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S 2696 108th Congress Senate

U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004

Official title: A bill to establish the United States Homeland Security Signal Corps to ensure proper communications between law enforcement agencies.

Introduced: July 20, 2004 Introduced by: Schumer, Charles E. Democratic · New York See on congress.gov
Emergency Management Armed Forces and National SecurityCommerceCommunication in medicineCongress
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Congressional reporting requirementsCrime and Law EnforcementDepartment of Homeland SecurityEBB TerrorismEmergency communication systemsEmergency medicineEquipment and suppliesExecutive reorganizationFederal-local relationsFederal-state relationsFire departmentsGovernment Operations and PoliticsHealthLabor and EmploymentLaw enforcement officers
This bill died when the 108th Congress ended
It never became law before the 108th Congress (2003–2004) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 20, 2004
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jul 20, 2004
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action July 20, 2004

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish, within the Directorate of Emergency Preparedness and Response, a Homeland Security Signal Corps, comprised of specially trained emergency personnel, to: (1) ensure that first responders can communicate with one another, mobile command centers, headquarters, and the public at disaster sites or in the event of a terrorist attack or a national crisis; (2) provide sufficient training and equipment to enable fire and police units to deal with all threats and contingencies in any environment; and (3) secure joint-use equipment that can access surviving telephone land lines to supplement communications access.

Directs the Signal Corps to establish a set of standard operating procedures that will ensure that first responders from each Federal, State, and local agency have the methods and means to communicate with, or substitute for, first responders from other agencies in the event of a multi-state terrorist attack or a national crisis.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Secretary to establish a demonstration signal corps in New York City to ensure communications connectivity between New York's police and fire departments and to serve as a model for other major metropolitan areas. Directs: (1) the Mayor of New York to appoint team captains to command communications companies drawn from such personnel; and (2) the Signal Corps Headquarters, located in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to provide technical assistance to the demonstration signal corps.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 2696: U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004. 108th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-2696/
MLA
"S. 2696: U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004." 108th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-2696/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 2696, 108th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-2696/.
Markdown link
[S. 2696: U.S. Homeland Security Signal Act of 2004](https://openamerica.io/bill/108-S-2696/)
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