IIB 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3503 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
NOVEMBER 3, 2015 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs 
AN ACT 
To require an assessment of fusion center personnel needs, 
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 Support to Fusion Centers Act of 2015’’. 
SEC. 2. FUSION CENTER PERSONNEL NEEDS ASSESSMENT. 
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
States shall conduct an assessment of Department of 
Homeland Security personnel assigned to fusion centers 
pursuant to subsection (c) of section 210A of the Home-
land Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h), including an 
assessment of whether deploying additional Department 
personnel to such fusion centers would enhance the De-
partment’s mission under section 101(b) of such Act and 
the National Network of Fusion Centers. The assessment 
required under this subsection shall include the following: 
(1) Information on the current deployment of 
the Department’s personnel to each fusion center. 
(2) Information on the roles and responsibilities 
of the Department’s Office of Intelligence and Anal-
ysis’ intelligence officers, intelligence analysts, senior 
reports officers, reports officers, and regional direc-
tors deployed to fusion centers. 
(3) Information on Federal resources, in addi-
tion to personnel, provided to each fusion center. 
(4) An analysis of the optimal number of per-
sonnel the Office of Intelligence and Analysis should 
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deploy to fusion centers, including a cost-benefit 
analysis comparing deployed personnel with techno-
logical solutions to support information sharing. 
(5) An assessment of fusion centers located in 
jurisdictions along land and maritime borders of the 
United States, and the degree to which deploying 
personnel, as appropriate, from the U.S. Customs 
and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Cus-
toms Enforcement, and the Coast Guard to such fu-
sion centers would enhance the integrity and secu-
rity at such borders by helping Federal, State, local, 
and tribal law enforcement authorities to identify, 
investigate, and interdict persons, weapons, and re-
lated contraband that pose a threat to homeland se-
curity. 
(6) An assessment of fusion centers located in 
jurisdictions with large and medium hub airports, 
and the degree to which deploying, as appropriate, 
personnel from the Transportation Security Admin-
istration to such fusion centers would enhance the 
integrity and security of aviation security. 
SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR STATE AND LOCAL ANALYST CLEAR-
ANCES. 
(a) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that any program established by the Under Sec-
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retary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of 
Homeland Security to provide eligibility for access to in-
formation classified as Top Secret for State and local ana-
lysts located in fusion centers shall be consistent with the 
need to know requirements pursuant to Executive Order 
No. 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note). 
(b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Intel-
ligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Se-
curity, in consultation with the Director of National Intel-
ligence, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Secu-
rity and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Se-
lect Committee on Intelligence of the Senate a report on 
the following: 
(1) The process by which the Under Secretary 
of Intelligence and Analysis determines a need to 
know pursuant to Executive Order No. 13526 to 
sponsor Top Secret clearances for appropriate State 
and local analysts located in fusion centers. 
(2) The effects of such Top Secret clearances 
on enhancing information sharing with State, local, 
tribal, and territorial partners. 
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(3) The cost for providing such Top Secret 
clearances for State and local analysts located in fu-
sion centers, including training and background in-
vestigations. 
(4) The operational security protocols, training, 
management, and risks associated with providing 
such Top Secret clearances for State and local ana-
lysts located in fusion centers. 
SEC. 4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT. 
The Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis of 
the Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration 
with the Chief Information Officer of the Department and 
representatives from the National Network of Fusion Cen-
ters, shall conduct an assessment of information systems 
(as such term is defined in section 3502 of title 44, United 
States Code) used to share homeland security information 
between the Department and fusion centers in the Na-
tional Network of Fusion Centers and make upgrades to 
such systems, as appropriate. Such assessment shall in-
clude the following: 
(1) An evaluation of the accessibility and ease 
of use of such systems by fusion centers in the Na-
tional Network of Fusion Centers. 
(2) A review to determine how to establish im-
proved interoperability of departmental information 
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systems with existing information systems used by 
fusion centers in the National Network of Fusion 
Centers. 
(3) An evaluation of participation levels of de-
partmental components and offices of information 
systems used to share homeland security information 
with fusion centers in the National Network of Fu-
sion Centers. 
SEC. 5. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. 
Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Under Secretary of Intelligence and Anal-
ysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall enter 
into a memorandum of understanding with each fusion 
center in the National Network of Fusion Centers regard-
ing the type of information fusion centers will provide to 
the Department and whether such information may be 
subject to public disclosure. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) FUSION CENTER.—The term ‘‘fusion cen-
ter’’ has the meaning given such term in subsection 
(j) of section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h). 
(2) NATIONAL
NETWORK
OF
FUSION
CEN-
TERS.—The term ‘‘National Network of Fusion Cen-
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ters’’ means a decentralized arrangement of fusion 
centers intended to enhance individual State and 
urban area fusion centers’ ability to leverage the ca-
pabilities and expertise of all such fusion centers for 
the purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland se-
curity information sharing nationally. 
Passed the House of Representatives November 2, 
2015. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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