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[114th Congress Public Law 80]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]

[[Page 645]]

                    DHS SOCIAL MEDIA IMPROVEMENT ACT
                                 OF 2015

[[Page 129 STAT. 646]]

Public Law 114-80
114th Congress

                                 An Act

 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department 
of Homeland Security to establish a social media working group, and for 
          other purposes. <<NOTE: Nov. 5, 2015 -  [H.R. 623]>> 

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, <<NOTE: DHS Social Media 
Improvement Act of 2015.>> 
SECTION 1. <<NOTE: 6 USC 101 note.>> SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DHS Social Media Improvement Act of 
2015''.
SEC. 2. SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.

    (a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 318. <<NOTE: 6 USC 195d.>> SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the 
Department a social media working group (in this section referred to as 
the `Group').
    ``(b) Purpose.--In order to enhance the dissemination of information 
through social media technologies between the Department and appropriate 
stakeholders and to improve use of social media technologies in support 
of preparedness, response, and recovery, the Group shall identify, and 
provide guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and 
response community on, the use of social media technologies before, 
during, and after a natural disaster or an act of terrorism or other 
man-made disaster.
    ``(c) Membership.--
            ``(1) In general.--Membership of the Group shall be composed 
        of a cross section of subject matter experts from Federal, 
        State, local, tribal, territorial, and nongovernmental 
        organization practitioners, including representatives from the 
        following entities:
                    ``(A) The Office of Public Affairs of the 
                Department.
                    ``(B) The Office of the Chief Information Officer of 
                the Department.
                    ``(C) The Privacy Office of the Department.
                    ``(D) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
                    ``(E) The Office of Disability Integration and 
                Coordination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
                    ``(F) The American Red Cross.
                    ``(G) The Forest Service.
                    ``(H) The Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention.
                    ``(I) The United States Geological Survey.

[[Page 129 STAT. 647]]

                    ``(J) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration.
            ``(2) Chairperson; co-chairperson.--
                    ``(A) Chairperson.--The Secretary, or a designee of 
                the Secretary, shall serve as the chairperson of the 
                Group.
                    ``(B) Co-chairperson.--The chairperson shall 
                designate, on a rotating basis, a representative from a 
                State or local government who is a member of the Group 
                to serve as the co-chairperson of the Group.
            ``(3) Additional members.--The chairperson shall appoint, on 
        a rotating basis, qualified individuals to the Group. The total 
        number of such additional members shall--
                    ``(A) be equal to or greater than the total number 
                of regular members under paragraph (1); and
                    ``(B) include--
                          ``(i) not fewer than 3 representatives from 
                      the private sector; and
                          ``(ii) representatives from--
                                    ``(I) State, local, tribal, and 
                                territorial entities, including from--
                                            ``(aa) law enforcement;
                                            ``(bb) fire services;
                                            ``(cc) emergency management; 
                                        and
                                            ``(dd) public health 
                                        entities;
                                    ``(II) universities and academia; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) nonprofit disaster relief 
                                organizations.
            ``(4) Term limits.--The chairperson shall establish term 
        limits for individuals appointed to the Group under paragraph 
        (3).

    ``(d) Consultation With Non-members.--To the extent practicable, the 
Group shall work with entities in the public and private sectors to 
carry out subsection (b).
    ``(e) Meetings.--
            ``(1) <<NOTE: Deadline.>> Initial meeting.--Not later than 
        90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Group 
        shall hold its initial meeting.
            ``(2) Subsequent meetings.--After the initial meeting under 
        paragraph (1), the Group shall meet--
                    ``(A) at the call of the chairperson; and
                    ``(B) not less frequently than twice each year.
            ``(3) Virtual meetings.--Each meeting of the Group may be 
        held virtually.

    ``(f) Reports.--During each year in which the Group meets, the Group 
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that 
includes the following:
            ``(1) A review and analysis of current and emerging social 
        media technologies being used to support preparedness and 
        response activities related to natural disasters and acts of 
        terrorism and other man-made disasters.
            ``(2) A review of best practices and lessons learned on the 
        use of social media technologies during the response to natural 
        disasters and acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters 
        that occurred during the period covered by the report at issue.
            ``(3) Recommendations to improve the Department's use of 
        social media technologies for emergency management purposes.

[[Page 129 STAT. 648]]

            ``(4) Recommendations to improve public awareness of the 
        type of information disseminated through social media 
        technologies, and how to access such information, during a 
        natural disaster or an act of terrorism or other man-made 
        disaster.
            ``(5) A review of available training for Federal, State, 
        local, tribal, and territorial officials on the use of social 
        media technologies in response to a natural disaster or an act 
        of terrorism or other man-made disaster.
            ``(6) A review of coordination efforts with the private 
        sector to discuss and resolve legal, operational, technical, 
        privacy, and security concerns.

    ``(g) Duration of Group.--
            ``(1) <<NOTE: Certification.>> In general.--The Group shall 
        terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of 
        enactment of this section unless the chairperson renews the 
        Group for a successive 5-year period, prior to the date on which 
        the Group would otherwise terminate, by submitting to the 
        Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 
        Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
        Representatives a certification that the continued existence of 
        the Group is necessary to fulfill the purpose described in 
        subsection (b).
            ``(2) Continued renewal.--The chairperson may continue to 
        renew the Group for successive 5-year periods by submitting a 
        certification in accordance with paragraph (1) prior to the date 
        on which the Group would otherwise terminate.''.

    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item 
relating to section 317 the following:

``Sec. 318. Social media working group.''.

    Approved November 5, 2015.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--H.R. 623:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

SENATE REPORTS: No. 114-145 (Comm. on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs).
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 161 (2015):
            Feb. 2, considered and passed House.
            Oct. 7, considered and passed Senate, amended.
            Oct. 28, House concurred in Senate amendment.

                                  <all>
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