Modernizing and Improving the National Terrorism Advisory System Act of 2026
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, within one year, to submit to House and Senate homeland security committees a strategy to modernize NTAS. The strategy must consider a designated DHS office or official to oversee NTAS, issuance and sunset criteria for bulletins and alerts, public accessibility, effectiveness in communicating timely and detailed terrorism-threat information, effects on federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement and emergency responder preparedness, and mechanisms to reach the greatest number of people. DHS must engage individuals, stakeholders, the private sector, and law-enforcement and emergency-response agencies while developing the strategy. GAO must report within two years on implementation.
Who Benefits and How
The public, state law enforcement agencies, local emergency responders, Tribal public safety agencies, territorial governments, and private-sector security stakeholders benefit if NTAS alerts become clearer, more accessible, and more useful for terrorism-threat preparation and mitigation. Congressional homeland security committees benefit from a modernization strategy and GAO implementation review.
Who Bears the Burden and How
DHS must designate oversight responsibility, evaluate alert criteria and sunset protocols, conduct stakeholder engagement, write the strategy, and support GAO review. GAO must assess implementation, and law-enforcement and emergency-response partners may need to provide feedback on NTAS modernization options.
Key Provisions
- Requires DHS to submit a National Terrorism Advisory System modernization strategy within one year.
- Directs the strategy to address NTAS oversight, alert issuance and sunset protocols, public accessibility, communication effectiveness, responder preparedness, and broad public reach.
- Requires DHS to consult individuals, stakeholders, private-sector entities, law-enforcement agencies, and emergency responders.
- Requires GAO to report within two years on implementation.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires DHS to submit a one-year strategy for modernizing the National Terrorism Advisory System and requires GAO to report within two years on implementation.
Key Policy Areas
Homeland Security, Public Safety, Government Oversight
Primary Purpose
Requires DHS to submit a one-year strategy for modernizing the National Terrorism Advisory System and requires GAO to report within two years on implementation.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Public audiences
- State law enforcement agencies
- Local emergency responders
- Tribal public safety agencies
- Private sector entities
- Congressional homeland security committees
Identified Costs
- Department of Homeland Security
- GAO
- State law enforcement agencies
- Emergency responders
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedOrdered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: …
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Subcommittee Hearings Held
Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security Discharged
Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Discharged
Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security.
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "gao"
- → Comptroller General of the United States
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Homeland Security
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
DHS system for public bulletins and alerts about terrorism threats.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology