SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DHS Special Events 
Program and Support Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DHS SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle H of title VIII of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 890E. SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized within the 
Department a program to assess the threat, vulnerability, 
and consequences of terrorism or other security threats, 
as appropriate, at certain special events in accordance 
with subsection (b). 
‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The program authorized 
under subsection (a) shall— 
‘‘(1) apply to special events that are pre- 
planned and not designated as National Special Se-
curity Events by the Secretary; 
‘‘(2) include a standard process for Federal, 
State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials to volun-
tarily submit to the Secretary requests for a special 
event rating that could result in direct support for 
security and situational awareness for such special 
event; 
‘‘(3) maintain a risk-based methodology to as-
sess ratings requests, including requests submitted
pursuant to paragraph (2), that considers the antici-
pated attendance by United States officials or for-
eign dignitaries, the size and venue of the special 
event, credible threats of terrorism or other security 
threats, and other homeland security information, as 
appropriate; and 
‘‘(4) include a process for expedited consider-
ation and, where appropriate, a process for the reas-
sessment, of a special event rating. 
‘‘(c) SUPPORT TO SPECIAL EVENTS.—For purposes 
of protecting a special event described in subsection (b), 
the Secretary may provide security and situational aware-
ness support to a Federal, State, local, Tribal, or terri-
torial official at the request of an appropriate Federal, 
State, local, Tribal, or territorial official. 
‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this section and annu-
ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the program 
authorized under subsection (a). Each such report shall 
include information relating to the following: 
‘‘(1) The total number of special events sub-
mitted to the program authorized under subsection
(a) in the prior year, including the number of special 
events at each rating level. 
‘‘(2) The total number of events in the prior 
year for which the Secretary designated a Federal 
coordinator or coordinated security and situational 
awareness support, including a summary of Federal 
support provided. 
‘‘(3) The total number of requests for special 
event rating reassessment under subsection (b)(4), 
including the following: 
‘‘(A) The identification of the requesting 
entity. 
‘‘(B) The special event name, date, and lo-
cation. 
‘‘(C) The initial and final rating deter-
mination. 
‘‘(D) The justification for such final rating 
determination. 
‘‘(e) PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS.—Not later than one 
year after the date of the enactment of this section and 
every five years thereafter, the Secretary 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 an assessment of 
the program authorized under subsection (a).
‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘home-
land security information’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 892.’’. 
(b) MASS GATHERING RESEARCH.—Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the 
Undersecretary for Science and Technology of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security and the official responsible for 
carrying out section 890E of the Homeland Security Act 
of 2002, as added by subsection (a), shall, to the extent 
practicable, carry out research and development, including 
operational testing, of technologies and techniques for en-
hancing the Department’s security and situational aware-
ness support to Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri-
torial officials relating to mass gatherings consistent with 
applicable constitutional, privacy, civil rights, and civil lib-
erties protections. 
(c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 
890D the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 890E. Special events program.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives December 10, 
2024. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6229 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
authorize a program to assess the threat, vulner-
ability, and consequences of terrorism or other 
security threats, as appropriate, to certain 
events, and for other purposes.