Legislation improving emergency communications in federal buildings, introduced by U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI), James Lankford (R-OK) and Joni Ernst (R-IA), unanimously passed in the Senate this week.
The Federal Building Threat Notification Act would require the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish emergency communication standards for federal buildings. Lawmakers said it would help to keep 1.4 million federal employees and members of the public safe in a crisis.
“When a firearm is discharged near a federal building and chaos ensues, the people inside should not be left wondering what is happening,” Peters said. “I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, strengthen emergency communications in federal buildings, and help ensure that employees and visitors receive timely information when their safety is at risk.”
The legislation would require the FPS director and the Secretary of DHS to develop and implement emergency communication guidance to respond to violent threats, and would require guidance on best practices and protocols to inform building tenants of violent threats in and around the building, including all firearm events, other weapon threats, potential terrorism and suspicious devices. The guidance must also include instructions for tenants regarding the appropriate safety practices in response to a security threat.
Additionally, the legislation would require that every building under FPS protection has a designated security official who will carry out the enacted safety procedures, and that the FPS Director must conduct periodic testing of the procedures. Within a year of enactment, the FPS director will coordinate with the Secretary of DHS to report to Congress on the specific guidance created because of the legislation.