H.R. 5200 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Emergency Reporting Act
Cosponsors: 2 (1 D, 1 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-08
Introduced: 2025-09-08
Latest action (2026-04-21): Received in the Senate. Read twice. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 375.
What H.R. 5200 does, in plain terms
Emergency Reporting Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to investigate and report on emergency communications outages (e.g., 9-1-1 outages). Specifically, the FCC must publish a general report on (1) the volume and nature of 9-1-1 outages that are not required to be reported under current outage notification rules, (2) the value and practicality of including visual information in outage notifications from communications providers, and (3) recommended changes to FCC rules to address these issues. Separately, the FCC must hold annual public hearings on events for which the Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS) was activated for at least a week. (DIRS is a reporting system that is activated during severe weather and other events impacting communications service. It enables communications providers to report outages and other degradations to service.) After each such hearing, the FCC must issue a report that includes information about the number, duration, and nature of all associated outages, along with recommendations for improving the resiliency of affected communications services or networks. Such reports must generally be made public on the FCC website.
Official summary by the Congressional Research Service, via Congress.gov.
Constitution Index
“VFA Constitution grade”
Constitutionally sound
Graded 2026-10-09
SI-generated grade · five published checks · not individually reviewed by a person · methodology
HR 5200 is a straightforward information-gathering and reporting bill that imposes no mandates on individuals or states, does not restrict any constitutional right, and operates well within the FCC's enumerated authority under the Commerce Clause to regulate interstate communications. The bill requires only federal agency investigation, public hearings, and publication of reports — all of which are constitutionally benign.
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✓ Passes · Enumerated powers
The FCC's authority to regulate interstate and foreign wire and radio communications derives from the Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3). Requiring the FCC to investigate and report on emergency communications outages, including 9-1-1 and DIRS events, is a proper exercise of that enumerated power. The bill does not create new regulatory mandates on private parties; it only directs th… -
✓ Passes · Bill of Rights
The bill does not restrict speech, press, assembly, religion, arms, search and seizure, self-incrimination, trial rights, or any other right protected by the first ten amendments. It requires only government reporting and public hearings, which are fully consistent with the First Amendment's protection of petition and public discourse. -
✓ Passes · Individual sovereignty
The bill imposes no restrictions on what individuals may do with their person, property, speech, labor, or belief. It does not mandate any action by private citizens. The only burden is on the FCC, a federal agency, to conduct studies and hold hearings. Individual sovereignty is untouched. -
✓ Passes · Decentralization
The bill passes all four questions of the decentralization test. (1) An individual or family could not handle nationwide emergency communications outage analysis — this requires centralized data collection. (2) A local community could not handle nationwide outage patterns. (3) A state could not handle interstate communications network analysis. (4) The action does not consolidate decision-making u… -
✓ Passes · Due process and takings
The bill does not deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, nor does it take private property for public use. It imposes no penalties, fines, or mandates on any private party. Due process is not implicated because no individual or entity is subject to any adverse government action under this bill.
Sources: Congress.gov: HR 5200 summary
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