I 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2924 
To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish the National 
Russian Threat Response Center within the Office of the Director of 
National Intelligence, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 15, 2017 
Mr. KENNEDY (for himself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. NEAL, Ms. MAXINE WATERS 
of California, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. CLARK of Massachusetts, Ms. KAPTUR, 
and Mr. KEATING) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and in addition to the 
Committee on Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined 
by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the National Security Act of 1947 to establish 
the National Russian Threat Response Center within 
the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, 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. NATIONAL RUSSIAN THREAT RESPONSE CEN-
TER. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The National Security Act of 
1947 (50 U.S.C. 3001 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 119B the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 119C. NATIONAL RUSSIAN THREAT RESPONSE CEN-
TER. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is within the Office of 
the Director of National Intelligence a National Russian 
Threat Response Center (in this section referred to as the 
‘Center’). 
‘‘(b) MISSION.—The primary missions of the Center 
shall be as follows: 
‘‘(1) To serve as the primary organization in 
the United States Government for analyzing and in-
tegrating all intelligence possessed or acquired by 
the United States Government pertaining to threats 
posed by the Russian Federation to the national se-
curity, political sovereignty, and economic activity of 
the United States and its allies. 
‘‘(2) To synchronize the efforts of the intel-
ligence community with respect to countering efforts 
by Russia to undermine the national security, polit-
ical sovereignty, and economic activity of the United 
States and its allies, including by— 
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‘‘(A) ensuring that each such element is 
aware of and coordinating on such efforts; and 
‘‘(B) overseeing the development and im-
plementation of comprehensive and integrated 
policy responses to such efforts. 
‘‘(3) In coordination with the relevant elements 
of the Department of State, the Department of De-
fense, the intelligence community, and other depart-
ments and agencies of the United States— 
‘‘(A) to develop policy recommendations for 
the President to detect, deter, and respond to 
the threats posed by Russia described in para-
graph (1), including with respect to covert ac-
tivities pursuant to section 503; and 
‘‘(B) to monitor and assess efforts by Rus-
sia to carry out such threats. 
‘‘(4) In coordination with the head of the Glob-
al Engagement Center established by section 1287 
of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2017 (Public Law 114–328), to examine cur-
rent and emerging efforts by Russia to use propa-
ganda and information operations relating to the 
threats posed by Russia described in paragraph (1). 
‘‘(5) To identify and close gaps across the de-
partments and agencies of the Federal Government 
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with respect to expertise, readiness, and planning to 
address the threats posed by Russia described in 
paragraph (1). 
‘‘(c) DIRECTOR.— 
‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.—There is a Director of 
the Center, who shall be the head of the Center, and 
who shall be appointed by the Director of National 
Intelligence, with the concurrence of the Secretary of 
State. The Director may not simultaneously serve in 
any other capacity in the executive branch. 
‘‘(2) REPORTING.—The Director of the Center 
shall directly report to the Director of National In-
telligence. 
‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Director of the 
Center shall— 
‘‘(A) ensure that the relevant departments 
and agencies of the Federal Government par-
ticipate in the mission of the Center, including 
by recruiting detailees from such departments 
and agencies in accordance with subsection 
(e)(1); and 
‘‘(B) have primary responsibility within the 
United States Government, in coordination with 
the Director of National Intelligence, for estab-
lishing requirements for the collection of intel-
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ligence related to, or regarding, the threats 
posed by Russia described in subsection (b)(1), 
in accordance with applicable provisions of law 
and Executive orders. 
‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—At the direction of the Di-
rector of National Intelligence, but not less than 
once each year, the Director of the Center shall sub-
mit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report on threats posed by Russia to the national se-
curity, political sovereignty, and economic activity of 
the United States and its allies. 
‘‘(2) MATTERS INCLUDED.—Each report under 
paragraph (1) shall include, with respect to the pe-
riod covered by the report, a discussion of the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(A) The nature of the threats described 
in such paragraph. 
‘‘(B) The ability of the United States Gov-
ernment to address such threats. 
‘‘(C) The progress of the Center in achiev-
ing its missions. 
‘‘(D) Recommendations the Director deter-
mines necessary for legislative actions to im-
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prove the ability of the Center to achieve its 
missions. 
