ITS Codification Act

Sponsor: Tammy Duckworth (Democratic-IL)July 13, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

New technology would help find people trapped in emergencies, and a federal science center would get official status.

This bill would officially make the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) a federal test center. It would also start a new effort to create emergency communication and tracking tools. These tools would help find people stuck in places like mines or fallen buildings where normal radios don't work.

What Would Change

This bill would officially write the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) into federal law, formally establishing its operation and functions. It would also create a new initiative specifically focused on developing advanced communication and tracking technologies to find people trapped in emergencies.

Key Provisions

Creates a new initiative to develop emergency communication and tracking technologies for finding people trapped in places like mines or collapsed buildings.
Requires the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) to work with private companies and federal agencies to assess needs and develop technical standards for these emergency technologies.
Formally establishes the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) in federal law, making it a permanent test center for the government.
Requires ITS to study radio frequency emissions, how signals travel, and test technologies that help federal and non-federal users share electromagnetic spectrum.
Requires the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to report to Congress within 18 months on the needs assessment for emergency communication technologies.

View on Congress.gov

S 4950 · 119th Congress · July 13, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 9/10

ITS Codification Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity