# United States Code/Title 6/Chapter 1/Subchapter I

From the Cornell Law School U.S. Code Collection

### § 111. Executive Departments; mission

    (a) Establishment
There is established a Department of Homeland Security, as an executive department of the United States within the meaning of title 5.
    (b) Mission
       (1) In general
The primary mission of the Department is to— (A) prevent terrorist attacks within the United States; (B) reduce the vulnerability of the United States to terrorism; (C) minimize the damage, and assist in the recovery, from terrorist attacks that do occur within the United States; (D) carry out all functions of entities transferred to the Department, including by acting as a focal point regarding natural and manmade crises and emergency planning; (E) ensure that the functions of the agencies and subdivisions within the Department that are not related directly to securing the homeland are not diminished or neglected except by a specific explicit Act of Congress; (F) ensure that the overall economic security of the United States is not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland; (G) ensure that the civil rights and civil liberties of persons are not diminished by efforts, activities, and programs aimed at securing the homeland; and (H) monitor connections between illegal drug trafficking and terrorism, coordinate efforts to sever such connections, and otherwise contribute to efforts to interdict illegal drug trafficking.
       (2) Responsibility for investigating and prosecuting terrorism
Except as specifically provided by law with respect to entities transferred to the Department under this chapter, primary responsibility for investigating and prosecuting acts of terrorism shall be vested not in the Department, but rather in Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the acts in question.

### § 112. Secretary; functions

(a) Secretary
       (1) In general
There is a Secretary of Homeland Security, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
       (2) Head of Department
The Secretary is the head of the Department and shall have direction, authority, and control over it.
       (3) Functions vested in Secretary
All functions of all officers, employees, and organizational units of the Department are vested in the Secretary. (b) Functions The Secretary—
       (1) except as otherwise provided by this chapter, may delegate any of the Secretary’s functions to any officer, employee, or organizational unit of the Department;
       (2) shall have the authority to make contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements, and to enter into agreements with other executive agencies, as may be necessary and proper to carry out the Secretary’s responsibilities under this chapter or otherwise provided by law; and
       (3) shall take reasonable steps to ensure that information systems and databases of the Department are compatible with each other and with appropriate databases of other Departments.
(c) Coordination with non-Federal entities With respect to homeland security, the Secretary shall coordinate through the Office of State and Local Coordination [1] (established under section 361 of this title) (including the provision of training and equipment) with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, with the private sector, and with other entities, including by—
       (1) coordinating with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, and with the private sector, to ensure adequate planning, equipment, training, and exercise activities;
       (2) coordinating and, as appropriate, consolidating, the Federal Government’s communications and systems of communications relating to homeland security with State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities, the private sector, other entities, and the public; and
       (3) distributing or, as appropriate, coordinating the distribution of, warnings and information to State and local government personnel, agencies, and authorities and to the public.
(d) Meetings of National Security Council The Secretary may, subject to the direction of the President, attend and participate in meetings of the National Security Council. (e) Issuance of regulations The issuance of regulations by the Secretary shall be governed by the provisions of chapter 5 of title 5, except as specifically provided in this chapter, in laws granting regulatory authorities that are transferred by this chapter, and in laws enacted after November 25, 2002. (f) Special Assistant to the Secretary The Secretary shall appoint a Special Assistant to the Secretary who shall be responsible for—
       (1) creating and fostering strategic communications with the private sector to enhance the primary mission of the Department to protect the American homeland;
       (2) advising the Secretary on the impact of the Department’s policies, regulations, processes, and actions on the private sector;
       (3) interfacing with other relevant Federal agencies with homeland security missions to assess the impact of these agencies’ actions on the private sector;
       (4) creating and managing private sector advisory councils composed of representatives of industries and associations designated by the Secretary to—
(A) advise the Secretary on private sector products, applications, and solutions as they relate to homeland security challenges; (B) advise the Secretary on homeland security policies, regulations, processes, and actions that affect the participating industries and associations; and (C) advise the Secretary on private sector preparedness issues, including effective methods for—
          (i) promoting voluntary preparedness standards to the private sector; and
          (ii) assisting the private sector in adopting voluntary preparedness standards;
       (5) working with Federal laboratories, federally funded research and development centers, other federally funded organizations, academia, and the private sector to develop innovative approaches to address homeland security challenges to produce and deploy the best available technologies for homeland security missions;
       (6) promoting existing public-private partnerships and developing new public-private partnerships to provide for collaboration and mutual support to address homeland security challenges;
       (7) assisting in the development and promotion of private sector best practices to secure critical infrastructure;
       (8) providing information to the private sector regarding voluntary preparedness standards and the business justification for preparedness and promoting to the private sector the adoption of voluntary preparedness standards;
       (9) coordinating industry efforts, with respect to functions of the Department of Homeland Security, to identify private sector resources and capabilities that could be effective in supplementing Federal, State, and local government agency efforts to prevent or respond to a terrorist attack;
       (10) coordinating with the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security and the Assistant Secretary for Trade Development of the Department of Commerce on issues related to the travel and tourism industries; and
       (11) consulting with the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness on all matters of concern to the private sector, including the tourism industry.
(g) Standards policy All standards activities of the Department shall be conducted in accordance with section 12(d) of the National Technology Transfer Advancement Act of 1995 (15 U.S.C. 272 note ) and Office of Management and Budget Circular A–119.

