II 

114TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3456 

To establish the Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism of the 

Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 28, 2016 

Mr. BOOKER (for himself, Mr. MURPHY, and Mr. SCHATZ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 

A BILL 

To establish the Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism of the Department of Homeland Security, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Empowering Partners 

5 to Counter Violent Extremism Act of 2016’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 Except as otherwise provided in section 8, in this Act: 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 3456 IS

1 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

5 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and 

6 (B) the Committee on Homeland Security 

7 of the House of Representatives. 

8 (2) CENTER FOR HOMELAND SECURITY.—The 

9 term ‘‘center for homeland security’’ means a uni10 versity-based center the Secretary of Homeland Se11 curity designates under section 308(b)(2) of the 

12 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 

13 188(b)(2)). 

14 (3) COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM.—The 

15 terms ‘‘countering violent extremism’’ and ‘‘CVE’’ 

16 mean proactive and relevant actions to— 

17 (A) counter recruitment, radicalization, 

18 and mobilization to violence; and 

19 (B) address the immediate factors that 

20 lead to violent extremism and radicalization. 

21 (4) COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM LAB.— 

22 The terms ‘‘Countering Violent Extremism Lab’’ 

23 and ‘‘CVE Lab’’ mean a physical space and aca24 demic program at a center for homeland security 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 3456 IS

1 designated for participating students to develop and 

2 test technology-based or data-driven CVE solutions. 

3 (5) DOMESTIC TERRORISM; INTERNATIONAL

4 TERRORISM.—The terms ‘‘domestic terrorism’’ and 

5 ‘‘international terrorism’’ have the meanings given 

6 those terms in section 2331 of title 18, United 

7 States Code. 

8 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

9 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

10 meaning given the term in section 101 of the Higher 

11 Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001). 

12 (7) OFFICE FOR PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST VIO13 LENT EXTREMISM.—The term ‘‘Office for Partner14 ships Against Violent Extremism’’ means the Office 

15 established under section 104 of the Homeland Se16 curity Act of 2002, as added by section 4(a). 

17 (8) PARTICIPATING STUDENT.—The term ‘‘par18 ticipating student’’ means a student participating in 

19 a CVE Lab. 

20 (9) RADICALIZATION.—The term ‘‘radicaliza21 tion’’ means the process by which an individual 

22 chooses to facilitate or commit domestic terrorism or 

23 international terrorism. 

24 (10) TECHNOLOGY-BASED OR DATA-DRIVEN

25 CVE SOLUTION.—The term ‘‘technology-based or 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 3456 IS

1 data-driven CVE solution’’ means an instrument de2 veloped by a participating student under section 

3 5(b)(1) that— 

4 (A) appeals to young consumers of online 

5 and social media; 

6 (B) counters online recruitment of violent 

7 extremists or builds resilience against online ex8 tremist recruitment amongst participating stu9 dents’ peers; and 

10 (C) operates on a technological platform or 

11 is technological in nature, including social 

12 media campaigns and mobile software applica13 tions. 

14 (11) VIOLENT EXTREMISM.—The term ‘‘violent 

15 extremism’’ means domestic terrorism or inter16 national terrorism. 

17 SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 

18 Congress finds and declares the following: 

19 (1) Countering violent extremism is not the 

20 work of government alone, and countering radicali21 zation to violence is frequently best achieved by en22 gaging and empowering individuals and groups at 

23 the local level to build resilience against violent ex24 tremism. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 3456 IS

1 (2) The Federal Government must strengthen 

2 partnerships and networks among local stakeholders 

3 in order to develop tailored programs to counter vio4 lent extremists that incorporate local conditions, 

5 challenges, and opportunities. 

6 (3) The multipronged effort to degrade and de7 stroy violent extremist groups must include efforts 

8 to counter messaging that can recruit or inspire fol9 lowers around the world to join such groups. 

10 (4) The ability to rapidly disseminate images 

11 and ideas to shape the public narrative makes social 

12 media a strategic messaging and recruitment mecha13 nism for a variety of different groups, including— 

14 (A) human rights and political organiza15 tions; 

16 (B) governments; and 

17 (C) terrorists and insurgent groups. 

18 (5) Due to the strategic role the Internet plays 

19 in recruitment to terrorist violence, online counter20 narratives promoted by nongovernmental peers are 

21 most likely to directly reach and resonate with indi22 viduals who aspire to become foreign fighters or 

23 carry out terrorist attacks. 

