Uniform School Mapping Act
H.R. 3113, the Uniform School Mapping Act, would change how emergency response maps are funded and distributed. It generally bars federal funds from being used to procure certain emergency response maps unless those maps meet a detailed set of technical requirements. The bill also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, to develop a strategy to procure and distribute maps that do meet those standards for any federally owned or leased “critical” site, and to brief Congress on that strategy within a year. The act defines specific criteria for eligible maps (digital format, open-readable, US-stored, integrated with public safety agency software, printable, oriented to true north, overlaid with aerial imagery, labeled with key features, verified for accuracy, updatable, and freely shared with the procurer and all covered public safety agencies). Although titled the Uniform School Mapping Act, the bill’s text centers on emergency response maps for sites and public safety coordination, with relevance to both federal sites and state/local/tribal entities that participate in public safety. If a map does not meet the criteria, federal funds may not be used to procure it; if it does meet the criteria, it must be accessible without subscription to the relevant agencies.
Key Points
- 1Federal funding prohibition: Beginning in FY 2026 and for future years, federal funds may not be obligated or expended to procure an emergency response map unless the map meets the detailed requirements in the bill.
- 2Exception criteria: An emergency response map qualifies for funding only if it is in a digital format readable by standard/open-source viewers, stored in the U.S., integrates with software used by the relevant public safety agency, can be printed and shared electronically, oriented true north with a coordinate grid, overlays aerial imagery of each site/portion, labels specific features (e.g., access points, doors, rooms, hazards, trauma kits), verified for accuracy via a walkthrough, updatable, and freely available to the procurer and each covered public safety agency after procurement.
- 3DHS strategy requirement: Within one year of enactment, the Secretary of Homeland Security (through CISA) must submit a strategy for procuring and distributing compliant emergency response maps for Federal sites identified as critical and to distribute them to covered public safety agencies.
- 4Congressional briefing: The Secretary must brief appropriate congressional committees about the strategy within 180 days after submitting it.
- 5Definitions: The bill provides defined terms for “appropriate congressional committees,” “covered public safety agency,” “emergency response map,” “Secretary,” and “site,” clarifying who is covered and what counts as a site.