I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7282 
To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security to assess, on an ongoing basis, the potential 
terrorism implications of malign disinformation operations on domestic 
preparedness for and collective response to terrorism or other homeland 
security threats, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 18, 2020 
Ms. UNDERWOOD (for herself, Mr. PAYNE, Mrs. DEMINGS, and Mr. THOMP-
SON of Mississippi) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Homeland Security 
A BILL 
To require the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis 
of the Department of Homeland Security to assess, on 
an ongoing basis, the potential terrorism implications 
of malign disinformation operations on domestic pre-
paredness for and collective response to terrorism or 
other homeland security threats, 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 ‘‘Protecting Against 
Public Safety Disinformation Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TERRORISM THREAT ASSESSMENT AND RESEARCH 
REGARDING MALIGN DISINFORMATION OP-
ERATIONS. 
(a) THREAT ASSESSMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary for In-
telligence and Analysis of the Department of Home-
land Security shall, on an ongoing basis and in con-
sultation with appropriate Federal partners, develop 
and disseminate to State, local, Tribal, and terri-
torial officials, including officials from law enforce-
ment, public health, fire and emergency medical 
services, and emergency management agencies, as-
sessments of the potential terrorism implications of 
malign disinformation operations carried out by ter-
rorist or foreign malicious actors on domestic pre-
paredness for and collective response to terrorism or 
other homeland security threats. 
(2) CONTENTS.—The terrorism assessments of 
malign disinformation operations required under 
paragraph (1) shall consider the following: 
(A) 
Empirical 
data 
on 
malign 
disinformation operations, including the fol-
lowing: 
(i) Topics subject to such operations. 
(ii) Tactics used in such operations. 
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(iii) Characteristics and duration of 
such operations. 
(iv) Information on such terrorist or 
foreign malicious actors carrying out such 
operations. 
(B) Details regarding the potential ter-
rorism implications of such operations on do-
mestic preparedness for and collective response 
to terrorism or other homeland security threats. 
(3) DOCUMENTATION.—The Under Secretary 
for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of 
Homeland Security shall maintain documentation re-
flecting the basis for a determination that certain in-
formation that was used in a certain manner for a 
certain purpose that resulted in certain risks or 
threats 
satisfies 
the 
definition 
of 
a 
malign 
disinformation operation. 
(4) FORM.—The Under Secretary for Intel-
ligence and Analysis of the Department of Home-
land Security shall submit to the appropriate con-
gressional committees the terrorism assessments of 
malign disinformation operations required under 
paragraph (1). Such assessments may be submitted 
in classified form, but— 
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(A) shall include unclassified summaries; 
and 
(B) may include unclassified annexes, if 
appropriate. 
(b) RESEARCH.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Under Secretary for 
Science and Technology of the Department of 
Homeland Security, in consultation with the Under 
Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, the Privacy 
Officer, and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil 
Liberties of the Department, shall conduct research 
to aid in the identification of malign disinformation 
operations carried out by terrorist or foreign mali-
cious 
actors 
by 
studying 
documented 
malign 
disinformation operations that widely reached Amer-
icans that had implications for the preparedness for 
and response to terrorism or other homeland secu-
rity threats. Such research shall— 
(A) examine different patterns and tactics 
of malign disinformation operations to identify 
unique signatures; and 
(B) identify the factors that contribute to 
effective malign disinformation operations. 
(2) COUNTER-APPROACHES.—Together with the 
research required under paragraph (1), the Under 
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Secretary for Science and Technology of the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security shall develop rec-
ommendations for approaches to counter malign 
disinformation operations described in such para-
graph. 
(3) AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of Home-
land Security is authorized to share the research and 
recommendations for counter approaches conducted 
and developed pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), 
respectively, with State, local, Tribal, and territorial 
officials, including officials from law enforcement, 
public health, fire and emergency medical services, 
and emergency management agencies, as well as 
with appropriate Federal partners. 
(4) SUBMISSION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Under Secretary for Science and Tech-
nology of the Department of Homeland Secu-
rity shall submit to the Committee on Home-
land Security of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate the results 
of the research and recommendations for 
counter approaches conducted and developed 
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pursuant to paragraphs (1) and (2), respec-
tively. 
(B) FORM.—Results of the research con-
ducted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be sub-
mitted in unclassified form, but may include 
classified 
annexes, 
as 
appropriate. 
Rec-
ommendations developed pursuant to paragraph 
(2) shall be submitted in unclassified form. 
(c) MALIGN
DISINFORMATION
OPERATION
DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘malign disinformation 
operation’’ means false information deliberately dissemi-
nated by terrorists or foreign malicious actors to mis-
inform the American public in a way that risks under-
mining domestic preparedness for and collective response 
to terrorism or other homeland security threats. 
Æ 
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