Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Congressional Research Service
Official summary
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jan 9, 2003
Emergency Warning Act of 2003 - Directs the Secretaries of Commerce and Homeland Security to establish comprehensive national standards and systems for providing effective public warnings.Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) develop and implement benchmarks assessing current all-hazard warning capabilities; (2) conduct research and pilot programs to determine and improve the effectiveness of such warnings; (3) develop specifications for a national backbone for collecting and routing all-hazard warnings; (4) use the full range of communications technologies to provide warnings; (5) provide public warnings through automatic alert televisions and radios; and (6) educate the public about such warnings.Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) develop and recommend standards and guidelines for universal all-hazard terminology and protocols, and (2) issue warnings related to acts of terrorism and other public safety threats via a public warning system.
Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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