S. 546: RESPONSE Act of 2016
Before you vote › Federal bills
S. 546: RESPONSE Act of 2016
114th Congress · introduced 2015-02-24 · Emergency Management · Latest: Became Public Law No: 114-321.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2015-02-24 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Became Public Law No: 114-321. (final step reached)
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
RESPONSE Act of 2016
Plain summary
RESPONSE Act of 2016 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council. The RESPONSE Subcommittee shall develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation for hazardous materials (hazmat) incidents involving railroads after evaluating the following topics: the quality and application of training for state and local emergency responders related to rail hazmat incidents, including training for emergency responders serving small communities near railroads; the availability and effectiveness of federal, state, local, and nongovernmental funding levels related to training emergency responders for rail hazmat incidents, including emergency responders serving small communities near railroads; and the strategy for integrating commodity flow studies, mapping, and rail and hazmat databases for state and local emergency responders and increasing the rate of access to the individual responder in existing or emerging communications technology. The RESPONSE Subcommittee shall terminate within 90 days after the council submits a report approving the RESPONSE Subcommittee recommendations.
Congressional Research Service summary (Public Law), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
AI explanation – may be wrong, check the official text
No AI explanation yet. It takes up to a minute to write and is then saved for everyone.
Limited to a few requests an hour per person.
The strongest published arguments
Arguments for (supporters)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Arguments against (opponents)
Needs sources: no published arguments on this side yet. We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
Alternatives
Needs sources: no published alternatives yet (for example a different bill, a law instead of an amendment, or keeping current law). We only show items backed by a published source. Suggest one.
How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND] · 7 cosponsors
Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 546, RESPONSE Act of 2015 (2015-03-18); CBO cost estimate: S. 546, RESPONSE Act of 2016 (2016-09-22)
Cosponsors on this site
Angus S. King, Jr. (I-ME), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), Cory A. Booker (D-NJ), Joni Ernst (R-IA)
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)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- 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 (Public Law)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-114s546.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/s>
Record fed-us-cong114-s546 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114