WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) today introduced the Strengthening Infrastructure, Readiness, and Emergency Notifications (SIREN) Act, which would allow Texas and other states to repurpose unused Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding to go toward strengthening natural disaster response and mitigation infrastructure, including through investments in severe weather warning siren systems or rapid notification and disaster sensor technologies: 

“As Texas continues to mourn and recover from the devastating floods in Central Texas last year, it’s critical that regions vulnerable to natural disasters are able to strengthen their emergency readiness and response infrastructure,” said Sen. Cornyn. “My bill would unlock federal funding for life-saving systems like warning sirens, mass notification technologies, and severe weather sensors, and I urge my Senate colleagues to join me in working to equip communities with the tools needed to help prevent future severe weather tragedies.”

This legislation would work in tandem with the new Texas state law providing state funding for now-required siren networks in disaster-prone areas by allowing existing federal funding to also be used for counties to build or upgrade those systems.

Background:

The SIREN Act would:

• Add the procurement and installation of the following natural disaster response, prevention, and mitigation capabilities as eligible uses of BEAD non-deployment funding:
  • Audible warning sirens or other similar rapid notification technologies and infrastructure;
  • Wind, flood, fire, earthquake, or other sensor technologies for detecting and responding to major disasters;
  • And any IT equipment or software necessary to the operation of such infrastructure.
• Permit multi-state agreements for infrastructure that crosses state lines;
• Prioritize proposals that include a 25% state and local cost-share for projects;
• And prevent the redistribution of state BEAD funding until each state is given the opportunity to use leftover funding for these new purposes.

This legislation comes after the devastating Central Texas floods in July 2025 and subsequent efforts by the Texas Legislature to provide state resources to counties impacted by the disaster. The SIREN Act would ensure federal resources already sent to Texas go toward preventing future, fast-moving disasters in Texas.