WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Gary Peters (D-MI), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, James Lankford (R-OK), and Joni Ernst (R-IA) have introduced bipartisan legislation to require the Federal Protective Service (FPS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to create and implement emergency-related communication guidance to help safeguard the more than 1.4 million federal employees and members of the public who visit federal buildings for services. Federal buildings face an increasing number of security challenges each year. Over the last five years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of terrorist attacks and plots against government targets, including bomb threats. This bill would finally establish emergency protocols and communication standards to keep federal building tenants safe and informed in a crisis.
“Federal buildings across our nation face heightened threats every day,” said Senator Peters. “I was deeply troubled this January when I learned that folks working inside Detroit’s McNamara Federal Building weren’t informed of a shooting right outside their officeuntil hours after it happened. My new bill would help keep employees and visitors of federal buildings informed, so they know exactly what to do in an emergency.”
“Just like every other employee, our federal employees should be able to do their jobs in safe, secure environments,” said Senator Lankford. “Our federal buildings aren’t just offices – they’re where critical work gets done for our nation, and we must ensure they remain protected, functional, and accessible.”
The Federal Building Threat Notification Act requires the FPS Director and the Secretary of DHS to develop and implement guidance for emergency communication to respond to violent threats within one year of enactment. The bill also requires guidance to include best practices and protocols to inform building tenants in a timely manner of violent threats in and surrounding the building, including all firearm events, other weapons threats, potential terrorism, and suspicious devices. The guidance must also include instructions for tenants regarding the appropriate safety practices in response to a security threat.
In addition to ensuring every building under FPS protection has a designated security official who will carry out the enacted safety procedures, the FPS Director must conduct periodic testing in preparation for crises. Within a year of enactment, the FPS Director will also coordinate with the DHS Secretary to produce a report and briefing for Congress on the specific guidance effected under this Act.
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