The Active Shooter Alert Act was introduced in Feb. but interest in the legislation has increased as a result of the mass shootings this spring in Buffalo, New York and Uvalde, Texas. 

The bill would create an alert system similar to the one used to find missing children, and allow local law enforcement the ability to notify residents about the threat of an active shooter. The proposal was the focus of House Rules Committee Hearing on Tuesday led by congressional representative Jim McGovern.

“I think it’s outrageous that some members don’t even want to tell their constituents which way to run in the event of a shooting. But here we are,” McGovern said. 

Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island, sponsored the legislation. 

“The Active Shooter Alert Act has broad bipartisan support and will pass the House this week. I am urging the Senate to follow suit, move this bill quickly, and get it to the President’s desk. With active shooter events becoming all too common, we can’t afford to wait. This program will save lives,” Cicilline said in an exclusive statement to Spectrum News. 

There has been Republican opposition to the bill, but the legislation has bipartisan support with over 60 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle. During a hearing in June, Cicilline made his case to opponents for why they should support the legislation. 

“It’s a gigantic success with Amber Alert with Silver Alert. It’s the same thing factor issues. It will save people’s lives. You don’t like it, you don’t have to use it. It’s a voluntary program,” Cicilline said.

Cicillini added that the legislation has the support of nearly a dozen law enforcement agencies from across the country. Among the organization’s backing of the bill are the National Fraternal Order of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association.

One Republican opponent, Representative Ashley Hinson of Iowa, has said she opposed the bill because it doesn’t consider “all of the impacts to a community about sending out an alert like that and what they can do to invite panic.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is said to be confident the legislation will have the necessary support to pass the House. It would then go to the Senate for consideration.