II 

Calendar No. 579 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4656 

[Report No. 117–222] 

To reauthorize and amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to create 

stronger accountability mechanisms for Joint Task Forces. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 28, 2022 

Mr. PETERS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

DECEMBER 5, 2022 

Reported by Mr. PETERS, with an amendment 

[Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and amend the Homeland Security Act of 

2002 to create stronger accountability mechanisms for 

Joint Task Forces. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DHS Joint Task 

5 Forces Reauthorization Act of 2022’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AMENDING SECTION 708 OF THE HOMELAND SECU2 RITY ACT OF 2002. 

3 SEC. 2. SENSE OF THE SENATE. 

4 It is the sense of the Senate that the Department of 

5 Homeland Security should consider using the authority 

6 under subsection (b) of section 708 of the Homeland Secu7 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 348(b)) to create a Joint Task 

8 Force described in such subsection to improve coordination 

9 and response to the number of encounters and amount of 

10 seizures of illicit narcotics along the southwest border. 

11 SEC. 3. AMENDING SECTION 708 OF THE HOMELAND SECU12 RITY ACT OF 2002. 

13 Section 708(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

14 (6 U.S.C. 348(b)) is amended— 

15 (1) by striking paragraph (8) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(8) JOINT TASK FORCE STAFF.— 

18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Joint Task 

19 Force shall have a staff, composed of officials 

20 from relevant components and offices of the De21 partment, to assist the Director of that Joint 

22 Task Force in carrying out the mission and re23 sponsibilities of that Joint Task Force. 

24 ‘‘(B) REPORT.—The Secretary shall in25 clude in the report submitted under paragraph 

26 (6)(F)— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the number of personnel perma2 nently assigned to each Joint Task Force 

3 by each component and office; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) the number of personnel assigned 

5 on a temporary basis to each Joint Task 

6 Force by each component and office.’’; 

7 (2) in paragraph (9)— 

8 (A) in the heading, by inserting ‘‘STRAT9 EGY AND OF’’ after ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT OF’’; 

10 (B) by striking subparagraph (A) and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(A) using leading practices in perform13 ance management and lessons learned by other 

14 law enforcement task forces and joint oper15 ations, establish a strategy for each Joint Task 

16 Force that contains— 

17 ‘‘(i) the mission of each Joint Task 

18 Force and strategic goals and objectives to 

19 assist the Joint Task Force in accom20 plishing that mission; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) outcome-based and other appro22 priate performance metrics to evaluate the 

23 effectiveness of each Joint Task Force and 

24 measure progress towards the goals and 


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1 objectives described in clause (i), which in2 clude— 

3 ‘‘(I) targets for current and fu4 ture fiscal years; and 

5 ‘‘(II) a description of the meth6 odology used to establish those 

7 metrics and any limitations with re8 spect to data or information used to 

9 assess performance;’’; 

10 (C) in subparagraph (B)— 

11 (i) by striking ‘‘enactment of this sec12 tion’’ and insert ‘‘enactment of the DHS 

13 Joint Task Forces Reauthorization Act of 

14 2022’’; 

15 (ii) by inserting ‘‘strategy and’’ after 

16 ‘‘Senate the’’; and 

17 (iii) by striking the period at the end 

18 and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

19 (D) by striking subparagraph (C) and in20 serting the following: 

21 ‘‘(C) beginning not later than 1 year after 

22 the date of enactment of the DHS Joint Task 

23 Forces Reauthorization Act of 2022, submit an24 nually to each committee specified in subpara25 graph (B) a report that— 


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1 ‘‘(i) contains the evaluation described 

2 in subparagraphs (A) and (B); and 

3 ‘‘(ii) outlines the progress in imple4 menting outcome-based and other perform5 ance metrics referred to in subparagraph 

6 (A)(ii).’’; 

7 (3) in paragraph (11)(A), by striking the period 

8 at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘, which shall 

9 include— 

10 ‘‘(i) the justification, focus, and mis11 sion of the Joint Task Force; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) a strategy for the conduct of the 

13 Joint Task Force, including goals and per14 formance metrics for the Joint Task 

15 Force.’’; 

16 (4) in paragraph (12)— 

17 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘Jan18 uary 31, 2018, and January 31, 2021, the In19 spector General of the Department’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘1 year after the date of enactment of the 

21 DHS Joint Task Forces Reauthorization Act of 

22 2022, the Comptroller General of the United 

23 States’’; and 

24 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

25 clauses (i) and (ii) and inserting the following: 


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1 ‘‘(i) an assessment of the structure of 

2 each Joint Task Force; 

3 ‘‘(ii) an assessment of the effective4 ness of oversight over each Joint Task 

5 Force; 

6 ‘‘(iii) an assessment of the strategy of 

7 each Joint Task Force; and 

8 ‘‘(iv) an assessment of staffing levels 

9 and resources of each Joint Task Force.’’; 

10 and 

11 (5) in paragraph (13), by striking ‘‘2022’’ and 

12 inserting ‘‘2024’’. 


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Calendar No. 579 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4656 

[Report No. 117–222] 

A BILL 

To reauthorize and amend the Homeland Security 

mechanisms for Joint Task Forces. Act of 2002 to create stronger accountability 

DECEMBER 5, 2022 

Reported with an amendment 


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