“The catastrophic 2025 Fourth of July floods devastated families and communities across Texas and demonstrated the importance of delivering timely emergency alerts."
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, issued the following statement after President Trump signed the bipartisan Mystic Alerts Act into law. Sen. Cruz advanced the legislation through the Senate Commerce Committee in September, and it passed the Senate that same month. This legislation allows wireless emergency alerts (WEAs) to be delivered via satellite communications technologies when traditional cellular networks are unavailable during emergencies.
Sen. Cruz said, “The catastrophic 2025 Fourth of July floods devastated families and communities across Texas and demonstrated the importance of delivering timely emergency alerts. The Mystic Alerts Act strengthens our emergency alert systems, will help ensure life-saving alerts reach Americans when and where they need them, and will help protect American families and communities when future disasters strike. I was proud to support this legislation, advance it through the Senate Commerce Committee, and help secure its passage in the Senate. I thank and applaud President Trump for signing the bill into law.”
U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas-11) led the legislation in the House of Representatives.
Rep. Pfluger said, “I am grateful that President Trump signed the Mystic Alerts Act into law. After the devastating July 4th floods, it was clear that families in rural communities can’t be left in the dark when cell networks go down. By bringing satellite technology into our emergency alert system, we’re making sure warnings reach people when they need them most. I’m thankful to Senator Cornyn for championing the Mystic Alerts Act in the Senate and to Chairman Ted Cruz for moving it through the Senate Committee on Commerce. This law is a major step forward for emergency preparedness, and it means more Americans will get the warning they need, no matter where they live.”Read the bill text here.
BACKGROUND:
On July 4, 2025, devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country killed 28 individuals at Camp Mystic in Kerrville and more than 100 others across Central Texas. There were multiple reports of undelivered wireless emergency alerts in areas impacted by the disaster after cellular infrastructure was damaged.
The Mystic Alerts Act will:
- Allow cellular companies to partner with satellite communications providers to deliver wireless emergency alerts during emergencies;
- Direct the Federal Communications Commission to establish rules and policies to preserve the effectiveness of wireless emergency alert infrastructure while integrating satellite communications;
- Create a new communications pathway to enable the delivery of emergency alerts in areas where other infrastructure has been destroyed or taken offline.
In July 2025, Sen. Cruz introduced the bipartisan NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act, which would modernize NOAA Weather Radio and improve emergency communications in areas with little or no cellular service.
