Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Enhancing First Response Act
A Democratic bill with 6 Republican cosponsors · See all 12 cosponsors
Last activity — Held at the desk.
Passed one chamber, waiting for the other to take it up
Passed one chamber, and the other has not yet sent it to a committee or put it on its calendar.
The other chamber will hand it to a committee, place it on its calendar, or leave it where it is. Nothing has been decided, and a bill can sit here indefinitely.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- Passed Senate unanimous consent
- Awaiting House
The Senate by unanimous consent (no one objected, so there was no vote): no senator's position on it was recorded.
What this bill would do
The Enhancing First Response Act directs the FCC to issue reports following the activation of the Disaster Information Reporting System. It requires the Commission to hold annual public hearings and publish reports detailing the duration and impact of various communication outages. The Act also mandates an investigation into improving network outage reporting for public safety agencies. Additionally, it requires the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation. Finally, the Commission must report on the enforcement of the Kari's Law Act of 2017.
Yes
- Scored +5
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill mandates annual public hearings and the publication of reports regarding communication outages during disasters.
- Scored +4
Would union members be better off under this?
The bill provides formal occupational recognition for public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation.
- Scored +3
Does this get reliable internet to more people?
The bill directs the FCC to report on communication outages and investigate improvements to outage reporting to increase network resiliency.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased Transparency During Disasters: The Commission must hold annual public hearings and issue reports detailing the number and duration of outages for broadband, mobile, and VoIP services after the Disaster Information Reporting System is activated (Section 2(b)). This provides clarity on how communication failures affected people during major events.
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Improved Emergency Response Information: The Act directs the Commission to investigate the value of providing visual information to public safety agencies to improve situational awareness during outages (Section 2(c)).
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Recognition of Essential Workers: Public safety telecommunicators will be categorized as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification system (Section 3(b)). This corrects an inaccurate representation of their work and recognizes their role in performing lifesaving duties (Section 3(a)).
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Enhanced Oversight of Safety Laws: The Commission is required to report on how well manufacturers and vendors are complying with the Kari's Law Act of 2017 (Section 4). This includes identifying obstacles to compliance and recommending ways to improve enforcement or legislation.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Information Privacy Concerns: While the Commission is directed to publish reports on outages, it is instructed not to publicly disclose company-specific information (Section 2(b)).
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Potential Burden on Service Providers: During the investigation into network outage reporting, the Commission must consider the "burden and practicality" for service providers regarding the inclusion of visual information in outage notifications (Section 2(c)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates annual public hearings and the publication of reports regarding communication outages during disasters.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would union members be better off under this? — The bill provides formal occupational recognition for public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation.
- Education And Technology
- Does this get reliable internet to more people? — The bill directs the FCC to report on communication outages and investigate improvements to outage reporting to increase network resiliency.
- 9/11/2025
- Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Held at the desk.
- Received in the House.
- 9/10/2025
- Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6555; text of amendment in the nature of a substitute: CR S6555)
- 9/2/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Cruz with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 119-59.
- Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 146.
- 4/30/2025
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
- 4/29/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 3/12/2025
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/25/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- 10 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
Marsha BlackburnRepublican · Tennessee
Ted BuddRepublican · North Carolina
Maria CantwellDemocrat · Washington
Mike CrapoRepublican · Idaho
Shelley CapitoRepublican · West Virginia
Martin HeinrichDemocrat · New Mexico
Mark KellyDemocrat · Arizona
Angus KingIndependent · Maine
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Dan SullivanRepublican · Alaska
John ThuneRepublican · South Dakota