many emergency |
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alert notification systems in use and the extent to which members of |
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the public have deactivated emergency alert notifications on their |
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cell phones; and |
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(4) determine, as applicable, the percentage of |
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instances in which the activation of an emergency alert |
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notification system successfully resolved an emergency after the |
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alert was issued and the time it took from the issuance of the alert |
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to the successful resolution. |
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SECTION 3. REPORT AND LEGISLATIVE RECOMMENDATIONS. Not |
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later than September 1, 2026, the department shall prepare and |
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submit a written report summarizing the results of the study to the |
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governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of |
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representatives, and each standing committee of the legislature |
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with jurisdiction over an emergency alert notification system. The |
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report must include recommendations for legislation to address the |
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findings of the study. |
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SECTION 4. EXPIRATION. This Act expires September 1, 2027. |
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SECTION 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. This Act takes effect on the |
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91st day after the last day of the legislative session. |