On January 15, 2026, the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology unanimously advanced six bills to support public safety communications, including the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (H.R. 6505). The bills now head to the full Energy and Commerce Committee for consideration. In his opening statement, Chairman Richard Hudson (R-NC) emphasized the importance of the Next Generation 9-1-1 Act, highlighting that “upgrading our nation’s [9-1-1] centers to NG9-1-1 technology is crucial for public safety.” In addition, the subcommittee advanced the Emergency Reporting Act (H.R. 5200) and Kari’s Law Reporting Act (H.R. 5201), which will help ensure access to 9-1-1 and improve situational awareness regarding network outages that can affect calls to 9-1-1. APCO commends the Subcommittee’s leadership and urges timely consideration of these bills by the full committee.
