Advocacy Resources
The resources below can help APCO members stay informed and effectively engage with lawmakers on public safety communications issues. Here you’ll find practical tools, guidance, and updates to support your outreach and strengthen your advocacy efforts.
Legislative Ledger
| Bill 119th Congress |
Lead Sponsors | Summary | Status |
| Next Generation 9‑1-1 Act (H.R. 6505) | Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and Troy Carter (D-LA) | Would create a grant program within NTIA to facilitate the transition to NG9-1-1. Requires a state plan for NG9-1-1 implementation, coordination with ECCs, interoperability, reliability, and cybersecurity measures. Establishes a Public Safety Advisory Board to advise on the grant program and a Cybersecurity Resource Center to provide guidance on detecting and preventing cyberattacks. | 12/09/2025: Introduced in the House of Representatives
01/15/2026: Advanced to the Energy and Commerce Committee |
| Next Generation 9-1-1 Act (S. 4062) | Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ted Budd (R-NC), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) | Would create a grant program within NTIA to facilitate the transition to NG9-1-1. Requires a state plan for NG9-1-1 implementation, coordination with ECCs, interoperability, reliability, and cybersecurity measures. Establishes a Public Safety Advisory Board to advise on the grant program and a Cybersecurity Resource Center to provide guidance on detecting and preventing cyberattacks. | 03/11/2026: Introduced in the Senate |
| 9-1-1 SAVES Act (H.R. 637) | Reps. Norma Torres (D-CA) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) | Directs the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify public safety telecommunicators as a protective service in the Standard Occupational Classification. | 01/22/2025: Introduced in the House of Representatives |
| PROTECT 9-1-1 Act (H.R. 2937) | Reps. Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) | Establishes grants and provides best practice resources to support the mental health and wellness of public safety telecommunicators | 04/17/2025: Introduced in the House of Representatives |
| Emergency Reporting Act (H.R. 5200) | Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) | Directs the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a field hearing following a major disaster to examine the resiliency of communications infrastructure during disaster. Directs the FCC to conduct a report on outage notifications to 9-1-1 centers, including the number of unreported outages and the utility of visual information in outage notifications. | 09/08/2025: Introduced in the House of Representatives
01/15/2026: Advanced to the Energy and Commerce Committee 01/21/2026: Advanced to the full House of Representatives 04/21/2026: Passed in the House by roll call vote, under suspension of the rules; received in the Senate |
| Kari’s Law Reporting Act (H.R. 5201) | Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) | Directs the FCC to issue a report on the extent to which entities are complying with the requirement that multiline telephone systems be capable of direct dialing 9-1-1. | 09/08/2025: Introduced in the House of Representatives
01/15/2026: Advanced to the Energy and Commerce Committee 01/21/2026: Advanced to the full House of Representatives 04/21/2026: Passed in the House by roll call vote, under suspension of the rules 04/22/2026: Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Enhancing First Response Act (S. 725) | Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) | Directs the Office of Management and Budget to reclassify public safety telecommunicators as a protective service in the Standard Occupational Classification. Directs the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a field hearing following a major disaster to examine the resiliency of communications infrastructure during disaster. Directs the FCC to conduct a report on outage notifications to 9-1-1 centers, including the number of unreported outages and the utility of visual information in outage notifications. Directs the FCC to issue a report on the extent to which entities are complying with the requirement that multiline telephone systems be capable of direct dialing 9-1-1. | 02/25/2025: Introduced in the Senate
09/10/2025: Unanimously passed in the Senate 09/11/2025: Received in the House of Representatives |
| 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act (S. 3199) | Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and John Barrasso (R-WY) | Directs the FCC to initiate a Notice of Inquiry to address the challenges to transmitting geolocation information with calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Requires a Government Accountability Office Report on the technical and policy considerations for providing geolocation information with calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. | 11/19/2025: Introduced in the Senate
02/12/2026: Considered in the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and advanced to the full Senate 05/11/2026: Passed the Senate with amendment by unanimous consent; received in the House |
| 988 Lifeline Location Improvement Act of 2026 (H.R. 9814) | Reps. Joe Neguse (D-CO), Thomas Kean (R-NJ), Erin Houchin (R-IN), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) | Directs the FCC to initiate a Notice of Inquiry to address the challenges to transmitting geolocation information with calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Requires a Government Accountability Office Report on the technical and policy considerations for providing geolocation information with calls to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
