IIB 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5206 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
JUNE 26, 2018 
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 establish 
the Office of Biometric Identity Management, 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 ‘‘Office of Biometric 
Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018’’ or the 
‘‘OBIM Authorization Act of 2018’’. 
SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE OFFICE OF BIOMETRIC 
IDENTITY MANAGEMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title VII of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 710. OFFICE OF BIOMETRIC IDENTITY MANAGEMENT. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Office of Biometric 
Identity Management is established within the Manage-
ment Directorate of the Department. 
‘‘(b) DIRECTOR.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Office of Biometric 
Identity Management shall be administered by the 
Director of the Office of Biometric Identity Manage-
ment (in this section referred to as the ‘Director’) 
who shall report to the Secretary, or to another offi-
cial of the Department, as the Secretary may direct. 
‘‘(2) QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES.—The Di-
rector shall— 
‘‘(A) have significant professional manage-
ment experience, as well as experience in the 
field of biometrics and identity management; 
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‘‘(B) lead the Department’s biometric iden-
tity services to support anti-terrorism, counter- 
terrorism, border security, credentialing, na-
tional security, and public safety; 
‘‘(C) enable operational missions across the 
Department by receiving, matching, storing, 
sharing, and analyzing biometric and associated 
biographic and encounter data; 
‘‘(D) deliver biometric identity information 
and analysis capabilities to— 
‘‘(i) the Department and its compo-
nents; 
‘‘(ii) appropriate Federal, State, local, 
and tribal agencies; 
‘‘(iii) 
appropriate 
foreign 
govern-
ments; and 
‘‘(iv) appropriate private sector enti-
ties; 
‘‘(E) support the law enforcement, public 
safety, national security, and homeland security 
missions of other Federal, State, local, and trib-
al agencies, as appropriate; 
‘‘(F) manage the operation of the Depart-
ment’s primary biometric repository and identi-
fication system; 
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‘‘(G) manage Biometric Support Centers 
to 
provide 
biometric 
identification 
and 
verification analysis and services to the Depart-
ment, appropriate Federal, State, local, and 
tribal agencies, appropriate foreign govern-
ments, and appropriate private sector entities; 
‘‘(H) oversee the implementation of De-
partment-wide standards for biometric con-
formity, and work to make such standards Gov-
ernment-wide; 
‘‘(I) in coordination with the Department’s 
Office of Policy, and in consultation with rel-
evant component offices and headquarters of-
fices, enter into data sharing agreements with 
appropriate Federal, State, local, and foreign 
agencies to support immigration, law enforce-
ment, national security, and public safety mis-
sions; 
‘‘(J) maximize interoperability with other 
Federal, State, local, and foreign biometric sys-
tems, as appropriate; 
‘‘(K) ensure the activities of the Office of 
Biometric Identity Management are carried out 
in compliance with the policies and procedures 
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established by the Privacy Officer appointed 
under section 222; and 
‘‘(L) carry out other duties and powers 
prescribed by law or delegated by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) DEPUTY DIRECTOR.—There shall be in the Of-
fice of Biometric Identity Management a Deputy Director, 
who shall assist the Director in the management of the 
Office. 
‘‘(d) OTHER AUTHORITIES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director may establish 
such other offices within the Office of Biometric 
Identity Management as the Director determines 
necessary to carry out the missions, duties, func-
tions, and authorities of the Office. 
‘‘(2) NOTIFICATION.—If the Director exercises 
the authority provided by paragraph (1), the Direc-
tor shall notify the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs of the Senate not later than 30 days before ex-
ercising such authority.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 
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amended by adding after the item relating to section 709 
the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 710. Office of Biometric Identity Management.’’. 
Passed the House of Representatives June 25, 2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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