### § 113. Other Officers

(a) Deputy Secretary; Under Secretaries There are the following officers, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate:
       (1) A Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, who shall be the Secretary’s first assistant for purposes of subchapter III of chapter 33 of title 5.
       (2) An Under Secretary for Science and Technology.
       (3) An Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security.
       (4) An Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
       (5) A Director of the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
       (6) An Under Secretary for Management.
       (7) A Director of the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement.
       (8) An Under Secretary responsible for overseeing critical infrastructure protection, cybersecurity, and other related programs of the Department.
       (9) Not more than 12 Assistant Secretaries.
       (10) A General Counsel, who shall be the chief legal officer of the Department.
(b) Inspector General There shall be in the Department an Office of Inspector General and an Inspector General at the head of such office, as provided in the Inspector General Act of 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.). (c) Commandant of the Coast Guard To assist the Secretary in the performance of the Secretary’s functions, there is a Commandant of the Coast Guard, who shall be appointed as provided in section 44 of title 14 and who shall report directly to the Secretary. In addition to such duties as may be provided in this chapter and as assigned to the Commandant by the Secretary, the duties of the Commandant shall include those required by section 2 of title 14. (d) Other officers To assist the Secretary in the performance of the Secretary’s functions, there are the following officers, appointed by the President:
    (1) A Director of the Secret Service.
    (2) A Chief Information Officer.
       (3) An Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
       (4) A Director for Domestic Nuclear Detection.
       (e) Chief Financial Officer
There shall be in the Department a Chief Financial Officer, as provided in chapter 9 of title 31. (f) Performance of specific functions Subject to the provisions of this chapter, every officer of the Department shall perform the functions specified by law for the official’s office or prescribed by the Secretary.

### § 114. Sensitive Security Information

Using funds made available in this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall provide that each office within the Department that handles documents marked as Sensitive Security Information (SSI) shall have at least one employee in that office with authority to coordinate and make determinations on behalf of the agency that such documents meet the criteria for marking as SSI: Provided, That not later than December 31, 2005, the Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives: (1) Department-wide policies for designating, coordinating and marking documents as SSI; (2) Department-wide auditing and accountability procedures for documents designated and marked as SSI; (3) the total number of SSI Coordinators within the Department; and (4) the total number of staff authorized to designate SSI documents within the Department: Provided further, That not later than January 31, 2006, the Secretary shall provide to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives the title of all DHS documents that are designated as SSI in their entirety during the period October 1, 2005, through December 31, 2005: Provided further, That not later than January 31 of each succeeding year, starting on January 31, 2007, the Secretary shall provide annually a similar report to the Committees on Appropriations of the Senate and the House of Representatives on the titles of all DHS documents that are designated as SSI in their entirety during the period of January 1 through December 31 for the preceding year: Provided further, That the Secretary shall promulgate guidance that includes common but extensive examples of SSI that further define the individual categories of information cited under 49 CFR 1520(b)(1) through (16) and eliminates judgment by covered persons in the application of the SSI marking: Provided further, That such guidance shall serve as the primary basis and authority for the marking of DHS information as SSI by covered persons.

### § 115. Trade and customs revenue functions of the Department

(a) Trade and customs revenue functions
    (1) Designation of appropriate official
The Secretary shall designate an appropriate senior official in the office of the Secretary who shall—
       (A) ensure that the trade and customs revenue functions of the Department are coordinated within the Department and with other Federal departments and agencies, and that the impact on legitimate trade is taken into account in any action impacting the functions; and
       (B) monitor and report to Congress on the Department’s mandate to ensure that the trade and customs revenue functions of the Department are not diminished, including how spending, operations, and personnel related to these functions have kept pace with the level of trade entering the United States.
    (2) Director of Trade Policy
There shall be a Director of Trade Policy (in this subsection referred to as the “Director”), who shall be subject to the direction and control of the official designated pursuant to paragraph (1). The Director shall—
       (A) advise the official designated pursuant to paragraph (1) regarding all aspects of Department policies relating to the trade and customs revenue functions of the Department;
       (B) coordinate the development of Department-wide policies regarding trade and customs revenue functions and trade facilitation; and
       (C) coordinate the trade and customs revenue-related policies of the Department with the policies of other Federal departments and agencies.
(b) Study; report
    (1) In general
The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study evaluating the extent to which the Department of Homeland Security is meeting its obligations under section 212 (b) of this title with respect to the maintenance of customs revenue functions.
    (2) Analysis
The study shall include an analysis of—
       (A) the extent to which the customs revenue functions carried out by the former United States Customs Service have been consolidated with other functions of the Department (including the assignment of noncustoms revenue functions to personnel responsible for customs revenue collection), discontinued, or diminished following the transfer of the United States Customs Service to the Department;
       (B) the extent to which staffing levels or resources attributable to customs revenue functions have decreased since the transfer of the United States Customs Service to the Department; and
       (C) the extent to which the management structure created by the Department ensures effective trade facilitation and customs revenue collection.
    (3) Report
Not later than 180 days after October 13, 2006, the Comptroller General shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the results of the study conducted under subsection (a).
    (4) Maintenance of functions
Not later than September 30, 2007, the Secretary shall ensure that the requirements of section 212 (b) of this title are fully satisfied and shall report to the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives regarding implementation of this paragraph.
    (5) Definition
In this section, the term “customs revenue functions” means the functions described in section 212 (b)(2) of this title. (c) Consultation on trade and customs revenue functions
    (1) Business community consultations
The Secretary shall consult with representatives of the business community involved in international trade, including seeking the advice and recommendations of the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee, on Department policies and actions that have a significant impact on international trade and customs revenue functions.
    (2) Congressional consultation and notification
       (A) In general
Subject to subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall notify the appropriate congressional committees not later than 30 days prior to the finalization of any Department policies, initiatives, or actions that will have a major impact on trade and customs revenue functions. Such notifications shall include a description of the proposed policies, initiatives, or actions and any comments or recommendations provided by the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee and other relevant groups regarding the proposed policies, initiatives, or actions.
       (B) Exception
If the Secretary determines that it is important to the national security interest of the United States to finalize any Department policies, initiatives, or actions prior to the consultation described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall—
          (i) notify and provide any recommendations of the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee received to the appropriate congressional committees not later than 45 days after the date on which the policies, initiatives, or actions are finalized; and
          (ii) to the extent appropriate, modify the policies, initiatives, or actions based upon the consultations with the appropriate congressional committees.
(d) Notification of reorganization of customs revenue functions
    (1) In general
Not less than 45 days prior to any change in the organization of any of the customs revenue functions of the Department, the Secretary shall notify the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Finance, and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, and the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives of the specific assets, functions, or personnel to be transferred as part of such reorganization, and the reason for such transfer. The notification shall also include—
       (A) an explanation of how trade enforcement functions will be impacted by the reorganization;
       (B) an explanation of how the reorganization meets the requirements of section 212 (b) of this title that the Department not diminish the customs revenue and trade facilitation functions formerly performed by the United States Customs Service; and
       (C) any comments or recommendations provided by the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee regarding such reorganization.
    (2) Analysis
Any congressional committee referred to in paragraph (1) may request that the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee provide a report to the committee analyzing the impact of the reorganization and providing any recommendations for modifying the reorganization.
    (3) Report
Not later than 1 year after any reorganization referred to in paragraph (1) takes place, the Secretary, in consultation with the Commercial Operations Advisory Committee, shall submit a report to the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives. Such report shall include an assessment of the impact of, and any suggested modifications to, such reorganization.