24 (6) Acts of violent extremism committed in the 

25 United States include— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 3456 IS

1 (A) the homegrown violent extremist at2 tack on June 12, 2016, in Orlando, which killed 

3 49 people; 

4 (B) the April 19, 1995, anti-government 

5 violent extremist bombing of the Federal build6 ing in Oklahoma City, which killed 168 people, 

7 including 19 children; 

8 (C) the November 5, 2009, attack at Fort 

9 Hood, inspired by al Qaeda in the Arabian Pe10 ninsula, which killed 13 soldiers; 

11 (D) the August 5, 2012, White suprema12 cist attack on a Sikh place of worship in Oak 

13 Creek, Wisconsin, which killed 6 people; 

14 (E) the anti-Semitic shootings by a mem15 ber of the Ku Klux Klan on April 13, 2014, at 

16 a Jewish community center and retirement 

17 community in Overland Park, Kansas, which 

18 killed 3 people; 

19 (F) the November 15, 2015, shooting at 

20 an abortion clinic in Colorado Springs, which 

21 killed 3 people; and 

22 (G) the February 10, 2015, execution of 3 

23 American Muslims in Chapel Hill. 

24 (7) Former violent extremists can be powerful 

25 messengers in debunking terrorist ideologies because 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•S 3456 IS

1 they have credibility, and the Department of State 

2 has successfully used defectors in counter-messaging 

3 against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant 

4 (commonly known as ‘‘ISIL’’). 

5 SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF THE OFFICE FOR PARTNER6 SHIPS AGAINST VIOLENT EXTREMISM OF THE 

7 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Homeland Security 

9 Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding 

10 at the end the following: 

11 ‘‘SEC. 104. OFFICE FOR PARTNERSHIPS AGAINST VIOLENT 

12 EXTREMISM. 

13 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

14 ‘‘(1) the term ‘Assistant Secretary’ means the 

15 Assistant Secretary for Partnerships Against Violent 

16 Extremism designated under subsection (c); 

17 ‘‘(2) the term ‘communities at risk’ does not in18 clude a community that is determined to be at risk 

19 solely on the basis of race, religious affiliation, or 

20 ethnicity; 

21 ‘‘(3) the term ‘countering violent extremism’— 

22 ‘‘(A) means proactive and relevant actions 

23 to— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(i) counter efforts by violent extrem2 ists to radicalize, recruit, and mobilize fol3 lowers to violence; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) address the conditions that allow 

5 for violent extremist recruitment and 

6 radicalization; and 

7 ‘‘(B) does not include disruptive actions 

8 that focus on stopping acts of terrorism by indi9 viduals who have already subscribed to violence; 

10 ‘‘(4) the term ‘covered congressional committee’ 

11 means— 

12 ‘‘(A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

13 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 

14 ‘‘(B) the Committee on the Judiciary of 

15 the Senate; 

16 ‘‘(C) the Committee on Homeland Security 

17 of the House of Representatives; and 

18 ‘‘(D) the Committee on the Judiciary of 

19 the House of Representatives; and 

20 ‘‘(5) the term ‘violent extremism’ means politi21 cally, racially, or ideologically motivated inter22 national terrorism or domestic terrorism, as those 

23 terms are defined in section 2331 of title 18, United 

24 States Code. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is in the Department 

2 an Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism. 

3 ‘‘(c) HEAD OF OFFICE.—The Office shall be headed 

4 by an Assistant Secretary for Partnerships Against Vio5 lent Extremism, who shall be designated by the Secretary 

6 and report directly to the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(d) DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY; ASSIGNMENT

8 OF PERSONNEL.—The Secretary shall— 

9 ‘‘(1) designate a career Deputy Assistant Sec10 retary for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(2) assign permanent staff to, or hire perma13 nent staff for, as appropriate, the Office for Part14 nerships Against Violent Extremism. 

15 ‘‘(e) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Assistant Secretary 

16 shall be responsible for the following: 

17 ‘‘(1) Leading the efforts of the Department to 

18 counter violent extremism across all the components 

19 and offices of the Department that conduct strategic 

20 and supportive efforts to counter violent extremism. 

21 Such efforts shall include the following: 

22 ‘‘(A) Partnering with communities to pre23 vent violent extremists from targeting members 

24 of those communities in the United States for 

25 radicalization and recruitment and explore poVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•S 3456 IS

1 tential remedies for Government and non2 governmental institutions. 

3 ‘‘(B) Working with civil society groups and 

4 communities to counter violent extremist com5 munications, messaging, or recruitment. 

6 ‘‘(C) In coordination with the Office for 

7 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Depart8 ment, managing the outreach and engagement 

9 efforts of the Department directed toward 

10 working with communities to mitigate the risk 

11 of radicalization and recruitment for violent ex12 tremist activities. 

13 ‘‘(D) Ensuring that relevant information, 

14 research, and products inform efforts to counter 

15 violent extremism. 

