IPAWS Bill Passes House

September 19, 2012 — After Representative Jeff Denham (R-CA) introduced the FEMA Reauthorization Act of 2012 [H.R. 2903] to the U.S. House of Representatives in September, the bill passed with a unanimous vote. The bill focuses on improving the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) assistance to state and local regions, making FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) a law, and establishing an advisory committee to provide recommendations for IPAWS. Currently, IPAWS is authorized by Executive Order 13407. Under this bill, the implementation of IPAWS requires “the capability to alert and warn and provide the equivalent amount of information to individuals with disabilities and individuals with access and functional needs” [H.R. 2903]. In addition, the IPAWS system will, “to the extent technically feasible, be designed to provide alerts to the largest portion of the affected population, including nonresident visitors and tourists and individuals with disabilities and access and functional needs, and improve the ability of remote areas to receive alerts” [H.R. 2903].