DHS Social Media Improvement Act of 2015

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 623) 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.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 623.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 623, the Social Media Working Group Act of 2015.

Social media is transforming the way the Nation is communicating before, during, and after terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and other emergencies. There are countless examples from recent events of how citizens are turning to Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram for public safety information, to comfort survivors, and to request assistance.

For example, during the height of the most recent winter storm Juno in the Northeast, there were over 20,000 posts using the hashtag #blizzardof2015.

A quarter of Americans--let me repeat that--a quarter of Americans got information about the devastating terrorist attack at the 2013 Boston Marathon from Facebook and Twitter.

Immediately following that attack and during the manhunt, the Boston Police Department utilized social media as a way to communicate with and solicit information from citizens and visitors.

In fact, the first official announcement that Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev had been captured was not through a traditional press conference, but it was through the Boston Police Department's Twitter account. That post was retweeted more than 135,000 times.

These examples prove that social media has become one of the primary ways we share information.

In the 113th Congress, I served as the chair of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications with the gentleman from New Jersey as my ranking member. Our subcommittee held two hearings that focused on this new phenomenon, and we learned that while the Nation is making great strides in this area, gaps and challenges remain.

One of the key takeaways from these hearings was that during and after a terrorist attack, natural disaster, or other emergency, there is still a need for better communication between the public sector and the private sector, specifically with how we utilize social media as a communication tool.

Last year, I introduced this bill, along with Ranking Member Payne, Chairman McCaul, Representative Palazzo, and Representative Swalwell, to address this issue; and I am pleased now to reintroduce the bill this Congress.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 623 addresses the issues we heard in our hearings 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.

Currently, the Virtual Social Media Working Group, which is made up mostly of State and local officials, is doing great work in developing guidance documents on how to utilize social media during disasters. In fact, it produced a lessons learned paper on social media usage during Hurricane Sandy.

This bill will increase the working group's stakeholder participation, particularly among the private sector and Federal response agencies, thereby creating a Whole Community dialogue on this issue.

The bill will require this group to submit an annual report to Congress highlighting best practices, lessons learned, and any recommendations. Finally, this bill will require the group to meet in person or virtually at least twice a year, and it will not be a financial burden on the Department.

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

The House passed this bill last Congress with strong bipartisan support. I now want to thank Chairman Shuster and Chairman Barletta of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for working with the Committee on Homeland Security and me to get this bill to the floor today.

Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentlelady from the District of Columbia and the gentleman from New Jersey for continuing this important work that we began last year.

It was a visit to the American Red Cross shortly after Hurricane Sandy where we learned about the important role that social media had played and the growing role that it played and the fact that they have digital volunteers now who continue to work on behalf of saving lives.

I just want to thank all of those who have been supportive of this bill, and I urge my colleagues to join me in once again supporting this important legislation.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I again thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia and the gentleman from New Jersey in supporting this important legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate and commend Mrs. Brooks of Indiana and Mr. Payne of New Jersey for sponsoring the Social Media Working Group Act of 2013 which addresses an emerging and important topic in emergency management.

More and more, we are seeing social media, especially Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, playing a critical role in the preparedness, response, and recovery operations in emergency situations.

In the past few years, social media has become a valuable tool that has been used by emergency managers at all levels to warn those in harm's way of impending natural disasters. I might add that the same could occur in terrorist disasters.

Moreover, it has been used to inform survivors of how to access disaster assistance and tips for speedier recovery. Equally important, social media has been used to coordinate and manage assistance from nonprofits and volunteers who want to help in recovery efforts.

It is not just emergency managers who use social media regarding emergencies. Individuals have used social media to help identify locations where assistance may still be needed and to raise awareness of impending hazards. They have used it to communicate with loved ones who may be impacted by an event, as well as to reconnect pets with their owners.

It was no different here in the District of Columbia, Mr. Speaker, after 9/11, and I refer to the earthquake centered in Mineral, Virginia, but certainly felt in every part of the Nation's Capital.

Because cellphone service was jammed, residents turned to social media to communicate. Within minutes of that earthquake, Twitter noted that over 40,000 earthquake-related tweets were sent about the occurrence.

Facebook noted 3 million mentions related to the earthquake.

In 2010, the Department of Homeland Security established the Virtual Social Media Working Group to provide recommendations on how to use social media before, during, and after emergencies. The existing working group consists of emergency responders, nonprofit organizations, and Federal agencies.

H.R. 623 would codify the working group to make certain that their good work continues. To allow for broader representation, the bill expands the working group membership to include the private sectors and requires consultation with nonmembers. To ensure accountability, the bill requires an annual report to Congress on important issues such as best practices and lessons learned. It would also provide recommendations on various issues, including how to improve the use of social media for emergency management purposes.