16 ‘‘(E) Developing and maintaining Depart17 ment-wide strategy, plans, policies, and pro18 grams to counter violent extremism. Such plans 

19 shall, at a minimum, address each of the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘(i) The Department’s plan to lever22 age— 

23 ‘‘(I) new and existing Internet 

24 and other technologies and social 

25 media platforms to improve nonVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•S 3456 IS

1 governmental efforts to counter vio2 lent extremism; and 

3 ‘‘(II) the best practices and les4 sons learned from other Federal, 

5 State, local, tribal, territorial, and for6 eign partners engaged in similar 

7 counter-messaging efforts. 

8 ‘‘(ii) The Department’s countering 

9 violent extremism-related engagement ef10 forts. 

11 ‘‘(iii) The use of cooperative agree12 ments with State, local, tribal, territorial, 

13 and other Federal departments and agen14 cies responsible for efforts relating to 

15 countering violent extremism. 

16 ‘‘(F) Coordinating with the Office for Civil 

17 Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department to 

18 ensure the activities of the Department related 

19 to countering violent extremism fully respect 

20 the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of all 

21 persons. 

22 ‘‘(G) In coordination with the Under Sec23 retary for Science and Technology and in con24 sultation with the Under Secretary for Intel25 ligence and Analysis, identifying and recomVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•S 3456 IS

1 mending new empirical research and analysis 

2 requirements to ensure the dissemination of in3 formation and methods for Federal, State, 

4 local, tribal, and territorial countering violent 

5 extremism practitioners, officials, law enforce6 ment officers, and nongovernmental partners to 

7 utilize such research and analysis. 

8 ‘‘(H) Assessing the methods used by vio9 lent extremists to disseminate communications 

10 and messaging to communities at risk for re11 cruitment by violent extremists. 

12 ‘‘(2) Developing a digital engagement strategy 

13 that expands the outreach efforts of the Department 

14 to counter violent extremist messaging by— 

15 ‘‘(A) exploring ways to utilize relevant 

16 Internet and other technologies and social 

17 media platforms; and 

18 ‘‘(B) maximizing other resources available 

19 to the Department. 

20 ‘‘(3) Serving as the primary representative of 

21 the Department in coordinating countering violent 

22 extremism efforts with the CVE Task Force hosted 

23 by the Department and with other Federal depart24 ments and agencies and nongovernmental organiza25 tions. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(4) Serving as the primary Department-level 

2 representative in coordinating with the Department 

3 of State on international countering violent extre4 mism issues. 

5 ‘‘(5) Providing guidance to the Administrator of 

6 the Federal Emergency Management Agency regard7 ing the use of grants made to State, local, and tribal 

8 governments under sections 2003 and 2004 under 

9 the allowable uses guidelines related to countering 

10 violent extremism. 

11 ‘‘(6) Developing a plan to expand philanthropic 

12 support for domestic efforts related to countering 

13 violent extremism, including by identifying viable 

14 community projects and needs for possible philan15 thropic support. 

16 ‘‘(7) Administering the assistance under sub17 section (f). 

18 ‘‘(f) GRANTS TO COUNTER VIOLENT EXTREMISM.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with this 

20 subsection, the Assistant Secretary may award 

21 grants directly to, or enter into cooperative agree22 ments directly with, eligible recipients identified 

23 under paragraph (2) to support the efforts of local 

24 communities in the United States to counter violent 

25 extremism. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENTS.—The Assistant 

2 Secretary may, based on need, directly award com3 petitive grants to or enter into cooperative agree4 ments with— 

5 ‘‘(A) States; 

6 ‘‘(B) local governments; 

7 ‘‘(C) tribal governments; 

8 ‘‘(D) nonprofit organizations; or 

9 ‘‘(E) institutions of higher education (as 

10 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

11 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 

12 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Each entity receiving a 

13 grant or entering into a cooperative agreement 

14 under this subsection shall use the amounts made 

15 available under the grant or cooperative agreement 

16 for one or more of the following purposes: 

17 ‘‘(A) To train or exercise for countering 

18 violent extremism, including building training 

19 or exercise programs designed to improve cul20 tural competency and to ensure that commu21 nities, government, and law enforcement receive 

22 accurate, intelligence-based information about 

23 the dynamics of radicalization to violence. 

24 ‘‘(B) To develop, implement, or expand 

25 programs or projects with communities to disVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•S 3456 IS

1 cuss violent extremism or to engage commu2 nities that may be targeted by violent extremist 

3 radicalization. 

4 ‘‘(C) To develop and implement projects 

5 that partner with local communities to prevent 

6 radicalization to violence. 

7 ‘‘(D) To develop and implement a com8 prehensive model for preventing violent extre9 mism in local communities, including existing 

10 initiatives of State or local law enforcement 

11 agencies and existing mechanisms for engaging 

12 the resources and expertise available from a 

13 range of social service providers, such as edu14 cation administrators, mental health profes15 sionals, and religious leaders. 

16 ‘‘(E) To educate the community about 

17 countering violent extremism, including the pro18 motion of community-based activities to in19 crease the measures taken by the community to 

20 counter violent extremism. 

21 ‘‘(F) To develop or assist social service 

22 programs that address root causes of violent ex23 tremism and develop, build, or enhance alter24 natives for members of local communities that 

25 may be targeted by violent extremism. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(G) To develop or enhance State or local 

2 government initiatives that facilitate and build 

3 overall capacity to address the threats posed by 

4 violent extremism. 

5 ‘‘(H) To leverage emerging and existing 

6 social media and Internet platforms to directly 

7 and indirectly counter violent extremist commu8 nications. 

9 ‘‘(I) To support such other activities, con10 sistent with the purposes of this subsection, as 

11 the Assistant Secretary determines appropriate. 

12 ‘‘(4) GRANT GUIDELINES.— 

13 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, 

14 before awarding a grant or cooperative agree15 ment under this subsection, the Assistant Sec16 retary shall develop guidelines published in a 

17 notice of funding opportunity that describe— 

18 ‘‘(i) the process for applying for 

19 grants and cooperative agreements under 

20 this subsection; 

21 ‘‘(ii) the criteria that the Secretary 

22 will use for selecting recipients based on 

23 the need demonstrated by the applicant; 

24 and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(iii) the requirements that recipients 

2 must follow when utilizing funds under 

3 this subsection to conduct training and ex4 ercises and otherwise engage local commu5 nities regarding countering violent extre6 mism. 

7 ‘‘(B) CONSIDERATIONS.—In developing the 

8 requirements under subparagraph (A)(iii), the 

9 Assistant Secretary shall consider the following: 

10 ‘‘(i) Training objectives should be 

11 clearly defined to meet specific countering 

12 violent extremism goals, such as commu13 nity engagement, cultural awareness, or 

14 community-based policing. 

15 ‘‘(ii) Engaging diverse communities in 

16 the United States to counter violent extre17 mism may require working with local 

18 grassroots community organizations to de19 velop engagement and outreach initiatives. 

20 ‘‘(iii) Training programs should— 

21 ‘‘(I) be sensitive to constitutional 

22 values, such as protecting funda23 mental civil rights and civil liberties, 

24 and eschew notions of racial and eth25 nic profiling; and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(II) adhere to the standards 

2 and ethics of the Department, ensur3 ing that the clearly defined objectives 

4 are in line with the strategies of the 

5 Department to counter violent extre6 mism. 

7 ‘‘(iv) Establishing vetting procedures 

8 for self-selected countering violent extre9 mism training experts who offer programs 

10 that may claim to counter violent extre11 mism, but serve to demonize certain indi12 viduals or whole cross sections of a com13 munity. 

14 ‘‘(v) Providing a review process to de15 termine whether countering violent extre16 mism training focuses on community en17 gagement and outreach. 

18 ‘‘(vi) Providing support to law en19 forcement agencies to enhance knowledge, 

20 skills, and abilities to increase engagement 

21 techniques with diverse communities in the 

22 United States. 

23 ‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

24 There is authorized to be appropriated to the AssistVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

•S 3456 IS

1 ant Secretary $90,000,000 for each fiscal year to 

2 carry out this subsection. 

3 ‘‘(g) ANNUAL REPORT.—During the first fiscal year 

4 beginning after the date of enactment of this section, and 

5 during each of the next 5 fiscal years, the Assistant Sec6 retary shall submit to Congress an annual report on the 

7 Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism that 

8 includes the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) A description of the status of the pro10 grams and policies of the Department for countering 

11 violent extremism in the United States, including— 

12 ‘‘(A) the budget of the Department for 

13 countering violent extremism, which shall in14 clude an accounting of all funding amounts for 

15 all programs, initiatives, and personnel of the 

16 Department related to countering violent extre17 mism; 

18 ‘‘(B) the number of full-time employees 

19 dedicated to countering violent extremism pro20 grams; and 

21 ‘‘(C) the number of part-time employees 

22 supporting countering violent extremism pro23 grams. 

24 ‘‘(2) A description of the efforts of the Office 

25 for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism to coVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

•S 3456 IS

1 operate with and provide assistance to other Federal 

2 departments and agencies. 

3 ‘‘(3) Qualitative and quantitative metrics for 

4 evaluating the success of the programs and policies 

5 described in paragraph (1) and the steps taken to 

6 evaluate the success of those programs and policies. 

