HR6051-119

What This Bill Does

The "To Inform Families First Act of 2025" directs the Department of Transportation to create a grant program helping states build voluntary emergency contact systems linked to driver's licenses. The goal is to help emergency responders quickly notify families when drivers are involved in accidents or other emergencies.

Who Benefits and How

State governments benefit from federal funding and technical assistance to build these emergency contact systems without bearing the full development cost. Families of drivers benefit from faster notification during emergencies, as authorized emergency personnel could access contact information stored in state databases to reach next-of-kin more quickly.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Department of Transportation (specifically NHTSA) must establish and administer the grant program within 180 days and submit annual reports to Congress on implementation progress. This creates new administrative responsibilities and requires allocating staff and resources to manage the program.

Key Provisions

• Creates a grant and technical assistance program for states to develop emergency contact information systems
• Participation by individual drivers must be entirely voluntary
• Requires robust data security protections for stored contact information
• Restricts access to emergency contact data to authorized emergency personnel during emergencies only
• Prohibits requiring emergency contact information to be displayed on physical driver's licenses or ID cards
• Applies to all 50 states, DC, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and Northern Mariana Islands