This is a very timely bill, Mr. Speaker. It will assist in informing the public of critical emergency information which may well save lives and reduce injuries. I strongly urge my colleagues to support this bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as I was coming to the floor, I tweeted and Facebooked that I would be on the floor managing this bill. We are used to Tweeting and Facebooking our every movement, usually for fun--and yes, even to come on the floor.

I will be very interested to know whether, after we had the tragic accident last month in our Metro system when we lost one life--and we know for sure communication between the District of Columbia fire, emergency, and Metro was informed--I will be very interested to know whether Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media were helpful. I cannot believe they were not.

We all think of social media for social fun. What is important about the bill that my two colleagues, Representative Brooks and Representative Payne, have brought to us is, of course, that it shows a very essential use.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne), a cosponsor of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the sponsor and cosponsor

once again on this vital and valuable bill.

As we see the kinds of, really, unheard of events we are experiencing, it seems to us often that phones and cell phones are so 20th century. Twitter and Facebook are the functional equivalent for many Americans of 911. So today on this floor, I think we are resolved that social media are, to be sure, often about fun and games, but they may also be about life and death.

I am pleased to support this bill and ask Members for its support here in the House.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on February 2, 2015, on Roll Call #51 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 361--Medical Preparedness Allowable Use Act, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 2, 2015, on Roll Call #52 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 615--Department of Homeland Security Interoperable Communications Act, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 2, 2015, on Roll Call #53 on the Motion to Suspend the Rules and Pass H.R. 623--Social Media Working Group Act, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 3, 2015, on Roll Call #54 on Ordering the Previous Question for H. Res. 70, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 3, 2015, on Roll Call #55 on H. Res. 70, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 596) to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 3, 2015, on Roll Call #57 on the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 596, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 3, 2015, on Roll Call #58 on Passage of H.R. 596--To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care- related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, and for other purposes, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #59 on Ordering the Previous Question for H. Res. 78, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #60 on H. Res. 78, Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 527) Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 50) Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2015, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #61 on Agreeing to the Cummings of Maryland Amendment to H.R. 50, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #62 on Agreeing to the Connolly of Virginia Amendment to H.R. 50, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #63 on the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 50, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 4, 2015, on Roll Call #64 on Passage of H.R. 50--Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2015, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

On February 5, 2015, on Roll Call #65 on Agreeing to the Schrader of Oregon Amendment to H.R. 527, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 5, 2015, on Roll Call #66 on Agreeing to the Jackson-Lee of Texas Amendment to H.R. 527, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 5, 2015, on Roll Call #67 on the Democratic Motion to Recommit H.R. 527, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA.

On February 5, 2015, on Roll Call #68 on Passage of H.R. 527--Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015, I am not recorded because I was absent for medical reasons. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton) for yielding me this time.

Last Congress, the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications held a series of hearings examining how the Internet can positively impact disaster response at all levels.

Over the course of these hearings, industry stakeholders, who included Google.org, Palantir, and the Internet Association, provided testimony about how the Internet helped galvanize citizens affected by disasters--from the Boston Marathon bombings to Hurricane Sandy.

We also heard from an energy services company headquartered in my district, PSE&G, that was recognized by J.D. Power and Associates for its innovative use of social media in the days leading up to and following Hurricane Sandy. PSE&G used social media to communicate with its customers about how to prepare for the storm and to mitigate damage and about power restoration efforts afterward.

Additionally, PSE&G testified about lessons learned about using social media during disaster response--ranging from using the right tone in messages to preparing social media companies to handle the increased volume of messages.

In those hearings, we also took testimony from Federal, State, and local governments about how to use social media more effectively to provide disaster-related information to be better integrated into disaster response applications.

We also heard from FEMA and local officials on efforts to improve the use of social media following a terrorist attack or natural disaster.

I was pleased to work with then-Subcommittee Chairwoman Susan Brooks on this oversight effort and ultimately on the bill to ensure that the important conversation about how to best use social media following a disaster can continue.

Last July, I was pleased to manage an identical version of this bill on the House floor on behalf of the Committee on Homeland Security. That measure, H.R. 4263, passed the House on suspension, as I hope will occur with H.R. 623.

This Congress, I am pleased that my committee was able to work with the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure to ensure that H.R. 623 gets considered early this Congress. That said, I am disappointed that this time around, under the rules of the House, the committee that developed the legislation, in response to extensive oversight findings, was not given the opportunity to present it in the full House on its own.

That said, I congratulate Subcommittee Chairwoman Brooks on the success of her efforts to ensure that Federal, State, and local governments continue to work with the private sector and nonprofit disaster response providers to develop innovative uses of social media. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 623.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 423, ``The Social Media Working Group Act of 2014,'' which 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 personal, professional and commercial 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 pace with the rapid changing nature of the Internet. Part of this requires that Congress ensure that the Department of Homeland Security and especially the Federal Emergency Management Agency can reach citizens in new ways so that critical information is received in a timely manner.

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.