7 ‘‘(4) An accounting of— 

8 ‘‘(A) grants awarded by the Department to 

9 counter violent extremism; and 

10 ‘‘(B) all training specifically aimed at 

11 countering violent extremism sponsored by the 

12 Department. 

13 ‘‘(5) Details of the optimal level of personnel 

14 and funding for the Office for Partnerships Against 

15 Violent Extremism. 

16 ‘‘(6) An analysis of how the Department’s ac17 tivities to counter violent extremism correspond and 

18 adapt to the threat environment. 

19 ‘‘(7) A summary of how civil rights and civil 

20 liberties are protected in the Department’s activities 

21 to counter violent extremism. 

22 ‘‘(8) An evaluation of the grant program estab23 lished under subsection (f), including information on 

24 the effectiveness of such grants in countering violent 

25 extremism. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

•S 3456 IS

1 ‘‘(9) A description of how the Office for Part2 nerships Against Violent Extremism has incor3 porated lessons learned from the countering violent 

4 extremism programs and policies of foreign, State, 

5 local, tribal, and territorial governments and stake6 holder communities. 

7 ‘‘(h) ANNUAL REVIEW.—Not later than 1 year after 

8 the date of enactment of this section, and each year there9 after, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the 

10 Department shall— 

11 ‘‘(1) conduct a review of the activities of the 

12 Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism 

13 to ensure that the activities that relate to countering 

14 violent extremism respect the privacy, civil rights, 

15 and civil liberties of all persons; and 

16 ‘‘(2) make publicly available on the website of 

17 the Department a report containing the results of 

18 the review conducted under paragraph (1).’’. 

19 (b) TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENT.— 

20 The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Se21 curity Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–296; 116 Stat. 2135) 

22 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 

23 103 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 104. Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism.’’. 

24 (c) SUNSET.—Effective on the date that is 7 years 

25 after the date of enactment of this Act— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

•S 3456 IS

1 (1) section 104 of the Homeland Security Act 

2 of 2002, as added by subsection (a), is repealed; and 

3 (2) the table of contents in section 1(b) of the 

4 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107– 

5 296; 116 Stat. 2135) is amended by striking the 

6 item relating to section 104. 

7 SEC. 5. STRATEGY TO COUNTER VIOLENT EXTREMISM IN 

8 THE UNITED STATES. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

10 (1) the term ‘‘covered congressional committee’’ 

11 means— 

12 (A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

13 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate; 

14 (B) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

15 Senate; 

16 (C) the Committee on Homeland Security 

17 of the House of Representatives; and 

18 (D) the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

19 House of Representatives; and 

20 (2) the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary 

21 of Homeland Security. 

22 (b) STRATEGY.—Not later than 90 days after the 

23 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 

24 to each covered congressional committee a comprehensive 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
23 

•S 3456 IS

1 Department of Homeland Security strategy to counter vio2 lent extremism in the United States. 

3 (c) CONTENTS OF STRATEGY.—The strategy re4 quired under subsection (b) shall, at a minimum, address 

5 each of the following: 

6 (1) The digital engagement effort of the De7 partment of Homeland Security, including a plan to 

8 leverage new and existing Internet, digital, and other 

9 technologies and social media platforms to counter 

10 violent extremism, as well as the best practices and 

11 lessons learned from other Federal, State, local, trib12 al, territorial, nongovernmental, and foreign partners 

13 engaged in similar counter-messaging activities. 

14 (2) The countering violent extremism-related 

15 engagement and outreach activities of the Depart16 ment of Homeland Security. 

17 (3) The use of cooperative agreements with 

18 State, local, tribal, territorial, and other Federal de19 partments and agencies responsible for activities re20 lating to countering violent extremism. 

21 (4) Ensuring all activities related to countering 

22 violent extremism adhere to applicable guidance of 

23 the Department of Homeland Security and the De24 partment of Justice regarding privacy, civil rights, 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
24 

•S 3456 IS

1 and civil liberties, including safeguards against dis2 crimination. 

3 (5) The development of qualitative and quan4 titative outcome-based metrics to evaluate the pro5 grams and policies of the Department of Homeland 

6 Security to counter violent extremism. 

7 (6) An analysis of the homeland security risk 

8 posed by violent extremism based on the threat envi9 ronment and empirical data assessing— 

10 (A) terrorist activities and incidents; and 

11 (B) violent extremist communications, mes12 saging, or recruitment. 

13 (7) Information on the near-term, mid-term, 

14 and long-term risk-based goals of the Department of 

15 Homeland Security for countering violent extremism, 

16 reflecting the risk analysis conducted under para17 graph (6). 

