II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2158 

To establish a National Homeland Security Academy within the Department 

of Homeland Security. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 21, 2005 

Mr. LIEBERMAN (for himself and Ms. COLLINS) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish a National Homeland Security Academy within 

the Department of Homeland Security. 

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 ‘‘National Homeland 

5 Security Academy Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) homeland security poses a complex chal9 lenge for the Nation that can only be successfully 
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1 addressed by the combined effort of Federal, State, 

2 and local governments and the private sector; 

3 (2) the United States fields a dedicated work4 force to provide homeland security, but lacks a co5 ordinated homeland security education system that 

6 links a strategy-based education with hands on 

7 training and real time simulation, and fails to make 

8 such a system available to the appropriate govern9 ment and private sector personnel on a wide scale; 

10 (3) officials at all levels of government should 

11 understand the strategic mission of the Department 

12 of Homeland Security, and have access to continuing 

13 education and hands-on training exercises; 

14 (4) the development of a program of profes15 sional education and training that links strategy and 

16 training, and coordinates current training among the 

17 many academies and training facilities that fall 

18 under the jurisdiction of the Department of Home19 land Security, is essential to meeting the goals and 

20 intent of the Homeland Security Act of 2002; 

21 (5) lessons learned from the Department of 

22 Homeland Security’s Top Official Exercises 

23 (TOPOFF), and the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, 

24 demonstrate there is a need to build up institutional 

25 knowledge within the Department and cultivate lead-
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1 ers capable of guiding the Department and the Na2 tion when catastrophic incidents occur; 

3 (6) modern information technologies provide 

4 uniquely powerful tools for ensuring that material is 

5 presented in a way that facilitates rapid and effec6 tive learning for a diverse student body, material 

7 being taught is continuously upgraded and reviewed, 

8 and training is available anytime and anywhere it is 

9 needed; and 

10 (7) as the Homeland Security Act of 2002 

11 brought together a number of Federal agencies with 

12 specific and often nonrelated functions to form a 

13 single department, the National Homeland Security 

14 Academy will draw upon the expertise of a variety 

15 of existing academic institutions and innovative pro16 grams to educate our homeland security workforce. 

17 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATIONAL HOMELAND SECU18 RITY ACADEMY. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title VIII of the Homeland Secu20 rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 361 et seq.) is amended by 

21 adding after section 801 the following: 

22 ‘‘SEC. 802. NATIONAL HOMELAND SECURITY ACADEMY. 

23 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

24 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary— 
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1 ‘‘(A) shall establish the National Home2 land Security Academy (referred to in this sec3 tion as the ‘Academy’) within the Office of 

4 State and Local Government Coordination and 

5 Preparedness of the Department; and 

6 ‘‘(B) may enter into cooperative agree7 ments with other agencies or entities to utilize 

8 space and provide for the lease of real property 

9 for the Academy or any component of the Acad10 emy. 

11 ‘‘(2) COMPOSITION.—The Academy shall con12 sist of— 

13 ‘‘(A) the National Homeland Security 

14 Education and Strategy Center (referred to in 

15 this section as the ‘Strategy Center’) to provide 

16 fundamental instruction and develop a home17 land security curriculum focusing primarily on 

18 the Federal Government’s overall strategy, 

19 goals, methods, and techniques; 

20 ‘‘(B) a communications network capable of 

21 delivering distance learning opportunities, at 

22 the direction of the Strategy Center; 

23 ‘‘(C) the programs of the Office of State 

24 and Local Government Coordination and Pre25 paredness’ Center for Homeland Defense and 
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1 Security located at the Naval Postgraduate 

2 School, and such programs shall be incor3 porated into the Academy in a manner to be de4 termined by the Secretary; and 

5 ‘‘(D) the National Homeland Security 

6 Education Network, which— 

7 ‘‘(i) shall be composed of representa8 tives from all of the academies and train9 ing centers within the jurisdiction of the 

10 Department; 

11 ‘‘(ii) shall work with the Academy to 

12 develop a standardized homeland security 

13 curriculum to be incorporated, as appro14 priate, at each academy and training cen15 ter to ensure that the focus of the indi16 vidual centers is coordinated with the cen17 tralized educational strategies and goals of 

18 the Academy; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) shall not affect the respective 

20 missions and goals of the participating 

21 academies and training centers. 