0(identical to S. 3199) |
07/21/2026: Introduced in House and Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce |
| Making National Parks Safer Act (S. 290) | Sens. John Barrasso (R-WY) and Angus King (I-ME) | Directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop a report and plan for the implementation of NG9-1-1 in 9-1-1 centers in national parks. | 01/29/2025: Introduced in the Senate and referred to the Energy and Natural Resources Committee
02/04/2026: Ordered reported favorably to the full Senate 07/23/2026: Reported and Placed on Senate Calendar |
| Making National Parks Safer Act (H.R. 7031) | Reps. Ross Fulcher (R-ID) and Harriet M. Hagerman (R-WY) | Directs the Secretary of the Interior to develop a report and plan for the implementation of NG9-1-1 in 9-1-1 centers in national parks. | 01/13/2026: Introduced and Referred to Committee on Natural Resources
03/18/2026: Hearing Held in Subcommittee on Federal Lands |
| First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7386) | Reps. Neal Dunn (R-FL) and Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) | Reauthorizes the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) for 10 years and places it directly under the control of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. | 2/05/2026: Introduced in the House of Representatives
02/10/2026: Advanced to the Energy and Commerce Committee 03/25/2026: Advanced to the full House of Representatives 04/20/2026: Measure, as amended, passed in the House by voice vote under suspension of the rules 04/21/2026: Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Disaster Communications Coordination and Preparedness Act (S. 4691) | Sens. Tim Sheehy (MT) and Amy Klobuchar (MN) | Supports improved awareness and coordination of federal communications resources during disasters and emergencies, including through the use of the FCC’s Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS). The FCC uses DIRS to collect and analyze information regarding the operational status of service provider networks during disasters, which can then provide situational awareness and facilitate restoration efforts by local, state and federal agencies. | 06/4/2026: Referred to Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
07/22/2026: Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably. |
| Lifeline for First Responders Act (S. 4819) | Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) | Establishes an “EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program” to support mental health, stress reduction, family services, and suicide prevention for fire, EMS, and 911 dispatch centers. The program would be administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and would be funded at a level of $7.5 million per year for five years. | 06/19/2026: Introduced in the Senate |
| Lifeline for First Responders Act (H.R. 10116) | Reps. Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Gabe Evans (R-CO), Sharice Davids (D-KS), and Thomas Kean (R-NJ) | Establishes an “EMS and First Responder Wellness Grant Program” to support mental health, stress reduction, family services, and suicide prevention for fire, EMS, and 911 dispatch centers. The program would be administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and would be funded at a level of $7.5 million per year for five years. | 08/17/2026: Introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure |
| AI for Secure Networks Act (H.R. 7294) | Reps. Rob Menendez (D-NJ) and August Pfluger (R-TX) | Directs the Secretary of Commerce to conduct a study on the impacts of artificial intelligence technology with respect to the security of telecommunications networks. | 01/30/2026: Introduced in House and Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce
09/01/2026: Subcommittee on Communications and Technology marked up and reported to the full Energy and Commerce Committee |
| Mystic Alerts Act (H.R. 7022) | Reps. August Pfluger (R-TX), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Marc Veasey (D-TX), and J. French Hill (R-AR) | Provides for the transmission of emergency alerts by providers of satellite voice and data communications service. Directs the FCC to adopt rules to establish any requirements necessary to facilitate the satellite alerting capability of such providers. | 04/20/2026: Passed the House by voice vote
04/21/2026: Received in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Mystic Alerts Act (S. 4968) | Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) | Provides for the transmission of emergency alerts by providers of satellite voice and data communications service. Directs the FCC to adopt rules to establish any requirements necessary to facilitate the satellite alerting capability of such providers. | 07/14/2026: Referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |
| Bill 119th Congress |
Lead Sponsors | Summary | Status |
Advocacy 101
The Advocacy 101 PowerPoint outlines how to organize and conduct meetings with your federal representatives. It highlights the key steps for securing time with an office and offers practical guidance to ensure your message is clear, timely, and effective.
Share Your Views on APCO's Advocacy Priorities
APCO Members! Your input is critical to developing our policy priorities and guides our advocacy before federal agencies and Congress. We want to hear about your experiences in key policy areas, including what challenges you’ve encountered, what improvements are needed, and how policy changes might impact your operations.
