H. R. 615 

One Hundred Fourteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday, 

the sixth day of January, two thousand and fifteen 

An Act 

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

for Management of the Department of Homeland Security to take administrative 

action to achieve and maintain interoperable communications capabilities among 

the components of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Homeland Security 

Interoperable Communications Act’’ or the ‘‘DHS Interoperable 

Communications Act’’. 

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

In this Act— 

(1) the term ‘‘Department’’ means the Department of Homeland Security; 

(2) the term ‘‘interoperable communications’’ has the 

meaning given that term in section 701(d) of the Homeland 

Security Act of 2002, as added by section 3; and 

(3) the term ‘‘Under Secretary for Management’’ means 

the Under Secretary for Management of the Department of 

Homeland Security. 

SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS CAPABILITIES IN RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNDER SECRETARY FOR 

MANAGEMENT. 

Section 701 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

341) is amended— 

(1) in subsection (a)(4), by inserting before the period at 

the end the following: ‘‘, including policies and directives to 

achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the 

components of the Department’’; and 

(2) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(d) INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATIONS DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘interoperable communications’ has the meaning 

given that term in section 7303(g) of the Intelligence Reform and 

Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (6 U.S.C. 194(g)).’’. 

SEC. 4. STRATEGY. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of 

enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Management shall 

submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 

Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs of the Senate a strategy, which shall be 

updated as necessary, for achieving and maintaining interoperable 
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communications among the components of the Department, 

including for daily operations, planned events, and emergencies, 

with corresponding milestones, that includes the following: 

(1) An assessment of interoperability gaps in radio communications among the components of the Department, as of the 

date of enactment of this Act. 

(2) Information on efforts and activities, including current 

and planned policies, directives, and training, of the Department since November 1, 2012, to achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the components of the Department, and planned efforts and activities of the Department 

to achieve and maintain such interoperable communications. 

(3) An assessment of obstacles and challenges to achieving 

and maintaining interoperable communications among the 

components of the Department. 

(4) Information on, and an assessment of, the adequacy 

of mechanisms available to the Under Secretary for Management to enforce and compel compliance with interoperable 

communications policies and directives of the Department. 

(5) Guidance provided to the components of the Department 

to implement interoperable communications policies and directives of the Department. 

(6) The total amount of funds expended by the Department 

since November 1, 2012, and projected future expenditures, 

to achieve interoperable communications, including on equipment, infrastructure, and maintenance. 

(7) Dates upon which Department-wide interoperability is 

projected to be achieved for voice, data, and video communications, respectively, and interim milestones that correspond to 

the achievement of each such mode of communication. 

(b) SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL.—Together with the strategy 

required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary for Management 

shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 

of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs of the Senate information on— 

(1) any intra-agency effort or task force that has been 

delegated certain responsibilities by the Under Secretary for 

Management relating to achieving and maintaining interoperable communications among the components of the Department 

by the dates referred to in subsection (a)(7); and 

(2) who, within each such component, is responsible for 

implementing policies and directives issued by the Under Secretary for Management to so achieve and maintain such interoperable communications. 

SEC. 5. REPORT. 

Not later than 100 days after the date on which the strategy 

required under section 4(a) is submitted, and every 2 years thereafter for 6 years, the Under Secretary for Management shall submit 

to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 

Affairs of the Senate a report on the status of efforts to implement 

the strategy required under section 4(a), including the following: 

(1) Progress on each interim milestone referred to in section 

4(a)(7) toward achieving and maintaining interoperable communications among the components of the Department. 
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(2) Information on any policies, directives, guidance, and 

training established by the Under Secretary for Management. 

(3) An assessment of the level of compliance, adoption, 

and participation among the components of the Department 

with the policies, directives, guidance, and training established 

by the Under Secretary for Management to achieve and maintain interoperable communications among the components. 

(4) Information on any additional resources or authorities 

needed by the Under Secretary for Management. 

SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY. 

Sections 4 and 5 shall only apply with respect to the interoperable communications capabilities within the Department and 

components of the Department to communicate within the Department. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.