H.R. 6392: Alerting Lives through Effective and Reliable Technological Systems Act of 2008

110th Congress · introduced 2008-06-26 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2008-06-26 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, Preparedness, and Response. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Alerting Lives through Effective and Reliable Technological Systems Act of 2008

Plain summary

Alerting Lives through Effective and Reliable Technological Systems Act of 2008 or ALERTS Act of 2008 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to: (1) establish a national integrated public alert and warning system; (2) develop within such system a commercial mobile alert system to provide rapid dissemination of information over commercial mobile devices; and (3) designate an agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to receive, aggregate, validate, and authenticate homeland security and other information originated by authorized federal, state, local, and tribal governments to facilitate the transmission of such mobile alert system. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish common alerting and warning protocols, standards of performance, and terminology; (2) include the capability to adapt the dissemination of information and the content of communications on the basis of geographic location, risks, or user preferences and to alert special needs populations; (3) ensure that the national warning system is incorporated into DHS training and exercise programs; and (4) coordinate with other federal agencies, state, local, and tribal governments, and key stakeholders. Directs the Secretary to conduct a pilot program to increase the national warning system's reach. Amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to authorize the use of grant funds to permit state, local, and tribal governments to improve public alert and warning capabilities. Prohibits tampering or interfering with components of the national warning system that are used or designed to deliver alerts and warnings and that were purchased with public funds.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Alerting Lives through Effective and Reliable Technological Systems Act of 2008

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Cuellar, Henry [D-TX-28] reported raising $3.0 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Securities: Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-110hr6392.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/110/hr>

Record fed-us-cong110-hr6392 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong110 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong110