Today, the House Energy & Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Mystic Alerts Act, H.R. 7022, which Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07) introduced with Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11), Congressman Marc Veasey (TX-33), and Congressman Buddy Carter (GA-01) to improve Americans’ access to wireless emergency alerts.  This bipartisan legislation requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to encourage mobile service providers to adopt satellite alerting capabilities—technology that allows more people to receive life-saving alerts even if they lack cellular service.  The bipartisan effort follows the devastating floods in Central Texas last summer and seeks to address communication gaps to prepare communities.

“In Houston and across the state of Texas, we are still heartbroken and grieving the loss of 135 people and the destruction of communities along the Guadalupe River last summer, a disaster made worse by communication gaps and failures,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “This bill is a small but important way to provide a meaningful response to the devastating floods and learn from the tragedy so that communities across the country do not have to experience the same pain and loss that Texans did last year.  Nothing can bring back those that we lost in the flood, but we owe it to their survivors and to everyone we represent to do everything we can to try to prevent another tragedy like the one that we saw last summer.  I am glad to partner with Congressman Pfluger, Congressman Veasey, and Congressman Carter in this effort and the work to get this legislation signed into law.”

Speaker Johnson will now determine whether the House will vote on H.R. 7022.

To view the full text of the bill, click here.