Writes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences into the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act and directs the Commerce Department to start an initiative supporting technologies that help locate people trapped in mines, high-rise buildings, and collapsed structures.

Official title: ITS Codification Act

Next stop Senate floor: awaiting a vote

Timeline each lane is a chamber; dates pull from congress.gov actions

Senate

Introduced 13-JUL-2026

Referred 13-JUL-2026

Approved by committee 16-SEP-2026

Key points

Codifies the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences as a test center operated by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information.
Directs the Institute to study radio emissions, spectrum sharing between federal and non-federal users, and the interference tolerance of federal systems.
Requires an initiative to support emergency communication and tracking technologies for locating trapped individuals where conventional radio communication is limited.
Requires a needs assessment for those technologies and a public report to Congress within 18 months of enactment.

AI-generated from the Introduced in Senate text of 13-JUL-2026 · verify · report an error

Official CRS summary

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Committee referrals (1)

Policy area

Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) Cosponsors · 1

■ 1 R

1 Republican

congress.gov page Introduced in Senate (13-JUL-2026)