‘‘(3) FORM.—Each report under paragraph (1) 
shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may in-
clude a classified annex. 
‘‘(e) EMPLOYEES.— 
‘‘(1) DETAILEES.—Any Federal Government 
employee may be detailed to the Center on a reim-
bursable or nonreimbursable basis, and such detail 
shall be without interruption or loss of civil service 
status or privilege for a period of not more than 8 
years. 
‘‘(2) PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACTORS.—The 
Director of National Intelligence, in consultation 
with the Secretary of State, may hire United States 
citizens or aliens as personal services contractors for 
purposes of personnel resources of the Center, if— 
‘‘(A) the Director of National Intelligence 
determines that existing personnel resources are 
insufficient; 
‘‘(B) the period in which services are pro-
vided by a personal services contractor, includ-
ing options, does not exceed 3 years, unless the 
Director of National Intelligence determines 
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that exceptional circumstances justify an exten-
sion of up to 1 additional year; 
‘‘(C) not more than 10 United States citi-
zens or aliens are employed as personal services 
contractors under the authority of this para-
graph at any time; and 
‘‘(D) the authority of this paragraph is 
only used to obtain specialized skills or experi-
ence or to respond to urgent needs. 
‘‘(3) SECURITY CLEARANCES.—Each employee 
detailed to the Center and contractor of the Center 
shall have the security clearance appropriate for the 
assigned duties of the employee or contractor. 
‘‘(f) BOARD.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a 
Board of the National Russian Threat Response 
Center (in this section referred to as the ‘Board’). 
‘‘(2) FUNCTIONS.—The Board shall conduct 
oversight of the Center to ensure the Center is 
achieving the missions of the Center. In conducting 
such oversight, upon a majority vote of the members 
of the Board, the Board may recommend to the Di-
rector of National Intelligence that the Director of 
the Center should be removed for failing to achieve 
such missions. 
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‘‘(3) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) APPOINTMENT.—The Board shall 
consist of 6 members. The head of each depart-
ment or agency of the Federal Government 
specified in subparagraph (B) shall appoint a 
senior official from that department or agency, 
who shall be a member of the Senior Executive 
Service, as a member. 
‘‘(B) DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES REP-
RESENTED.—The department or agency of the 
Federal Government specified in this subpara-
graph are the following: 
‘‘(i) The Department of State. 
‘‘(ii) The Department of Defense. 
‘‘(iii) The Department of Justice. 
‘‘(iv) The Department of the Treas-
ury. 
‘‘(v) The Department of Homeland 
Security. 
‘‘(vi) The Central Intelligence Agency. 
‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The Board shall meet not 
less than biannually and shall be convened by the 
member appointed by the Secretary of State. 
‘‘(g) INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT.—The Director 
of the Center may convene biannual conferences to coordi-
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nate international efforts against threats posed by Russia 
described in subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(h) TERMINATION.—The Center shall terminate on 
the date that is 8 years after the date of the enactment 
of this section. 
‘‘(i) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES 
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘appropriate congres-
sional committees’ means— 
‘‘(1) the congressional intelligence committees; 
‘‘(2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep-
resentatives; and 
‘‘(3) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 
the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate.’’. 
(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
at the beginning of such Act is amended by inserting after 
the item relating to section 119B the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 119C. National Russian Threat Response Center.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 507(a) of 
such Act (50 U.S.C. 3106) is amended by adding at the 
end the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(6) An annual report submitted under section 
119C(d)(1).’’. 
(d) FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any other au-
thority of the Director of National Intelligence to 
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transfer or reprogram funds, the Director may 
transfer not more than $10,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2018 and 2019 to carry out the functions 
of the National Russian Threat Response Center es-
tablished by section 119C of the National Security 
Act of 1947, as added by subsection (a), during such 
fiscal years. 
(2) NOTICE.—The Director of National Intel-
ligence shall notify the congressional intelligence 
committees (as defined in section 3 of the National 
Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) of a pro-
posed transfer under paragraph (1) not less than 15 
days prior to making such transfer. 
(3) INAPPLICABILITY OF REPROGRAMMING RE-
QUIREMENTS.—The authority to transfer amounts 
under paragraph (1) shall not be subject to any 
transfer or reprogramming requirements under any 
other provision of law. 
Æ 
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