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H.R. 4949: Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018

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H.R. 4949: Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-02-06 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2018-02-06 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. 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

Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018

Plain summary

Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to report to Congress regarding current notification protocols for ballistic missile threats. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must conduct, and report on, a study to identify best practices of at least 13 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, California, Washington, and other states bordering or not bordering on an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, regarding civil defense emergencies. The bill requires key officials (defined to include the heads of DOD, FEMA, and the FCC) to submit to Congress and make publicly available unclassified reports on the actions of their respective departments or agencies regarding the ballistic missile false alarm that occurred on January 13, 2018, in Hawaii. Each report shall include recommendations for corrective actions to diminish the possibility of another ballistic missile false alarm. The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must submit to Congress and publish online a report regarding the ability of HHS and health care providers to respond to attacks in the United States with biological, chemical, radiological, or nuclear weapons. HHS must (1) develop and implement a public outreach program in coordination with state and local governments regarding recommendations in such report for improving readiness in responding to such attacks, and (2) consider the report's recommendations when issuing grants under the Public Health Emergency Preparedness cooperative agreement and the Hospital Preparedness Program.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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)

Official text

Civil Defense Accountability Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2] · 20 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-AS), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Andy Barr (R-KY), Stacey E. Plaskett (D-VI), John Garamendi (D-CA), Brian J. Mast (R-FL), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA)

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

Record fed-us-cong115-hr4949 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115