IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2283 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 21, 2017 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to improve 
morale within the Department of Homeland Security 
workforce by conferring new responsibilities to the Chief 
Human Capital Officer, establishing an employee engage-
ment steering committee, requiring action plans, and au-
thorizing an annual employee award program, and for 
other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Home-
land Security Morale, Recognition, Learning and Engage-
ment Act of 2017’’ or the ‘‘DHS MORALE Act’’. 
SEC. 2. CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER RESPONSIBIL-
ITIES. 
Section 704 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 344) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘, including with re-
spect to leader development and employee 
engagement,’’ after ‘‘policies’’; 
(ii) by striking ‘‘and in line’’ and in-
serting ‘‘, in line’’; and 
(iii) by inserting ‘‘and informed by 
best practices within the Federal govern-
ment and the private sector,’’ after ‘‘prior-
ities,’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘develop 
performance measures to provide a basis for 
monitoring and evaluating’’ and inserting 
‘‘evaluate, on an ongoing basis,’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘that, 
to the extent practicable, are informed by em-
ployee feedback,’’ after ‘‘policies’’; 
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(D) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘includ-
ing leader development and employee engage-
ment programs,’’ before ‘‘in coordination’’; 
(E) in paragraph (5), by inserting before 
the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘that is 
informed by an assessment, carried out by the 
Chief Human Capital Officer, of the learning 
and developmental needs of employees in super-
visory and non-supervisory roles across the De-
partment and appropriate workforce planning 
initiatives’’; 
(F) by redesignating paragraphs (9) and 
(10) as paragraphs (11) and (12), respectively; 
and 
(G) by inserting after paragraph (8) the 
following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(9) maintain a catalogue of available employee 
development opportunities, including the Homeland 
Security Rotation Program pursuant to section 844, 
departmental 
leadership 
development 
programs, 
interagency development programs, and other rota-
tional programs; 
‘‘(10) ensure that employee discipline and ad-
verse action programs comply with the requirements 
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of all pertinent laws, rules, regulations, and Federal 
guidance, and ensure due process for employees;’’; 
(2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 
subsections (e) and (f), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol-
lowing new subsection: 
‘‘(d) CHIEF LEARNING
AND ENGAGEMENT OFFI-
CER.—The Chief Human Capital Officer may designate 
an employee of the Department to serve as a Chief Learn-
ing and Engagement Officer to assist the Chief Human 
Capital Officer in carrying out this section.’’; and 
(4) in subsection (e), as so redesignated— 
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), 
and (4) as paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respec-
tively; and 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(2) information on employee development op-
portunities catalogued pursuant to paragraph (9) of 
subsection (b) and any available data on participa-
tion rates, attrition rates, and impacts on retention 
and employee satisfaction; 
‘‘(3) information on the progress of Depart-
ment-wide strategic workforce planning efforts as 
determined under paragraph (2) of subsection (b); 
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