PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Jul 20, 2004
U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish, within the Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response, a Homeland Security Signal Corps, comprised of specially trained emergency personnel, to: (1) ensure that first responders can communicate with one another, mobile command centers, headquarters, and the public at disaster sites or in the event of a terrorist attack or a national crisis; (2) provide sufficient training and equipment to enable fire and police units to deal with all threats and contingencies in any environment; and (3) secure joint-use equipment that can access surviving telephone land lines to supplement communications access.
Directs the Signal Corps to establish a set of standard operating procedures that will ensure that first responders from each Federal, State, and local agency have the methods and means to communicate with, or substitute for, first responders from other agencies in the event of a multi-state terrorist attack or a national crisis.
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Secretary to establish a demonstration signal corps in New York City to ensure communications connectivity between New York's police and fire departments and to serve as a model for other major metropolitan areas. Directs: (1) the Mayor of New York to appoint team captains to command communications companies drawn from such personnel; and (2) the Signal Corps Headquarters, located in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to provide technical assistance to the demonstration signal corps.
People & committees
Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] · D–NY
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Introduced in Senate
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Source last updated: Aug 10, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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