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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 615 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        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 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.
        (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.
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