18 (d) STRATEGIC CONSIDERATIONS.—In drafting the 

19 strategy required under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

20 consider including the following: 

21 (1) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se22 curity to undertake research to improve the under23 standing of the Department of Homeland Security 

24 of the risk of violent extremism and to identify ways 

25 to improve countering violent extremism activities 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
25 

•S 3456 IS

1 and programs, including outreach, training, and in2 formation sharing programs. 

3 (2) The opportunities and challenges associated 

4 with the establishment of the grant program under 

5 section 104(f) of the Homeland Security Act of 

6 2002, as added by section 4. 

7 (3) The nondiscrimination policies of the De8 partment of Homeland Security that relate to coun9 tering violent extremism. 

10 (4) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se11 curity to help promote community engagement and 

12 partnerships to counter violent extremism in further13 ance of the strategy. 

14 (5) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se15 curity to help increase support for programs and ini16 tiatives to counter violent extremism of other Fed17 eral, State, local, tribal, territorial, nongovernmental, 

18 and foreign partners that are in furtherance of the 

19 strategy, and that adhere to all relevant constitu20 tional, legal, and privacy protections. 

21 (6) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se22 curity to use cooperative agreements with State, 

23 local, tribal, territorial, and other Federal depart24 ments and agencies responsible for efforts relating to 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
26 

•S 3456 IS

1 countering violent extremism, and information re2 garding the effectiveness of those efforts. 

3 (7) Information on oversight mechanisms and 

4 protections to ensure that activities and programs 

5 carried out under the strategy adhere to all relevant 

6 constitutional, legal, and privacy protections. 

7 (8) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se8 curity to conduct oversight of all countering violent 

9 extremism training and training materials and other 

10 resources developed or funded by the Department. 

11 (9) Efforts of the Department of Homeland Se12 curity to foster transparency by making, to the ex13 tent practicable, all regulations, guidance, docu14 ments, policies, and training materials publicly avail15 able. 

16 (e) STRATEGIC IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after 

18 the date on which the Secretary submits the strategy 

19 required under subsection (b), the Secretary shall 

20 submit to each covered congressional committee an 

21 implementation plan for each of the components and 

22 offices of the Department of Homeland Security 

23 with responsibilities under the strategy. 

24 (2) CONTENTS.—The implementation plan re25 quired under paragraph (1) shall include an inteVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
27 

•S 3456 IS

1 grated master schedule and cost estimate for activi2 ties and programs contained in the implementation 

3 plan, with specificity on how each activity and pro4 gram aligns with near-term, mid-term, and long5 term goals specified in the strategy required under 

6 subsection (b). 

7 SEC. 6. COUNTERING ONLINE RECRUITMENT OF VIOLENT 

8 EXTREMISTS. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF COUNTERING VIOLENT EX10 TREMISM LABS.—In carrying out clause (xv) of section 

11 308(b)(2)(B) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 

12 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B)), as added by subsection (d), the Sec13 retary of Homeland Security, acting through the Under 

14 Secretary for Science and Technology and in coordination 

15 with the Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extre16 mism, may— 

17 (1) establish one or more CVE Labs; and 

18 (2) reprioritize grants to centers for homeland 

19 security to fund each CVE Lab. 

20 (b) FUNCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF COUN21 TERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM LABS.— 

22 (1) REQUIREMENTS.—The head of an institu23 tion of higher education at which a CVE Lab is es24 tablished shall ensure that the faculty of the CVE 

25 Lab— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
28 

•S 3456 IS

1 (A) create a curriculum for participating 

2 students to develop and test technology-based 

3 or data-driven CVE solutions that— 

4 (i) may be drawn from pre-existing 

5 curricula or courses at an institution of 

6 higher education; 

7 (ii) incorporates a CVE orientation 

8 program for students participating in the 

9 CVE Lab that is informed by cross-cul10 tural communication issues experienced by 

11 CVE practitioners; and 

12 (iii) incorporates technology-based or 

13 data-driven business development cur14 ricula; 

15 (B) invite Federal Government officials to 

16 participate in the orientation required under 

17 subparagraph (A)(ii); 

18 (C) provide each participating student a 

19 CVE safety briefing by Federal Government of20 ficials during the orientation required under 

21 subparagraph (A)(ii) that outlines precautions 

22 participating students can take to protect them23 selves from becoming a target of terrorists; and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
29 

•S 3456 IS

1 (D) supervise any deployment of a tech2 nology-based or data-driven CVE solution by a 

3 participating student. 

