CVE Act

Summary: Countering Violent Extremism Act of 2015 or the CVE Act (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the Office for Countering Violent Extremism, to be headed by an Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism. The Assistant Secretary is responsible for:  coordinating DHS activities to counter violent extremism across all DHS components and offices that conduct strategic and supportive activities to counter such extremism;  establishing a program to craft strategic counter-messages to propaganda and messaging disseminated by violent extremists to communities at risk for radicalization and recruitment;  serving as the primary representative of DHS in coordinating countering violent extremism activities with other federal agencies and non-governmental organizations.  serving as the primary DHS-level representative in coordinating with the Department of State on international countering violent extremism issues; and  providing guidance, in coordination with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of DHS, regarding the use of grants made to state, local, and tribal governments under the allowable uses guidelines related to countering violent extremism.  The Assistant Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Administrator of FEMA outlining the roles of the Assistant Secretary and the Administrator with respect to the administration of grants related to countering violent extremism. The Assistant Secretary, in coordination with the Administrator of FEMA and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of DHS, shall establish, and provide an implementation plan for, a grant program for eligible community groups and organizations to assist them in establishing counter-messaging campaigns targeting violent extremism. A community group or organization that has knowingly funded violent extremist activities or organizations known to engage in such activities is not eligible for such a grant.  The Assistant Secretary shall submit to Congress an annual report for each of the next five fiscal years (beginning in the fiscal year that begins after the date of the enactment of this section) on the Office for Countering Violent Extremism. Each such report shall include:   a description of the status of the programs and policies of the DHS for countering violent extremism in the United States;  a description of the activities of the Office to cooperate with and provide assistance to other agencies;  the qualitative and quantitative outcome-based metrics used for evaluating the success of such programs and policies and the steps taken to evaluate the success of such programs and policies;  a detailed summary of the organizations with which DHS conducted outreach to discuss countering violent extremism, an accounting of grants awarded by DHS to counter violent extremism, and an accounting of all training specifically aimed at countering violent extremism sponsored by DHS;  details of the optimal level of personnel and funding for the Office;  an analysis of how DHS's activities to counter violent extremism correspond and adapt to the threat environment;  a summary of how civil rights and civil liberties are protected in DHS's activities to counter violent extremism;  an evaluation of the grant program, including the effectiveness of grants in countering violent extremism; and  a description of how the Office incorporated lessons learned from the countering violent extremism programs and policies of other foreign agencies.  Funds made available to the Office of the Secretary of DHS are authorized to be used for the Office for Countering Violent Extremism for each of FY2016-FY2020.  This Act shall terminate five years after the enactment of this Act. 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Violent Extremism Act of 
2015'' or the ``CVE Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE OFFICE FOR COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM OF 
              THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) In General.--Title I of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
section:

