Bill Text: TX SB1238 | 2011-2012 | 82nd Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Relating to communications by public service providers during a disaster or an emergency.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-13 - Left pending in committee [SB1238 Detail]
Download: Texas-2011-SB1238-Introduced.html
2011S0551-1 03/02/11 | ||
By: Carona | S.B. No. 1238 |
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relating to communications by public service providers during a | ||
disaster or an emergency. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. The heading to Section 418.047, Government Code, | ||
is amended to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 418.047. COMMUNICATIONS BY THE DIVISION DURING | ||
DISASTER OR EMERGENCY. | ||
SECTION 2. Subchapter C, Chapter 418, Government Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 418.0471 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 418.0471. COMMUNICATIONS BY PUBLIC SERVICE PROVIDERS | ||
DURING DISASTER OR EMERGENCY. (a) A public service provider may | ||
use an emergency notification system to inform the provider's | ||
customers, governmental agencies, and other affected persons with | ||
messages providing: | ||
(1) notice of a disaster or an emergency; and | ||
(2) any actions a recipient is required to take during | ||
a disaster or an emergency. | ||
(b) The emergency notification system used by a public | ||
service provider under this section must rely on a dynamic | ||
information database that: | ||
(1) is capable of simultaneous transmission of | ||
emergency messages to all recipients through at least two industry | ||
standard gateways to one or more telephones or electronic devices | ||
owned by a recipient in a manner that does not negatively impact the | ||
existing communication infrastructure; | ||
(2) allows the public service provider to: | ||
(A) store prewritten emergency messages in the | ||
dynamic information database for subsequent use; and | ||
(B) generate emergency messages in real time | ||
based on provider inputs; | ||
(3) allows a recipient to select the language in which | ||
the recipient would prefer to receive messages; | ||
(4) transmits the message in the recipient's language | ||
of choice to that recipient; | ||
(5) converts text messages to sound files and | ||
transmits those sound files to the appropriate device; | ||
(6) assigns recipients to priority groups for | ||
notification; and | ||
(7) allows for the collection and verification of | ||
responses by recipients of emergency messages. | ||
(c) The dynamic information database described by | ||
Subsection (b) must comply with: | ||
(1) the Telecommunications Service Priority program | ||
established by the Federal Communications Commission; and | ||
(2) Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2 | ||
governing compliant cryptographic modules for encryption and | ||
security issued by the National Institute of Standards and | ||
Technology. | ||
(d) A public service provider that uses an emergency | ||
notification system described by this section is entitled to obtain | ||
information that is confidential under Section 771.061, Health and | ||
Safety Code, from a governmental entity providing 9-1-1 service to | ||
the provider's customer. | ||
(e) In this section: | ||
(1) "Emergency" means a temporary, sudden, and | ||
unforeseen occurrence that requires action by a public service | ||
provider to inform, to correct, to protect lives or property, or to | ||
temporarily reduce demand or allocate supply for the provider's | ||
products or services to ensure public safety or preserve the | ||
integrity of service delivery mechanisms. | ||
(2) "Public service provider" means any person or | ||
entity that furnishes essential products or services to the public | ||
that are governed by the Natural Resources Code, Utilities Code, or | ||
Water Code, including common carriers, telecommunications | ||
companies, and any person or entity furnishing or producing heat, | ||
light, power, or water. | ||
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2011. |