RESPONSE Act of 2016
Public Law 114-321 · S. 546 · 114th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Barack Obama (D) on Dec 16, 2016 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND)
Cosponsors (7): Sen. Angus King, Sen. Tammy Baldwin,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
RESPONSE Act of 2016
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation (RESPONSE) Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council.
The RESPONSE Subcommittee shall develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation for hazardous materials (hazmat) incidents involving railroads after evaluating the following topics:
• the quality and application of training for state and local emergency responders related to rail hazmat incidents, including training for emergency responders serving small communities near railroads;
• the availability and effectiveness of federal, state, local, and nongovernmental funding levels related to training emergency responders for rail hazmat incidents, including emergency responders serving small communities near railroads; and
• the strategy for integrating commodity flow studies, mapping, and rail and hazmat databases for state and local emergency responders and increasing the rate of access to the individual responder in existing or emerging communications technology.
The RESPONSE Subcommittee shall terminate within 90 days after the council submits a report approving the RESPONSE Subcommittee recommendations.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 1043Related bill
RESPONSE Act of 2015
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 27 actions.
- Dec 16, 2016Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 114-321.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Dec 14, 2016FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Dec 12, 2016FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- Dec 10, 2016Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 546 by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- OtherOther · Resolving differences -- Senate actions: Senate agreed to the House amendment to S. 546 by Unanimous Consent.
- Nov 30, 2016FloorFloor · Message on House action received in Senate and at desk: House amendment to Senate bill.
- Nov 29, 2016FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 546.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Denham moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Nov 14, 2016CalendarCalendar · Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 632.
- CommitteeCommittee · Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. H. Rept. 114-808.
- Sep 14, 2016CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- May 10, 2016FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
- May 9, 2016FloorFloor · Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- FloorFloor · Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
- Jul 21, 2015CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 155.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 114-85.
- Mar 4, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Feb 24, 2015CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
1 amendment offered to the bill, with the last recorded step of each.
- Agreed to
S.Amdt. 3889SenateSen. Heidi HeitkampD-ND· offered May 9, 2016Agreed to
In the nature of a substitute.
May 9, 2016: Amendment SA 3889 agreed to in Senate by Unanimous Consent.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.