``SEC. 104. OFFICE FOR COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department an Office for 
Countering Violent Extremism. The head of the Office shall be the 
Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism, who shall be 
appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall also appoint a career 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism.
    ``(b) Assignment of Personnel.--The Secretary shall assign or hire, 
as appropriate, permanent staff to the Office for Countering Violent 
Extremism. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the 
maximum extent practicable, seek to assign to or hire for the Office an 
individual who has a demonstrated background in technical matters, on 
and offline media, communications, or marketing.
    ``(c) Support.--The Secretary shall appoint within each appropriate 
component and office of the Department, including at a minimum, U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the 
Office of Privacy, the National Protection and Programs Directorate, 
the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Secret Service, and 
the Science and Technology Directorate, an individual to serve as 
liaison to the Office for Countering Violent Extremism.
    ``(d) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Countering 
Violent Extremism shall be responsible for the following:
            ``(1) Coordinating the Department's activities to counter 
        violent extremism across all the components and offices of the 
        Department that conduct strategic and supportive activities to 
        counter violent extremism. Such activities shall include the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Identifying risk factors that contribute to 
                violent extremism in communities in the United States 
                and potential remedies for use by Government and non-
                government institutions.
                    ``(B) Identifying populations targeted by violent 
                extremist propaganda, messaging, or recruitment.
                    ``(C) Managing the outreach and engagement 
                activities of the Department directed toward 
                communities at risk for radicalization and recruitment 
                for violent extremist activities.
                    ``(D) Ensuring relevant information, empirically-
                valid research, and products inform activities to 
                counter violent extremism.
                    ``(E) Developing and maintaining a Department-wide 
                strategy guiding policies and programs to counter 
                violent extremism. Such strategy shall, at a minimum, 
                address each of the following:
                            ``(i) The Department's counter-messaging 
                        program pursuant to paragraph (2), including a 
                        plan to leverage new and existing Internet, 
                        digital, and other technologies and social 
                        media platforms to counter violent extremism, 
                        as well as the best practices and lessons 
                        learned of other Federal, State, local, tribal, 
                        territorial, nongovernmental, and foreign 
                        partners engaged in similar counter-messaging 
                        activities.
                            ``(ii) The Department's countering violent 
                        extremism-related engagement and outreach 
                        activities.
                            ``(iii) The use of cooperative agreements 
                        with State, local, tribal, territorial, and 
                        other Federal departments and agencies 
                        responsible for activities relating to 
                        countering violent extremism.
                            ``(iv) Ensuring all activities related to 
                        countering violent extremism fully respect the 
                        privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of 
                        all Americans.
                            ``(v) The development of qualitative and 
                        quantitative outcome-based metrics to evaluate 
                        the Department's programs and policies to 
                        counter violent extremism.
                    ``(F) Identifying and recommending new research and 
                analysis requirements in consultation with the Under 
                Secretary for Science and Technology and the Under 
                Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and ensure the 
                dissemination of information and methods to Federal, 
                State, local, tribal, and territorial countering 
                violent extremism practitioners, officials, law 
                enforcement, and non-governmental partners to utilize 
                such research and analysis.
                    ``(G) Assessing the methods used by violent 
                extremists to disseminate propaganda and messaging to 
                communities at risk for radicalization and recruitment.
            ``(2) Establishing a counter-messaging program to craft 
        strategic counter-messages to the propaganda and messaging 
        referred to in subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) which shall--
                    ``(A) explore ways to utilize relevant Internet and 
                other technologies and social media platforms; and
                    ``(B) maximize other resources available to the 
                Department, including utilizing hiring authorities 
                available under law.
            ``(3) Serving as the primary representative of the 
        Department in coordinating countering violent extremism 
        activities with other Federal departments and agencies and non-
        governmental organizations.
            ``(4) Serving as the primary Department-level 
        representative in coordinating with the Department of State on 
        international countering violent extremism issues.
            ``(5) In coordination with the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency and the Officer for Civil Rights 
        and Civil Liberties of the Department, providing guidance 
        regarding the use of grants made to State, local, and tribal 
        governments under sections 2003 and 2004 under the allowable 
        uses guidelines related to countering violent extremism.
            ``(6) Coordinating with the Administrator of the Federal 
        Emergency Management Agency to administer the grant program 
        under subsection (f).
    ``(e) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Assistant Secretary for 
Countering Violent Extremism shall enter into a memorandum of 
understanding with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency outlining the roles of the Assistant Secretary and 
the Administrator with respect to the administration of grants under 
sections 2003 and 2004 related to countering violent extremism.
    ``(f) Grant Program.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary for 
        Countering Violent Extremism, in coordination with the 
        Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 
        the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the 
        Department, shall establish a grant program for eligible 
        community groups and organizations to assist such groups and 
        organizations in establishing counter-messaging campaigns 
        targeting violent extremism.
            ``(2) Implementation plan.--Not later than 90 days after 
        the date of the enactment of this section, the Assistant 
        Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism, in coordination 
        with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
        Agency and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of 
        the Department, shall provide to the Committee on Homeland 
        Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
        Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an 
        implementation plan for the grant program under this 
        subsection, including eligibility criteria, application 
        criteria, methodology for awarding grants, and a plan for 
        monitoring and evaluating grant applications and awards.
            ``(3) Prohibition.--A community group or organization is 
        not eligible for a grant under this subsection if such group or 
        organization has knowingly funded violent extremist activities 
        or organizations known to engage in such activities, as 
        determined by the Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent 
        Extremism, in coordination with the heads of other relevant 
        Federal departments and agencies.
    ``(g) Annual Report.--The Assistant Secretary for Countering 
Violent Extremism shall submit to Congress an annual report for each of 
the next five fiscal years (beginning in the fiscal year that begins 
after the date of the enactment of this section) on the Office for 
Countering Violent Extremism. Each such report shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) A description of the status of the programs and 
        policies of the Department for countering violent extremism in 
        the United States, including the budget of the Department for 
        countering violent extremism and the number of full-time 
        employees dedicated to countering violent extremism programs, 
        as well as the number of part-time employees supporting 
        countering violent extremism programs. Each such budget shall 
        include an accounting of all funding amounts for all 
        departmental programs, initiatives, and personnel related to 
        countering violent extremism.
            ``(2) A description of the activities of the Office to 
        cooperate with and provide assistance to other departments and 
        agencies.
            ``(3) The qualitative and quantitative outcome-based 
        metrics under clause (v) of subsection (d)(1)(E) used for 
        evaluating the success of such programs and policies and the 
        steps taken to evaluate the success of such programs and 
        policies.
            ``(4) A detailed summary of the organizations with which 
        the Department conducted outreach to discuss countering violent 
        extremism, an accounting of grants awarded by the Department to 
        counter violent extremism, and an accounting of all training 
        specifically aimed at countering violent extremism sponsored by 
        the Department.
            ``(5) Details of the optimal level of personnel and funding 
        for the Office.
            ``(6) An analysis of how the Department's activities to 
        counter violent extremism correspond and adapt to the threat 
        environment.
            ``(7) A summary of how civil rights and civil liberties are 
        protected in the Department's activities to counter violent 
        extremism.
            ``(8) An evaluation of the grant program under subsection 
        (f), including information on the effectiveness of such grants 
        in countering violent extremism.
            ``(9) A description of how the Office incorporated lessons 
        learned from the countering violent extremism programs and 
        policies of other Foreign departments and agencies, as well as 
        foreign, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments and 
        stakeholder communities.
    ``(h) Violent Extremism Defined.--In this section, the term 
`violent extremism' means ideologically motivated terrorist activities.
    ``(i) Authorization of Funding.--Out of funds made available to the 
Office of the Secretary, $10,000,000 is authorized to be used for the 
Office for Countering Violent Extremism for each of fiscal years 2016 
through 2020, of which $6,000,000 shall be used to carry out the grant 
program under subsection (f).
    ``(j) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the date that is 
five years after the date of the enactment of this section.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 103 
the following new item:

``Sec. 104. Office for Countering Violent Extremism.''.