89–006 

116TH CONGRESS REPORT " ! HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 1st Session 116–95 

DHS OVERSEAS PERSONNEL ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2019 

MAY 30, 2019.—Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of 

the Union and ordered to be printed 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, from the Committee on Homeland 

Security, submitted the following 

R E P O R T 

[To accompany H.R. 2590] 

[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office] 

The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred the 

bill (H.R. 2590) to require a Department of Homeland Security 

overseas personnel enhancement plan, and for other purposes, having considered the same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill as amended do pass. 

CONTENTS 

Page 

Purpose and Summary ............................................................................................ 2 

Background and Need for Legislation .................................................................... 3 

Hearings ................................................................................................................... 3 

Committee Consideration ........................................................................................ 3 

Committee Votes ...................................................................................................... 4 

Committee Oversight Findings ............................................................................... 4 

C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and Tax 

Expenditures ........................................................................................................ 4 

Federal Mandates Statement .................................................................................

Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives .................................... 5 

Duplicative Federal Programs ................................................................................ 5 

Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff Benefits ... 5 

Federal Mandates Statement .................................................................................

Advisory Committee Statement ..............................................................................

Applicability to Legislative Branch ........................................................................

Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation ...................................................... 5 

The amendment is as follows: 

Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the following: 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 

2019’’. 


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SEC. 2. OVERSEAS PERSONNEL BRIEFING. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after submission of the comprehensive 

3-year strategy required under section 1910 of the National Defense Authorization 

Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328) and every 180 days thereafter, the 

Secretary of Homeland Security shall brief the Committee on Homeland Security of 

the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate regarding Department of Homeland Security personnel with primary duties that take place outside of the United States. 

(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The briefings required under subsection (a) shall include the 

following: 

(1) A detailed summary of, and deployment schedule for, each type of personnel position with primary duties that take place outside of the United States 

and how each such position contributes to the Department of Homeland Security’s counterterrorism mission. 

(2) Information related to how the geographic and regional placement of such 

positions contributes to the Department’s counterterrorism mission. 

(3) Information related to any risk mitigation plans for each geographic and 

regional placement, including to address counter-intelligence risks. 

(4) Information regarding the costs of deploying or maintaining personnel at 

each geographic and regional placement, including information on any costsharing agreement with foreign partners to cover a portion or all the costs relating to such deployment or maintenance. 

(5) Maintain and enhance practices to guard against counter-espionage and 

counter-intelligence threats, including cyber threats, associated with Department personnel. 

(6) Information regarding trends in foreign efforts to influence such personnel 

while deployed overseas to contribute to the Department’s counterterrorism mission. 

(7) Information related to the position-specific training received by such personnel before and during placement at a foreign location. 

(8) Challenges that may impede the communication of counterterrorism information between Department personnel at foreign locations and Department entities in the United States, including technical, resource, and administrative 

challenges. 

(9) The status of efforts to implement the strategy referred to in subsection 

(a). 

(10) The status of efforts (beginning with the second briefing required under 

this section) to implement the enhancement plan under section 3. 

SEC. 3. OVERSEAS PERSONNEL ENHANCEMENT PLAN. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the first briefing required under 

section 2, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the 

House and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

Senate a plan to enhance the effectiveness of Department of Homeland Security personnel at foreign locations. 

(b) PLAN REQUIREMENTS.—The plan required under subsection (a) shall include 

proposals to— 

(1) improve efforts of Department of Homeland Security personnel at foreign 

locations, as necessary, for purposes of providing foreign partner capacity development and furthering the Department’s counterterrorism mission; 

(2) as appropriate, redeploy Department personnel to respond to changing 

threats to the United States; 

(3) enhance collaboration among Department personnel at foreign locations, 

other Federal personnel at foreign locations, and foreign partners; 

(4) improve the communication of counterterrorism information between Department personnel at foreign locations and Department entities in the United 

States, including to address technical, resource, and administrative challenges; 

and 

(5) maintain practices to guard against counter-espionage threats associated 

with Department personnel. 

SEC. 4. TERMINATION. 

The briefing requirement under section 2 shall terminate on the date that is four 

years after the submission of the strategy referred to in such section. 

PURPOSE AND SUMMARY

H.R. 2590, the ‘‘DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 

2019,’’ supplements an existing Federal mandate, originally auVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Jun 01, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR095.XXX HR095

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thored by Chairman Thompson, that the Department of Homeland 

Security (DHS) have a three-year strategic plan for overseas deployment of DHS personnel. The bill requires regular congressional 

briefings regarding DHS personnel with primary duties overseas 

and implementation of the mandated strategic plan.μ Ninety days 

after the first briefing, H.R. 2590 requires DHS to submit a plan 

to enhance the effectiveness of the overseas deployments of DHS 

personnel to Congress and conduct subsequent congressional briefings on its implementation status. Providing this basic information 

to Congress will ensure Congress better understands how DHS is 

using limited resources and how Congress can best support the Department. 

BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION

In the 114th Congress, then-Ranking Member Bennie G. Thompson (D–MS) authored H.R. 4780, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Strategy for International Programs Act which requires DHS to submit an inventory of personnel and resources deployed abroad and a three-year strategic plan for overseas deployment of DHS personnel to the appropriate Senate and House committees. This bill was later signed into law through the National 

Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in December 2016. DHS has 

failed to meet the statutorily required timeframe to provide their 

three-year strategic plan for overseas deployments to the committee; 

As introduced by Representative John Katko (R–NY, H.R 2590, 

the ‘‘DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019,’’ builds 

upon this mandate by requiring the Department to brief the appropriate Senate and House oversight committees on a regular basis 

about DHS personnel deployed overseas and conduct subsequent 

briefings on their plans to more effectively deploy personnel. 

As amended, this legislation will ensure DHS is regularly informing Congress of planned deployment schedules for overseas positions, any plans or efforts to mitigate safety risks along with cyber 

or counter-intelligence threats to DHS personnel living abroad, and 

the cost of deploying personnel along with cost-sharing agreements 

with foreign partners. 

Given persistent staff shortages in critical mission spaces within 

the Department, it is imperative that DHS is using limited resources effectively and efficiently. H.R. 2590 would ensure Congress is provided with basic information about DHS overseas personnel to ensure the various component missions are carried out in 

a strategic manner. 

HEARINGS

The Committee did not hold any legislative hearings on H.R. 

2590 in the 116th Congress. 

COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

The Committee met on May 15, 2019, to consider H.R. 2590 and 

ordered the measure to be reported to the House with a favorable 

recommendation, as amended, by unanimous consent. 


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COMMITTEE VOTES

Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments thereto. 

No recorded votes were requested during consideration of H.R. 

2590. 

COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS

In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules of the 

House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the findings 

and recommendations of the Committee, based on oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the descriptive portions of this report. 

CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, 

ENTITLEMENT AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES

With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule XIII of 

the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 308(a) of the 

Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect to requirements 

of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act of 

1974, the Committee adopts as its own the estimate of the estimate 

of new budget authority, entitlement authority, or tax expenditures 

or revenues contained in the cost estimate prepared by the Director 

of the Congressional Budget Office. 

On May 15, the House Committee on Homeland Security ordered 

reported the following bills: 

• H.R. 542, the Supporting Research and Development for 

First Responders Act, which would codify laboratory programs 

that currently exist at the Department of Homeland Security 

(DHS); 

• H.R. 2589, the Unifying DHS Intelligence Enterprise Act, 

which would direct DHS to manage and provide guidance for 

the use of intelligence throughout the department; 


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• H.R. 2590, the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act 

of 2019, which would require DHS to devise a plan to improve 

the effectiveness of department personnel who are stationed at 

foreign locations; • H.R. 2609, the DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2019, 

which would direct the department to establish a board to review major acquisition programs and enhance accountability 

and uniformity in the review process for DHS acquisitions; and • H.R. 2621, the Homeland Security Assessment of Terrorists Use of Ghost Guns Act, which would require DHS to evaluate the threat posed by firearms without unique serial numbers. 

DHS is currently carrying out activities similar to those required 

by the bills listed above, and any new activities required under the 

legislation would not require substantial action by the department. 

Thus, CBO estimates that implementing each bill would not significantly affect spending by DHS. 

The CBO staff contact for these estimates is Mark Grabowicz. 

The estimates were reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis. 

DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS

The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office 

pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act. 

PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The Committee states that pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII 

of the Rules of the House of Representatives, H.R. 2590 would require the Department of Homeland Security to regularly brief the 

appropriate Senate and House committees on Department personnel deployed overseas and their efforts to more effectively deploy them. 

ADVISORY ON EARMARKS

In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in 

clause 9(d), 9(c), or 9(f) of the rule XXI. 

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION

Section 1. Short title 

This section provides that this bill may be cited as the ‘‘DHS 

Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019’’. 

Sec. 2. Overseas personnel briefing 

This section requires DHS to brief the appropriate Senate and 

House authorizing committees regarding the deployment of DHS 

personnel overseas not later than 90 days after submitting the 

comprehensive three-year strategy for deployment of personnel 

overseas for vetting and screening (as required under Public Law 

114–328). 

This section also describes the information the Committees will 

expect to be provided in this briefing, which must include the folVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:26 Jun 01, 2019 Jkt 089006 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6602 E:\HR\OC\HR095.XXX HR095

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lowing: a description for each overseas personnel position and its 

deployment schedule; how deployment locations support the Department’s counterterrorism mission; any training received by personnel overseas; any challenges regarding information sharing; the 

implementation status of the mandate three-year deployment strategy; and the status of enhancement plan under section 3 of this 

act. 

Sec. 3. Overseas personnel enhancement plan 

This section requires that not later than 90 days after the first 

briefing required under section 2, DHS must submit to the appropriate Senate and House authorizing committees a plan to enhance 

the effectiveness of Department personnel at foreign posts. This 

plan must include proposals to carry out the following: improve the 

efforts to build foreign partners’ capacity; redeploy personnel in response to changing threats; enhance collaboration among Department personnel, other federal personnel and foreign partners, including the communication of counterterrorism information to address challenges; and practices to guard against cyber and counterespionage threats directed at Department personnel abroad. 

Sec. 4. Termination 

This section states that that briefing requirement will only be required for the four years after the submission of the underlying, 

mandated strategy cited in section 2. 

Æ 


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