4 (2) ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF COUNTERING

5 VIOLENT EXTREMISM LABS.—The head of an insti6 tution of higher education at which a CVE Lab is 

7 established shall ensure that the faculty of the CVE 

8 Lab, in coordination with the Department of Home9 land Security and other appropriate entities includ10 ing each CVE Lab— 

11 (A) develop a framework for participation 

12 and support of other programs that encourage 

13 students to develop peer-to-peer solutions for 

14 CVE; 

15 (B) develop a common inventory of re16 search, in conjunction with other university17 based centers for homeland security that estab18 lish CVE Labs, on core CVE issues to inform 

19 CVE Lab curricula in subsequent years; and 

20 (C) identify experts in CVE who can apply 

21 the technology-based or data-driven CVE solu22 tions to target individuals who are susceptible 

23 to recruitment to violent extremism. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
30 

•S 3456 IS

1 (3) ADMINISTRATION OF CVE LAB.—The head 

2 of an institution of higher education at which a CVE 

3 Lab is established— 

4 (A) may— 

5 (i) determine the department and fac6 ulty of the institution of higher education 

7 that will be responsible for administering 

8 the CVE Lab; and 

9 (ii) have final approval of which stu10 dents will participate in the CVE Lab; and 

11 (B) shall ensure that the faculty admin12 istering the CVE Lab, additional CVE Lab in13 structors and advisors, and participating stu14 dents represent an interdisciplinary cross-sec15 tion of the institution of higher education, in16 cluding disciplines not traditionally associated 

17 with counterterrorism. 

18 (c) ASSESSMENT AND REPORT.— 

19 (1) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 

20 date on which a CVE Lab is first established, the 

21 head of the institution of higher education at which 

22 the CVE Lab is established shall submit to the Sec23 retary of Homeland Security and the appropriate 

24 congressional committees a report regarding the im25 pact of the CVE Lab. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
31 

•S 3456 IS

1 (2) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary of Homeland 

2 Security, acting through the Under Secretary for 

3 Science and Technology and in coordination with the 

4 Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism, 

5 shall— 

6 (A) commission an independent third-party 

7 assessment of the impact of each CVE Lab; 

8 and 

9 (B) not later than 180 days after the date 

10 on which the assessment required under sub11 paragraph (A) is completed, provide the assess12 ment to the appropriate congressional commit13 tees. 

14 (d) FUNCTIONS OF CENTERS FOR HOMELAND SECU15 RITY.—Section 308(b)(2)(B) of the Homeland Security 

16 Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 188(b)(2)(B)) is amended by add17 ing at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(xv) Countering violent extremism.’’. 

19 (e) SUNSET.—Effective on the date that is 7 years 

20 after the date of enactment of this Act, subsections (a) 

21 through (d) are repealed. 

22 SEC. 7. PUBLIC TESTIMONIALS FROM FORMER VIOLENT 

23 EXTREMISTS. 

24 (a) INCORPORATION OF TESTIMONIALS.— 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
32 

•S 3456 IS

1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

2 Security and the Secretary of State shall incor3 porate, to the extent practicable, into efforts of the 

4 Department of Homeland Security and the Depart5 ment of State to combat terrorist recruitment and 

6 communications the public testimonials of former or 

7 estranged violent extremists or their associates, in8 cluding friends and family. 

9 (2) TYPES OF EFFORTS.—The efforts made 

10 under paragraph (1) may include the following: 

11 (A) Strategic communications efforts to 

12 counter-message the communications and nar13 ratives of violent extremists. 

14 (B) Related community engagement and 

15 public education efforts that have the goal of 

16 decreasing recruitment into violent extremist 

17 organizations. 

18 (b) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Homeland Se19 curity and the Secretary of State shall— 

20 (1) where appropriate, coordinate the actions 

21 described in subsection (a) with the heads of other 

22 Federal departments and agencies; and 

23 (2) as appropriate and to the extent practicable, 

24 engage nongovernmental and international partners 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
33 

•S 3456 IS

1 in the identification and use of testimonials de2 scribed in subsection (a). 

3 (c) REPORTS.— 

4 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec6 retary of Homeland Security, in concert with the 

7 Secretary of State, shall submit to Congress a report 

8 detailing any ways in which existing laws may con9 strain or complicate the ability of the Department of 

10 Homeland Security or the Department of State to 

11 collect testimonials of former or estranged violent 

12 extremists or incorporate those testimonials into ef13 forts of the applicable Department to combat ter14 rorist recruitment and communications, as required 

15 under subsection (a). 

16 (2) ANNUAL HOMELAND SECURITY REPORT.— 

17 The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to 

18 Congress an annual report that includes— 

19 (A) qualitative and quantitative metrics for 

20 evaluating the success of the efforts of the Sec21 retary under subsection (a); 

22 (B) a description of the steps taken by the 

23 Secretary to evaluate the success of the efforts 

24 of the Secretary under subsection (a); and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
34 

•S 3456 IS

1 (C) a summary of how the Secretary en2 sures the protection of civil rights and civil lib3 erties in incorporating testimonials under sub4 section (a). 