22 ‘‘(3) MISSION.—The mission of the Academy 

23 shall be to— 

24 ‘‘(A) establish an educational system to— 
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1 ‘‘(i) cultivate leaders in homeland se2 curity; and 

3 ‘‘(ii) ensure that Federal, State, local, 

4 tribal, and private sector officials get the 

5 full range of skills needed to provide robust 

6 homeland security; 

7 ‘‘(B) provide strategic education and train8 ing to carry out the missions of the Department 

9 of Homeland Security; 

10 ‘‘(C) provide cross-disciplinary and joint 

11 education and training to Federal, State, and 

12 local government officials responsible for the di13 rect application and execution of vital homeland 

14 security missions; and 

15 ‘‘(D) focus primarily on shorter-term class16 es and exercises to maximize participation by 

17 the homeland security community. 

18 ‘‘(4) ENROLLMENT TARGET.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Strategy Center 

20 shall have an initial annual enrollment target of 

21 1,000 resident students, as described in sub22 section (b)(3)(A). 

23 ‘‘(B) NON-RESIDENT STUDENTS.—The en24 rollment target under subparagraph (A) does 

25 not include non-resident students, including 
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1 students who participate in electronic learning 

2 systems. 

3 ‘‘(5) RESPONSIBILITIES.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to pro5 viding traditional course work and hands-on 

6 training exercises, the Academy shall encourage 

7 the development and use of modern technology 

8 to ensure that the training offered at the Acad9 emy, and to organizations and individuals re10 ceiving instruction over electronic learning sys11 tems— 

12 ‘‘(i) is tailored to the unique needs of 

13 the individuals and groups that need train14 ing; 

15 ‘‘(ii) efficiently uses such technology; 

16 and 

17 ‘‘(iii) translates directly into practical 

18 skills. 

19 ‘‘(B) INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS.—The 

20 Academy shall develop instructional require21 ments for courses related to its mission that are 

22 supported with materials that are adequately 

23 reviewed and continuously updated. 

24 ‘‘(C) CERTIFICATION.— 
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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Academy may 

2 establish certification criteria for students 

3 in areas related to its mission, in consulta4 tion with the Network established under 

5 subsection (e). 

6 ‘‘(ii) RECERTIFICATION.—The criteria 

7 established under clause (i) shall include 

8 requirements for recertification and ensure 

9 the availability of needed assessment tools. 

10 ‘‘(D) INFORMATION REPOSITORY.—The 

11 Academy shall provide a repository of approved 

12 instructional materials, instructional software, 

13 and other materials that are easily accessible by 

14 participants. 

15 ‘‘(E) COMMUNICATION NETWORKS.—The 

16 Academy shall certify, and operate, if necessary, 

17 a secure, reliable communication system capable 

18 of delivering instructional materials to partici19 pants at any time and place. 

20 ‘‘(F) INSTRUCTION AND EXPERTISE.—The 

21 Academy shall certify instructors, experts, coun22 selors, and other individuals who can provide 

23 answers and advice to students over commu24 nication systems. 

25 ‘‘(6) STRATEGY CENTER.— 
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1 ‘‘(A) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Strategy 

2 Center shall— 

3 ‘‘(i) provide curriculum development 

4 and classroom instruction for resident stu5 dents that focus on the strategic goals, 

6 methods, and techniques for homeland se7 curity; 

8 ‘‘(ii) provide instruction— 

9 ‘‘(I) primarily to Federal employ10 ees described under subsection 

11 (b)(3)(A) with homeland security re12 sponsibilities; and 

13 ‘‘(II) to small numbers of State 

14 and local government officials and pri15 vate individuals; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) direct the operation of the Acad17 emy’s electronic learning systems. 

