I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7435 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an Intelligence 
Transparency and Oversight Program Office and Intelligence Ombuds 
within the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 9, 2026 
Mr. MAGAZINER (for himself and Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 
an Intelligence Transparency and Oversight Program Of-
fice and Intelligence Ombuds within the Department of 
Homeland Security, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DHS Intelligence 
Transparency and Oversight Program Office and Ombuds 
Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE TRANSPARENCY AND 
OVERSIGHT PROGRAM OFFICE AND INTEL-
LIGENCE OMBUDS. 
(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. 714. INTELLIGENCE TRANSPARENCY AND OVERSIGHT 
PROGRAM OFFICE; OMBUDS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish within the Department an Intelligence Trans-
parency and Oversight Program Office (in this sec-
tion referred to as the ‘Office’) to carry out the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) Review and assess information con-
cerning intelligence activities of the Depart-
ment, including relating to the timeliness, objec-
tivity, and independence from political consider-
ations of such activities. 
‘‘(B) Facilitate departmental decisions re-
garding making information publicly available 
in a manner that enhances public under-
standing of such activities. 
‘‘(2) OMBUDS.—The Office shall be headed by 
an Ombuds, who shall— 
‘‘(A) be a senior, career employee; 
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‘‘(B) not hold any other position within the 
Department; 
‘‘(C) have a background in— 
‘‘(i) intelligence; 
‘‘(ii) civil rights enforcement; and 
‘‘(iii) addressing matters of intel-
ligence 
timeliness, 
objectivity, 
and 
politicization; 
‘‘(D) report directly to the Under Sec-
retary for Intelligence and Analysis; and 
‘‘(E) report directly to Congress with re-
spect to any urgent concerns. 
‘‘(b) DUTIES OF THE OMBUDS.—The Ombuds shall 
have the following duties: 
‘‘(1) Serve, in consultation with the Privacy Of-
ficer appointed under section 222 and the Officer for 
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, as the Department’s 
principal advisor regarding the following: 
‘‘(A) Safeguarding objectivity in intel-
ligence activities of the Department. 
‘‘(B) Ensuring such activities are inde-
pendent from political considerations. 
‘‘(2) Remain current and well-informed of 
issues affecting intelligence activities. 
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‘‘(3) Promote awareness among intelligence 
components of the Department of the requirement 
that all intelligence activities of the Department 
shall be— 
‘‘(A) conducted in a manner consistent 
with the protection of privacy rights, civil 
rights, and civil liberties; and 
‘‘(B) objective and independent from polit-
ical considerations. 
‘‘(4) Provide, without fear of retaliation, con-
fidential forums to hear and help resolve individual 
and organizational concerns regarding intelligence 
activities of the Department, including relating to 
real or perceived occurrences of civil rights or civil 
liberties abuses, or politicization of analysis, biased 
reporting, or lack of objectivity in intelligence collec-
tion or analysis. 
‘‘(5) Initiate reviews and make recommenda-
tions to the heads of the intelligence components of 
the Department, as appropriate, related to the mat-
ters described in paragraph (4). 
‘‘(6) Facilitate departmental decisions regard-
ing making information publicly available in a man-
ner that enhances public understanding of the intel-
ligence activities of the Department, while con-
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tinuing to protect information when disclosure of 
such information would harm homeland security. 
‘‘(7) Ensure that the functions performed by 
the Ombuds are complementary to existing functions 
within the Department. 
‘‘(c) COORDINATION WITH INTELLIGENCE COMPO-
NENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—The heads of the intel-
ligence components of the Department shall each es-
tablish procedures to provide formal responses to 
recommendations submitted to such officials by the 
Ombuds pursuant to subsection (b)(5) within 60 
days of receiving such recommendations. 
‘‘(2) ACCESS TO INFORMATION.—The Secretary 
shall establish procedures to provide the Ombuds ac-
cess to all departmental information necessary to 
execute the responsibilities of the Ombuds under this 
section. The Ombuds may submit to the Secretary a 
request for such information, and not later than 60 
days after receiving such a request, the Secretary 
shall provide the Ombuds with such information. 
‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year 
after the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, 
the Ombuds shall submit to the Committee on Homeland 
Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intel-
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ligence of the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 
and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate 
a report on its activities, findings, and recommendations 
of the Ombuds over the immediately preceding 12-month 
period. 
‘‘(e) DEFINITION.—In this section the term ‘intel-
ligence activity’ means the collection, gathering, proc-
essing, analysis, production, or dissemination of informa-
tion, including homeland security information, terrorism 
information, and weapons of mass destruction informa-
tion.’’. 
(b) 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 
713 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 714. Intelligence transparency and oversight program office; Ombuds.’’. 
Æ 
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