5 (d) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec6 tion may be construed to require the Secretary of Home7 land Security or the Secretary of State to collect 

8 testimonials directly from former violent extremists or 

9 their associates, including friends and family. 

10 SEC. 8. STUDENTS AGAINST VIOLENT EXTREMISM. 

11 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

12 (1) ISIS.—The term ‘‘ISIS’’ means the Islamic 

13 State of Iraq and Syria, also known as the Islamic 

14 State of Iraq and the Levant. 

15 (2) PARTICIPATING STUDENT.—The term ‘‘par16 ticipating student’’ means a student participating 

17 in— 

18 (A) a course under the program imple19 mented under subsection (b); or 

20 (B) another similar course at an institu21 tion of higher education. 

22 (3) TARGET AUDIENCE.—The term ‘‘target au23 dience’’ means an individual or group selected for in24 fluence, whose selection is not made solely due to 

25 race, religion, or ethnic background. 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
35 

•S 3456 IS

1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF STUDENTS AGAINST VIO2 LENT EXTREMISM PROGRAM.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 

4 Security, acting through the Office for Partnerships 

5 Against Violent Extremism, may implement a pro6 gram that facilitates groups of students at institu7 tions of higher education throughout the world in 

8 designing, piloting, implementing, and measuring the 

9 success of a social or digital initiative, product, or 

10 tool that counters the messaging of international or 

11 domestic terrorist organizations communications and 

12 narratives as part of, or in addition to, existing 

13 countering violent extremism efforts. 

14 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The program imple15 mented under paragraph (1) shall— 

16 (A) be administered by a professor, part 

17 time, full time, or adjunct, or other instructor 

18 at a participating institution of higher edu19 cation who is selected by the institution of high20 er education; 

21 (B) include the production of peer-appro22 priate social and digital media campaigns; 

23 (C) be renewed on an annual basis at each 

24 participating institution of higher education; 

25 and 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
36 

•S 3456 IS

1 (D) require that each participating institu2 tion of higher education adhere to all policies of 

3 the program, as determined by the Office for 

4 Partnerships Against Violent Extremism, in5 cluding— 

6 (i) the provision of a faculty mentor 

7 for the program; and 

8 (ii) the reporting of program metrics 

9 to the Office for Partnerships Against Vio10 lent Extremism, as requested. 

11 (3) TRAINING.—The Office for Partnerships 

12 Against Violent Extremism shall coordinate with the 

13 Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the 

14 Department of Homeland Security to ensure that 

15 participants in the program implemented under 

16 paragraph (1) receive training in order to respect 

17 the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of all indi18 viduals in the program’s target audiences and es19 chew notions of racial and ethnic profiling. 

20 (c) ASSESSMENT AND REPORT.— 

21 (1) REPORT ON IMPLEMENTATION.—Beginning 

22 in the first fiscal year beginning after the date of en23 actment of this Act and each fiscal year thereafter 

24 until the program described in subsection (b) is im25 plemented, the Office for Partnerships Against VioVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:34 Oct 05, 2016 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00036 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3456.IS S3456

SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
37 

•S 3456 IS

1 lent Extremism shall submit to the appropriate con2 gressional committees a report on the status of the 

3 implementation of the program. 

4 (2) ASSESSMENTS.—Beginning in the first fis5 cal year beginning after the date on which the pro6 gram described in subsection (b) is implemented and 

7 in each of the 4 fiscal years thereafter, the Office for 

8 Partnerships Against Violent Extremism shall sub9 mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

10 report evaluating the program, which shall include— 

11 (A) the number of students participating 

12 in the program; 

13 (B) the number and names of institutions 

14 of higher education that are hosting the pro15 gram in the United States and internationally; 

16 (C) an evaluation, using empirical evi17 dence, of the effectiveness of the program in 

18 empowering university students to develop dig19 ital content that counters violent extremist mes20 saging; 

21 (D) the metrics used to evaluate the effec22 tiveness of the program in reducing violent ex23 tremism; 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
38 

•S 3456 IS

1 (E) recommendations for improving or ex2 panding existing training opportunities and 

3 training participation; 

4 (F) the criteria used by participating stu5 dents to select target audiences; and 

6 (G) the raw data reported by the institu7 tions of higher education to the Office for Part8 nerships Against Violent Extremism under sub9 section (b)(2)(D)(ii). 

10 (d) SUNSET.—This section shall expire on the date 

11 that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


SSpencer on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS