WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, (D-N.J.) issued the following statement after his bipartisan Emergency Information Improvement Act of 2015 passed the U.S. Senate. The legislation designates public broadcasting stations as one of several nonprofits eligible for federal assistance when damaged by storms and other disasters.
“The Senate passage of this bill is an encouraging show of support for public radio and broadcast stations, which provide critical information during natural disasters and emergencies. New Jerseyans and Americans who endured Superstorm Sandy and other disasters know all too well that access to emergency information can be a matter of life or death. The passage of the Emergency Information Improvement Act will ensure that locally licensed stations are eligible for federal disaster relief funding in the event their facilities are impacted by a disaster.”
Approximately 98 percent of the American population has access to a public radio or TV signal. Current federal emergency response and relief statutes are ambiguous on whether local public broadcasting stations are eligible for emergency financial assistance when damaged by storms and other disasters. This legislation designates public broadcasting stations as one of several nonprofits eligible for federal assistance when necessary to save lives and protect public property.
Sen. Booker introduced the Emergency Information Improvement Act in April with Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX). Cosponsors include U.S. Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), John Boozman (R-AR), Pat Roberts (R-Kan), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ). The bill text can be viewed here.