Social Media Working Group Act of 2014

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4263) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to establish a social media working group, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4263, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014. As chairwoman of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications, I introduced this bill, along with Ranking Member Payne, Chairman McCaul, and Representatives Palazzo and Swalwell, in response to testimony we received at two social media hearings the subcommittee held last year.

Social media is transforming the way the Nation is communicating before, during, and after a disaster. There are countless examples from recent disasters of how citizens are turning to Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram for public safety information to comfort survivors and request assistance. We have seen how vital social media is becoming in preparedness and response efforts, particularly during Superstorm Sandy and in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings.

I recently sent out tweets to inform my own constituents about a tornado warning and recommended that they follow local news outlets for the most up-to-date information. And just last week, FEMA, the National Weather Service, and emergency management agencies along the east coast used social media to alert citizens about Hurricane Arthur, the first named storm of the 2014 hurricane season.

This morning I had the opportunity, along with Chairman McCaul, to visit the American Red Cross' Digital Operations Center, the first ever social media center for humanitarian relief. I was impressed to hear that during Superstorm Sandy, the Red Cross analyzed over 2.5 million pieces of social data and sent over 300 different pieces of information to operation teams to help with decisionmaking.

Last year, the subcommittee held two hearings that focused on this new reality. One of the key takeaways from these hearings was that during and after a disaster there needs to be better communication between the public and private sector, specifically with how to utilize social media as a communications tool. H.R. 4263 addresses this recommendation by authorizing and enhancing the Department of Homeland Security's Virtual Social Media Working Group to ensure information sharing between the Department and appropriate stakeholders and the leveraging of best practices.

Additionally, this bill will increase stakeholder participation, particularly among the private sector and Federal response agencies, creating a ``whole community'' dialogue on this issue. The bill will require the group to submit an annual report to Congress highlighting best practices, lessons learned, and any recommendations.

Lastly, this bill will require the group to meet in person or virtually at least twice a year and will not be a financial burden on the Department.

In today's day and age where new social media platforms and technologies can change the game almost instantly, we must ensure our first responders are nimble enough to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. This group is but one way to help facilitate this.

The Committee on Homeland Security approved H.R. 4263 last month by a bipartisan voice vote. I certainly appreciate the manner in which my ranking member, Mr. Payne, has worked with me on passage of this with our committee. I urge Members to join me and the rest of our committee in supporting this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, we have seen the rise in the use of social media both before, during, and after disasters. This legislation will help to ensure we are leveraging best practices, sharing and incorporating lessons learned for the use of social media in this area.

I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume, and I rise in support of H.R. 4263, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014.

The Internet has changed the world. It has changed how the government

serves its citizens, how businesses serve their customers, and how the public engages in activism.

The responses to the Boston Marathon bombings and Hurricane Sandy, which devastated my State, underscores the power and the potential of social media. After each of these devastating events, we saw the Internet used to galvanize ordinary citizens into action.

In the wake of the Boston bombings, Boston residents used Google Docs to let marathoners know that their homes were open to those who were unable to return to their hotels. After Hurricane Sandy, survivors posted the horrific images of homes washed away on Twitter and Facebook to help the world understand the strength of the storm. Survivors also used social media to reconnect with loved ones and to share information about which gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies were open.

In my district, the local utility PSE&G used social media to communicate with customers about how to prepare for the storm to mitigate damage and about power restoration afterwards. Public Service Electric and Gas' use of social media was so effective that it was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates as a ``best practice.'' And CS Week, a nonprofit that focuses on customer service for utilities, gave PSE&G an award for innovation and customer service.

Although PSE&G's use of social media was incredibly successful, there were important lessons learned that should be shared among organizations utilizing social media during a disaster response. For example, PSE&G exceeded the allowable number of tweets per day and needed to reach out to Twitter leadership for a temporary expansion of capacity. In addition to spikes in social media use during the disaster, PSE&G learned important lessons related to the tone of communications and the demand for information during a disaster.

H.R. 4263 would authorize the Social Media Working Group that sits with the Science and Technology Directorate to facilitate the exchange of best practices and lessons learned related to the use of social media during disasters. The measure would also ensure that the Federal Government and first responders continue to fully utilize the capabilities of the Internet and social media to communicate with more people during disasters.

