# 119-s-725: Enhancing First Response Act 119-s-725, Enhancing First Response Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN); status passed_senate; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-10). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-725 - As of: 2026-09-10 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-725 - Congress: 119 - Title: Enhancing First Response Act - Status: passed_senate - Introduced: 2025-02-25 - Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] (D-MN) - Cosponsors: 12 - Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications - Touches household money: yes - Last recorded action: 2026-09-10 ## Summary **Tightens outage reporting and boosts resilience of emergency communications.** The bill links Disaster Information Reporting System activations to yearly FCC hearings and public reports, reclassifies 911 telecommunicators, and orders reviews of outage notification practices and Kari’s Law enforcement. - First responders and 911 centers get more transparent outage data and oversight. The FCC must hold at least one public hearing each year lasting not less than 7 days and publish a report within 120 days that documents outage counts, durations, effects on caller location and routing, and recovery recommendations. - Communications providers and infrastructure firms face clearer definitions and reporting duties tied to DIRS. The FCC will investigate within 1 year whether including visual information in outage alerts helps public safety and how many 911 outages may go unreported under current thresholds. - Public safety telecommunicators and device makers see targeted administrative fixes. The Office of Management and Budget must reclassify telecommunicators as a protective service occupation within 30 days and the FCC must report on Kari’s Law compliance by multi-line telephone system manufacturers and vendors within 180 days. ## Cosponsors (12) - Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN] (R-TN), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK] (R-AK), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM] (D-NM), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV] (R-WV), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA] (D-MA), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Budd, Ted [R-NC] (R-NC), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME] (I-ME), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Thune, John [R-SD] (R-SD), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Kelly, Mark [D-AZ] (D-AZ), 2025-02-25T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID] (R-ID), 2025-03-12T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] (D-WA), 2025-04-29T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Kari’s Law enforcement review: benefit, low. The FCC would publish a report within 180 days on enforcing Kari’s Law, a 2017 law for multi‑line phone systems and 911. The report would summarize compliance by manufacturers and vendors, list obstacles to compliance, and recommend enforcement steps. It would also recommend any new laws to Congres… - Study on 911 outage alerts: benefit, low. The FCC would have one year to study 911 outage alerts. The report would weigh the value of adding visual information for 911 centers and the burden on providers. It would estimate how many 911 outages go unreported under current thresholds. It would recommend rule changes to improve awareness and… - Yearly hearings on disaster outages: benefit, low. If enacted, the FCC would hold at least one public hearing each year on events in the prior year when the Disaster Information Reporting System was activated for seven or more days. The FCC would publish a report within 120 days after each hearing. The report would list the number and length of out… - List 911 dispatchers as protective service: benefit, low. The Director of OMB would list public safety telecommunicators, like 911 dispatchers, as a protective service job within 30 days after enactment. This would be a statistical change to job codes. It would not set pay or benefits, but it could guide workforce data and future policy. - No extra FCC power over broadband: mixed, low. This bill would state that nothing in this act would give the FCC more authority over broadband providers than the act clearly says. It would limit any implied FCC power to what is expressly authorized here. This would not change your internet bill directly, but it would set boundaries for FCC acti… ## Related bills - 119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025 - 119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former United States Senator for the State of Kansas. - 119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewellyn Kyl, former Senator for the State of Arizona. - 119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham, a Senator from the State of South Carolina. - 119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former Senator for the State of Michigan. - 119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for the State of California. ## Sources - [119-s-725 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/725) ## Related - [119-s-1241: Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1241) - [119-sres-913: A resolution relating to the death of the Honorable Nancy Kassebaum, former Uni…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-913) - [119-sres-897: A resolution honoring the life, service, and legacy of the Honorable Jon Llewel…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-897) - [119-sres-801: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of the Honorable Lindsey Olin Graham,…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-801) - [119-sres-755: A resolution honoring the life of the Honorable Donald W. Riegle, Jr., former S…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-755) - [119-sres-739: A resolution honoring the life and legacy of John Seymour, the late Senator for…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-sres-739) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-725 (as of 2026-09-10).