18 ‘‘(B) CURRICULUM.—The curriculum 

19 taught at the Strategy Center shall— 

20 ‘‘(i) include basic education about 

21 homeland security, the Department, and 

22 the relationship of the directorates within 

23 the Department; 

24 ‘‘(ii) include the relationship between 

25 the Department and other Federal, State, 
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1 and local agencies with homeland security 

2 responsibilities; and 

3 ‘‘(iii) be developed with assistance 

4 from the National Homeland Security 

5 Education Network. 

6 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATION.— 

7 ‘‘(1) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Secretary 

8 shall appoint an Executive Director for the Acad9 emy, who shall— 

10 ‘‘(A) administer the operations of the 

11 Academy; 

12 ‘‘(B) establish an Academic Board, to be 

13 headed by the Dean of the Academic Board, ap14 pointed under paragraph (2); 

15 ‘‘(C) hire initial staff and faculty, as ap16 propriate and necessary; 

17 ‘‘(D) contract with practitioners and ex18 perts, as appropriate, to supplement academic 

19 instruction; 

20 ‘‘(E) make recommendations to the Sec21 retary regarding long-term staffing and funding 

22 levels for the Academy; and 

23 ‘‘(F) report to the Executive Director of 

24 the Office of State and Local Government Co25 ordination and Preparedness. 
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1 ‘‘(2) DEAN OF THE ACADEMIC BOARD.—The 

2 Executive Director shall appoint, with the approval 

3 of the Secretary, a permanent professor to serve as 

4 Dean of the Academic Board and perform such du5 ties as the Executive Director may prescribe. 

6 ‘‘(3) DIRECTOR OF ADMISSIONS.—The Execu7 tive Director shall appoint, with the approval of the 

8 Secretary, a Director of Admissions, who shall— 

9 ‘‘(A) grant admission to the Strategy Cen10 ter to— 

11 ‘‘(i) new employees of the Depart12 ment, who have clear homeland security re13 sponsibilities; 

14 ‘‘(ii) mid-level executive employees of 

15 the Department, including employees that 

16 receive academy or other training, who 

17 demonstrate a need for cross-disciplinary 

18 or advanced education and training and 

19 have been endorsed by the appropriate 

20 Under Secretary; 

21 ‘‘(iii) other Federal employees with 

22 homeland security responsibilities who have 

23 been endorsed by the head of their agency; 

24 ‘‘(iv) State and local employees who— 
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1 ‘‘(I) demonstrate a clear respon2 sibility for providing homeland secu3 rity; and 

4 ‘‘(II) possess the nomination of 

5 the Governor of their State, or Head 

6 of applicable jurisdiction; and 

7 ‘‘(v) private sector applicants who 

8 demonstrate a clear responsibility for pro9 viding homeland security; 

10 ‘‘(B) ensure that students from each level 

11 of government and the private sector are in12 cluded in all programs and classes, whenever 

13 appropriate; and 

14 ‘‘(C) perform such duties as the Executive 

15 Director may prescribe. 

16 ‘‘(c) BOARD OF VISITORS.— 

17 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Before the Academy 

18 admits any students, the Secretary shall establish a 

19 Board of Visitors (in this section referred to as the 

20 ‘Board’) to— 

21 ‘‘(A) assist in the development of cur22 riculum and programs at the Academy; and 

23 ‘‘(B) recommend the site for the location 

24 of the Strategy Center. 

25 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
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1 ‘‘(A) COMPOSITION.—The Board will be 

2 composed of— 

3 ‘‘(i) the Secretary, or designee, who 

4 shall serve as chair; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the Executive Director of the 

6 Academy, or designee, who shall be a non7 voting member; 

8 ‘‘(iii) the Chairman of the Committee 

9 on Homeland Security and Governmental 

10 Affairs of the Senate, or designee; 

11 ‘‘(iv) the Ranking Member of the 

12 Committee on Homeland Security and 

13 Governmental Affairs of the Senate, or 

14 designee; 