I would like to congratulate Subcommittee Chairwoman Brooks on the success of her efforts to ensure the way government officials and first responders communicate with the public before, during, and after disaster strikes keeps pace with evolving technology.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 4263.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers as well, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 4263, ``The Social Media Working Group Act of 2014,'' would establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) a social media working group.

The Social Media Working Group would provide guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and response community on the use of social media technologies before, during, and after a terrorist attack.

Today, people are relying more on Internet enabled communications to engage and be engaged in communications.

Since September 11, 2001, our nation has committed resources toward the preparation of our first responders and citizens in preventing, mitigating and responding to terrorist events.

As these efforts continue, we must keep up with the times. Part of that requires that Congress makes sure that the Department of Homeland Security and especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency can engage citizens in ways that they receive and send information.

In 2012, smartphones, most particularly phones running Apple Computer's iOS and the open source Android operating system, accounted for at least 40 percent of the mobile devices used in the United States.

In the first quarter of 2012, mobile phone consumers spent over $109 billion, while consumers of landline-telephone service spent $64.4 billion.

The Federal Communication Commission reports that this trend is expected accelerate as United States consumers participate in a worldwide trend towards mobile communication devices and away from traditional means of receiving and sending information.

Electronic tablet computers and e-readers, the other fully enabled portable Internet devices, smartphones are increasingly a resource for people to access information, share content, and communicate their views.

Social media is quickly emerging as a major source of information that citizens rely upon to receive news and engage government.

The number of people using social networking sites has nearly doubled since 2008.

In a 2011, a Pew Internet Center Research Project reported that 79 percent of American adults said they used the Internet and 59 percent of all Internet users say they use at least one of social networking service, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Instagram.

The reasons for supporting this bill are obvious and I ask my colleagues in the House to vote for its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4263, the Social Media Working Group Act.

Since I arrived in Congress, I have seen the destruction caused by man-made and natural disasters.

From the September 11th attacks--to Hurricane Katrina--to the mass shootings that have devastated communities across America, one truism that has repeatedly been identified is that early alerts and timely information saves lives.

Toward that end, the Committee on Homeland Security has worked hard to support the Department's efforts to harness all means of communication to ensure that that public can take appropriate action before, during, and after disaster strikes.

To date, Federal efforts have focused on the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, and the Integrated Public Alerts and Warning System.

But, as we have seen during recent disasters, social media allows the government and private sector to disseminate useful information to hundreds of thousands of people.

I support the innovative use of social media in disaster preparedness and response because it has the ability to make more people safer, faster.

It can also help first responders work more quickly and more efficiently.

That said, we must work to implement practices to ensure that social media is used appropriately and effectively, and that the information distributed is reliable.

It is critical that information after a disaster must be accurate. There needs to be guidance and policies in place to ensure that widely- distributed disaster-related information is accurate, or to correct the information when it is not.

I am hopeful that H.R. 4263 would provide a forum for government officials and the private sector to come together to address this and other challenges related to the use of social media during disasters and to share best practices.

I congratulate Subcommittee Chairwoman Brooks and Ranking Member Payne, Jr. on their work to ensure that government officials and first responders take full advantage of the technology available to communicate with the public during a disaster.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following exchange of letters between the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure relating to H.R. 4263, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2014.

Committee on Transportation Infrastructure, House of

Representatives,

Washington, DC, July 7, 2014.

Hon. Michael T. McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: I write concerning H.R. 4263, the Social

Media Working Group

Act of 2014, as reported by the Committee on Homeland

Security on June 19, 2014. There are certain provisions in

the legislation that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of

the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

In order to expedite this legislation for floor

consideration, the Committee will forgo action on this bill.

However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that

forgoing consideration of the bill does not alter or diminish

the jurisdiction of the Committee with respect to the

appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional

claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or

similar legislation. I request you urge the Speaker to name

members of the Committee to any conference committee named to

consider such provisions.

Please place a copy of this letter and your response

acknowledging our jurisdictional interest into the

Congressional Record during consideration of the measure on

the House Floor.

Sincerely,

Bill Shuster,

Chairman.