115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 655 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish 
the Securing the Cities program to enhance the ability 
of the United States to detect and prevent terrorist at-
tacks and other high consequence events utilizing nuclear 
or other radiological materials that pose a high risk 
to homeland security in high-risk urban areas, 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 ‘‘Securing the Cities 
Act of 2017’’. 
SEC. 2. SECURING THE CITIES PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title XIX of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 591 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following new section: 
‘‘SEC. 1908. SECURING THE CITIES PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Director for Domestic 
Nuclear Detection shall establish the ‘Securing the Cities’ 
(‘STC’) program to enhance the ability of the United 
States to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other 
high consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radio-
logical materials that pose a high risk to homeland secu-
rity in high-risk urban areas. Through the STC program 
the Director shall— 
‘‘(1) assist State, local, tribal, and territorial 
governments in designing and implementing, or en-
hancing existing, architectures for coordinated and 
integrated detection and interdiction of nuclear or 
other radiological materials that are out of regu-
latory control; 
‘‘(2) support the development of a region-wide 
operating capability to detect and report on nuclear 
and other radioactive materials out of regulatory 
control;
‘‘(3) provide resources to enhance detection, 
analysis, communication, and coordination to better 
integrate State, local, tribal, and territorial assets 
into Federal operations; 
‘‘(4) facilitate alarm adjudication and provide 
subject matter expertise and technical assistance on 
concepts of operations, training, exercises, and alarm 
response protocols; 
‘‘(5) communicate with, and promote sharing of 
information about the presence or detection of nu-
clear or other radiological materials among appro-
priate Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial 
governments, in a manner that ensures transparency 
with the jurisdictions served by such program; 
‘‘(6) provide augmenting resources, as appro-
priate, enabling State, local, tribal, and territorial 
governments to sustain and refresh their capabilities 
developed under the STC program; and 
‘‘(7) provide any other assistance the Director 
determines appropriate. 
‘‘(b) DESIGNATION OF JURISDICTIONS.—In carrying 
out the program under subsection (a), the Director shall 
designate jurisdictions from among high-risk urban areas 
under section 2003, and other cities and regions, as appro-
priate.
‘‘(c) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION.—The Director 
shall notify the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate not later than three days before the designa-
tion of new jurisdictions under subsection (b) or other 
changes to participating jurisdictions.’’. 
(b) GAO REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 
of the United States shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the Senate an assess-
ment, including an evaluation of the effectiveness, of the 
Securing the Cities program under section 1908 of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection 
(a) of this section. 
(c) 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 
1907 the following new item: 
‘‘Sec. 1908. Securing the Cities program.’’.
SEC. 3. MODEL EXERCISES. 
Not later than 120 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director for Domestic Nuclear De-
tection of the Department of Homeland Security shall re-
port to the Committee on Homeland Security and the 
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov-
ernmental Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate on the feasibility of the Director developing 
model exercises to test the preparedness of jurisdictions 
participating in the Securing the Cities program under 
section 1908 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as 
added by section 2 of this Act) in meeting the challenges 
that may be posed by a range of nuclear and radiological 
threats. 
SEC. 4. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED. 
No additional funds are authorized to carry out the 
requirements of this Act and the amendments made by 
this Act. Such requirements shall be carried out using 
amounts otherwise authorized. 
Passed the House of Representatives January 31, 
2017. 
Attest: 
Clerk.
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 655 
AN ACT 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish the Securing the Cities program to en-
hance the ability of the United States to detect 
and prevent terrorist attacks and other high con-
sequence events utilizing nuclear or other radio-
logical materials that pose a high risk to home-
land security in high-risk urban areas, and for 
other purposes.