15 ‘‘(v) the Chairman of the Committee 

16 on Homeland Security of the House of 

17 Representatives, or designee; 

18 ‘‘(vi) the Ranking Member of the 

19 Committee on Homeland Security of the 

20 House of Representatives, or designee; 

21 ‘‘(vii) the Secretary of Health and 

22 Human Services, or designee; 

23 ‘‘(viii) the Secretary of Defense, or 

24 designee; 
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1 ‘‘(ix) the Secretary of Education, or 

2 designee; 

3 ‘‘(x) the Secretary of Transportation, 

4 or designee; 

5 ‘‘(xi) the Director of the Federal Bu6 reau of Investigation, or designee; 

7 ‘‘(xii) 4 persons, who shall be ap8 pointed by the Secretary for 2-year terms 

9 to represent State and local governments; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(xiii) 4 persons, who shall be ap12 pointed by the Secretary for 2-year terms 

13 to represent first responders. 

14 ‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—Any person described 

15 under subparagraph (A), whose membership on 

16 the Board would create a conflict of interest, 

17 shall not serve as a member of the Board. 

18 ‘‘(C) VACANCIES.—If a member of the 

19 Board dies or resigns from office, the official 

20 who designated the member shall designate a 

21 successor for the unexpired portion of the term. 

22 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.— 

23 ‘‘(A) ACADEMY VISITS.—The Board shall 

24 visit the Academy not less than annually, and 

25 may, with the approval of the Secretary, make 
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1 other visits to the Academy in connection with 

2 the duties of the Board or to consult with the 

3 Executive Director of the Academy. 

4 ‘‘(B) INQUIRIES.—The Board shall inquire 

5 into the curriculum, instruction, physical equip6 ment, fiscal affairs, academic methods, student 

7 body composition, and other matters relating to 

8 the Academy that the Board decides to con9 sider. 

10 ‘‘(C) REPORTS.— 

11 ‘‘(i) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later 

12 than 60 days after each annual visit, the 

13 Board shall submit a written report to the 

14 Secretary, which describes its action, and 

15 of its views and recommendations per16 taining to the Academy. 

17 ‘‘(ii) ADDITIONAL REPORTS.—Any re18 port of a visit, other than the annual visit, 

19 shall, if approved by a majority of the 

20 members of the Board, be submitted to the 

21 Secretary not later than 60 days after the 

22 approval. 

23 ‘‘(4) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—The members of the 

24 Board shall be allowed travel expenses, including per 

25 diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for 
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1 employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 

2 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from 

3 their homes or regular places of business in the per4 formance of services for the Board. 

5 ‘‘(d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) CURRICULUM AND ATTENDANCE.—The 

7 Secretary shall submit an annual report that de8 scribes the curriculum of, and enrollment at, the 

9 Academy to— 

10 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

11 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and 

12 ‘‘(B) the Committee on Homeland Security 

13 of the House of Representatives. 

14 ‘‘(2) FEASIBILITY REPORT.—Not later than 1 

15 year after the establishment of the Academy, the 

16 Secretary shall submit a report to the Committee on 

17 Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the 

18 Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of 

19 the House of Representatives that— 

20 ‘‘(A) recommends an appropriate combina21 tion of students from Federal, State, and local 

22 government and the private sector, and the per23 centage of costs related to the education of each 

24 of these student groups that should be reim25 bursable; 
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1 ‘‘(B) describes the feasibility of expanding 

2 the Academy in regional offices established by 

3 the Department or other government or univer4 sity programs to provide ongoing education and 

5 training for Federal employees with homeland 

6 security responsibilities; and 

7 ‘‘(C) describes the feasibility of providing 

8 education for the general public through elec9 tronic learning systems. 

10 ‘‘(e) NATIONAL HOMELAND SECURITY EDUCATION

11 NETWORK.— 

12 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Executive Direc13 tor of the Academy shall establish a National Home14 land Security Education Network (referred to in this 

15 section as the ‘Network’), as described under sub16 section (a)(2)(B). 

17 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Network shall be 

18 comprised of representatives from Federal training 

19 and certification organizations, including— 

20 ‘‘(A) the National Homeland Security 

21 Academy; 

22 ‘‘(B) the Office of Domestic Preparedness; 

23 ‘‘(C) the National Domestic Preparedness 

24 Consortium; 
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1 ‘‘(D) the Center for Homeland Defense 

2 and Security at the Naval Postgraduate School; 

3 ‘‘(E) the Federal Law Enforcement Train4 ing Center, including all schools or training and 

5 education programs managed or co-located with 

6 the Center; 

7 ‘‘(F) the Customs and Border Protection 

8 Academy; 

9 ‘‘(G) the Border Patrol Academy; 

10 ‘‘(H) the Bureau of Immigration and Cus11 toms Enforcement Academy; 

12 ‘‘(I) the Secret Service Academy; 

13 ‘‘(J) the United States Coast Guard Acad14 emy, including all schools within the jurisdiction 

15 of the Coast Guard Academy; 

16 ‘‘(K) the Emergency Management Insti17 tute; 

18 ‘‘(L) the Animal and Plant Health Inspec19 tion Service Training Program; 

20 ‘‘(M) the Federal Air Marshal Training 

21 Center; 

22 ‘‘(N) the National Fire Academy; and 

23 ‘‘(O) other relevant training facilities with24 in the Department. 
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1 ‘‘(3) CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS.—The cur2 riculum and course work developed as part of the 

3 Network shall be incorporated into the curriculum of 

4 the institutions listed under paragraph (2), as ap5 propriate, to ensure that students at these institu6 tions understand how their homeland security re7 sponsibilities relate to other homeland security re8 sponsibilities in the Department and other Federal, 

9 State, and local agencies. The training centers and 

10 academies listed under paragraph (2) shall retain 

11 their respective missions and goals. 

12 ‘‘(4) SEMI-ANNUAL MEETINGS.—The Executive 

13 Director and the Dean of the Academic Board shall 

14 meet with the Network not less than once every 6 

15 months to— 

16 ‘‘(A) discuss curriculum requirements; and 

17 ‘‘(B) coordinate training activities within 

18 the Network. 

19 ‘‘(5) REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after 

20 the date of enactment of this section, and every 2 

21 years thereafter, the Network shall submit a report 

22 to the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov23 ernmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee 

24 on Homeland Security of the House of Representa25 tives, which describes the Network’s— 
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1 ‘‘(A) strategy for using advanced instruc2 tional technologies; 

3 ‘‘(B) plans for future improvement; and 

4 ‘‘(C) success in working with other organi5 zations in achieving the goals described under 

6 subparagraphs (A) and (B).’’. 

7 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of the 

8 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–296) 

9 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

10 801 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 802. National Homeland Security Academy.’’. 

11 SEC. 4. STATE AND LOCAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING CO12 ORDINATOR. 

13 The Secretary of Homeland Security shall appoint a 

14 State and Local Education and Training Coordinator to 

15 serve in the Office of State and Local Government Coordi16 nation and Preparedness, who shall— 

17 (1) serve as the primary point of contact be18 tween Federal, State, and local training facilities, 

19 the National Homeland Security Academy, and the 

20 Office of State and Local Government Coordination 

21 and Preparedness, in order to— 

22 (A) maximize the ability of the Academy to 

23 identify non-Academy programs that meet spe24 cific training goals and are crucial to the Na25 tion’s homeland security mission; and 
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1 (B) assist the Academy and the Office of 

2 State and Local Government Coordination and 

3 Preparedness in determining where to direct 

4 Federal training funds; and 

5 (2) at least semiannually, conduct meetings 

6 with a coalition of State and local education and 

7 training facilities to— 

8 (A) allow State and local fire, rescue, and 

9 law enforcement training facilities to provide 

10 input on decisions made concerning the training 

11 of first responders; and 

12 (B) increase curriculum coordination be13 tween the Academy and Federal, State, and 

14 local facilities. 

15 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

16 There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 the amendment made by section 3 such sums as may be 

18 necessary for each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009. 

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