Bicameral E-911 Bill Would Revive Grant Program, Fight Fraud

The four co-chairs of the Congressional E-911 Caucus are introducing bipartisan legislation to upgrade 911 call centers nationwide and toughen penalties for states that divert 911 funds for other purposes. The bill also would move the national E-911 Implementation Coordination Office to the NTIA. Reps. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif., and John Shimkus, R-Ill., introduced the 2010 Next-Generation 9-1-1 Preservation Act (HR-4829) in the House on Friday. Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Richard Burr, R-N.C., plan to introduce a Senate version on Monday, said an Eshoo spokesman.

The bill would reauthorize a five-year grant program and provide $250 million each fiscal year to support state 911 services. The program expired last September, but the Coordination Office received $1.25 million for fiscal year 2010 to continue operations. “This bill is about public safety at its most basic level,” said Eshoo in a statement. “Our 911 call centers are the first point of contact for Americans in an emergency situation,” and Congress needs “to make certain they have all the tools necessary to stay safe and get help when they need it.” Burr said the U.S. must keep updating call centers to keep up with evolving technology: “This legislation will ensure necessary upgrades for the emergency response infrastructure, and will ensure that E911 fees are used for their intended purposes."

The bill takes a “carrot and stick approach” to stopping states from diverting funds, said Eshoo. Legislation would require grant applicants to certify they won’t use 911 money for other purposes, and applicants that get grants would have to recertify annually. The bill also would require applicants who divert funds to give the grant money back, and would penalize applicants who provide false certifications by banning them from future grants. The bill would also order a GAO report on taxes and fees imposed by states for 911 or emergency communications operations or improvements, and the use of revenue received from the charges.

The legislation would move the Coordination Office to the NTIA from the Transportation Department. The office helps states to upgrade technology and coordinate services among call centers. “We now recognize that NTIA is the proper location for public safety technology grants and programming,” Eshoo said on the House floor Thursday. NTIA would have 90 days after the bill’s enactment to submit a management plan to the House and Senate Commerce and Appropriations committees, and 120 days to issue rules for the grant program. The agency also would be required to annually submit a report on the office’s activities.

In addition, the bill would require the FCC to seek comment on “the feasibility of requiring multi-line telephone system (MLTS) operators to provide a sufficiently precise indication of a 9-1-1 caller’s location, while avoiding the imposition of undue burdens on MLTS manufacturers, providers, and operators.” And it would require the General Services Administration to issue a report on 911 capabilities of MLTS used by federal agencies.

The National Emergency Number Association “is thrilled that legislation has been introduced to support critically needed funding and coordination to enable the transition to a nation-wide Next Generation 9-1-1 system,” said Patrick Halley, NENA government affairs director. NENA and other public safety groups urged legislation to withhold federal funds from states that divert funds in a letter earlier last week to the House and Senate Commerce Committees (CD March 11 p16).