St. Cloud, Minn. – November 03, 2026 -- Two bipartisan bills before Congress would require panic alarms in US schools and set standards for federally funded emergency response maps. GeoComm, a public safety mapping provider, says an alert is only useful if 9-1-1 staff and first responders can immediately see where help is needed.

H.R. 1524 and H.R. 6809 target different gaps in school emergency response

The ALYSSA Act (H.R. 1524) would require local educational agencies receiving federal elementary and secondary education funding to ensure each school has at least one silent panic alarm. Alyssa's Act of 2025 (H.R. 6809) would support the development, testing, and evaluation of panic alarm technology. It would also set proposed requirements for emergency response maps bought with federal funds.

Both bills have been introduced and referred to committees. Neither has been enacted.

H.R. 6809 would set six technical requirements for federally funded maps

Under the proposal, maps would need to be:

• created in a digital geospatial format
• accessible on mobile devices
• shareable with public safety agencies
• interoperable with emergency response systems
• capable of displaying individual floors
• verified annually for accuracy

GeoComm notes that a street address may identify a campus without telling responders which building, floor, room, or entrance is involved. That gap matters most on large or multi-building campuses.

GeoComm joins Make Our Schools Safe as a 2026 Annual Partner

The partnership pairs the nonprofit's advocacy for Alyssa's Law with GeoComm's indoor mapping and location intelligence. Make Our Schools Safe's 2026 Alyssa's Law Solution Guide recommends geo-location capabilities that can identify an alert's origin, including mapped devices tied to known rooms or zones.

"A panic alert can begin the emergency response, but responders still need to know where to go and what they will encounter," said Jody Sayre, GeoComm's Vice President of Business Development and Partnerships.

Make Our Schools Safe founder and CEO Lori Alhadeff said effective implementation requires schools, 9-1-1 centers, and responders to plan together.

Districts can audit the alert-to-response path before any federal mandate

GeoComm advises districts and public safety partners to check how quickly an alert reaches 9-1-1 or law enforcement and whether it carries more than a street address. They should also confirm that telecommunicators can identify the correct building, floor, room, or zone. Other checks cover whether maps are accessible to responding agencies, tested in joint exercises, and assigned an owner for keeping facility information current.

State and local requirements may differ from the proposed federal legislation.