I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 7439 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary 

of Homeland Security to prioritize strengthening of State and local 

law enforcement capabilities to combat transnational repression and related terrorism threats, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 23, 2024 

Mr. MAGAZINER (for himself, Mr. D’ESPOSITO, Mr. PFLUGER, and Mr. GOLDMAN of New York) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee 

on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 

the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require 

the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize 

strengthening of State and local law enforcement capabilities to combat transnational repression and related 

terrorism threats, and for other purposes. 

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


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Strengthening State 

3 and Local Efforts to Combat Transnational Repression 

4 Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. COMBATING TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of title IV of the 

7 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 231 et seq.) 

8 is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 437. STRENGTHENING STATE AND LOCAL LAW EN10 FORCEMENT EFFORTS TO COMBAT 

11 TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION AND RELATED 

12 TERRORISM THREATS. 

13 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation 

14 with public and private sector stakeholders, shall in a 

15 manner consistent with the protection of privacy rights, 

16 civil rights, and civil liberties, develop, through the Fed17 eral Law Enforcement Training Centers, a training pro18 gram to enhance the capabilities of State, local, Tribal, 

19 and territorial law enforcement personnel, including per20 sonnel of the National Network of Fusion Centers, to com21 bat transnational repression and related terrorism threats. 

22 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The training provided pursu23 ant to subsection (a) shall relate to the following: 

24 ‘‘(1) Identifying instances of transnational re25 pression and related terrorism threats. 


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1 ‘‘(2) Types of information that should be col2 lected and recorded in information technology sys3 tems to help identify suspected perpetrators of 

4 transnational repression and related terrorism 

5 threats. 

6 ‘‘(3) Identifying suspected targets or victims of 

7 transnational repression and related terrorism 

8 threats. 

9 ‘‘(4) Personal safety best practices for individ10 uals and communities that may be targets or are vic11 tims of transnational repression and related ter12 rorism threats to prevent and mitigate transnational 

13 repression and related terrorism threats and ensure 

14 that such targets and victims are afforded prompt 

15 information about and access to victim support re16 sources, including such resources offered by the Cy17 bersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and 

18 the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, to ad19 dress their immediate and long-term needs. 

20 ‘‘(c) COMMUNITY AWARENESS BRIEFINGS.—The Of21 ficer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties shall engage with 

22 State, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement per23 sonnel, including personnel of the National Network of 

24 Fusion Centers, and individuals and communities that 

25 may be targets or are victims of transnational repression 


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1 and related terrorism threats, including by informing such 

2 individuals and communities about how to identify 

3 transnational repression and related terrorism threats and 

4 protect against transnational repression and related ter5 rorism threats. 

6 ‘‘(d) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 ‘‘(1) PERSONAL SAFETY BEST PRACTICES.— 

8 The term ‘personal safety best practices’ means 

9 measures for enhancing individuals’ and commu10 nities’ physical security, situational awareness, and 

11 online security. 

12 ‘‘(2) TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION.—The term 

13 ‘transnational repression’ means actions of a foreign 

14 government, or an individual or entity working on 

15 behalf or at the direction of a foreign government, 

16 involving the transgression of national borders 

17 through physical, digital, or analog means to intimi18 date, silence, coerce, harass, or harm individuals or 

19 communities in order to prevent their exercise of 

20 freedom of speech, expression, religion, or assem21 bly.’’. 

22 (b) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.—The Secretary 

23 of Homeland Security shall coordinate with the Under 

24 Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department 

25 of Homeland Security to— 


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1 (1) carry out research and development of a 

2 technology to enhance participation rates in training 

3 offered to other State, local, Tribal, and territorial 

4 law enforcement personnel, including personnel of 

5 the National Network of Fusion Centers, for the 

6 purpose of enhancing domestic preparedness for and 

7 collective response to transnational repression and 

8 related terrorism threats and other homeland secu9 rity threats; and 

10 (2) share information relating to researching 

11 and developing methods for identifying instances, 

12 suspected targets, and victims of transnational re13 pression and related terrorism threats, and methods 

14 for collecting and recording information to help iden15 tify suspected perpetrators of transnational repres16 sion and related terrorism threats. 

17 (c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 

18 than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

19 the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 

20 to Congress a report on the implementation of section 437 

21 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by sub22 section (a). 

23 (d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

24 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 


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1 amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

2 436 the following new item: 

‘‘Sec. 437. Strengthening State and local law enforcement efforts to combat 

transnational repression and related terrorism threats.’’. 

Æ 


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