EAGLES Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.1229 | Sponsor: Rep. Deutch, Theodore E. (D-FL)
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
EAGLES Act of 2021
This bill reauthorizes the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) within the U.S. Secret Service.
It reauthorizes the functions of NTAC through FY2025 and expands them to include the establishment of a national program on targeted school violence prevention.

To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the 
    National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland 
                               Security.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``EAGLES Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals lost their lives 
        in a senseless and violent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas 
        High School in Parkland Florida, a school whose mascot is the 
        eagle.
            (2) These individuals lived lives of warmth, joy, 
        determination, service, and love, and their loss is mourned by 
        the Nation.
            (3) The shooter in that attack exhibited patterns of 
        behavior that were alarming and that should have alerted law 
        enforcement and other Federal, State, and local officials.
            (4) The attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was 
        preventable.
            (5) Lives were saved because of the brave and exemplary 
        conduct of many students, teachers, and staff at Marjory 
        Stoneman Douglas High School, including several of the victims 
        of the attack.
            (6) The National Threat Assessment Center (referred to in 
        this Act as the ``Center'') was established in 1998 to conduct 
        research on various types of targeted violence.
            (7) Studies conducted by the Center on targeted school 
        violence, in particular, have shown that--
                    (A) most incidents were planned in advance;
                    (B) the attackers' behavior gave some indication 
                that the individual was planning, or at least 
                contemplating, an attack;
                    (C) most attackers had already exhibited a pattern 
                of behavior that was of concern to other people in 
                their lives; and
                    (D) prior to the attack, someone associated with 
                the attacker, such as a family member or peer, knew the 
                attack was to likely to occur.
            (8) Through their research, the Center developed the threat 
        assessment model for responding to indicators of targeted 
        violence, which includes a 3-step process--
                    (A) identifying individuals who are exhibiting 
                behaviors that indicate they are planning an attack on 
                a school;
                    (B) assessing whether the individual poses a threat 
                to the school, based on articulable facts; and
                    (C) managing the threat the individual may pose to 
                the school.
            (9) The threat assessment model works most effectively when 
        all the relevant parties, including school officials, local law 
        enforcement, and members of the community, are part of a 
        comprehensive protocol to identify, assess, and manage a 
        potential threat to the school.
            (10) The primary goal of threat assessment programs in 
        schools should be to prevent violent conduct, with an emphasis 
        on early intervention, treatment, and care of individuals 
        exhibiting behaviors associated with targeted violence.
            (11) Early intervention, treatment, and prevention of 
        violent behavior is an effective way to prevent violent conduct 
        that would harm others and necessitate disciplinary action, 
        including criminal penalties.
            (12) The parties involved need the appropriate training and 
        tools to establish the appropriate mechanisms for implementing 
        this type of approach.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a fact-
based threat assessment approach, involving school officials, local law 
enforcement, and members of the community, is one of the most effective 
ways to prevent targeted violence in schools, and is a fitting memorial 
to those who lost their lives in the February 14, 2018 attack on 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and those who heroically acted to 
preserve the lives of their friends, students, and colleagues.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF THE NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT 
              CENTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 203 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 3056A the following:
``Sec. 3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
              United States Secret Service
    ``(a) In General.--There is established a National Threat 
Assessment Center (in this section referred to as the `Center'), to be 
operated by the United States Secret Service, at the direction of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security.
    ``(b) Functions.--The functions of the Center shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Training in the area of best practices on threat 
        assessment.
            ``(2) Consultation on complex threat assessment cases or 
        programs.
            ``(3) Research on threat assessment and the prevention of 
        targeted violence, consistent with evidence-based standards and 
        existing laws and regulations.
            ``(4) Facilitation of information sharing on threat 
        assessment and the prevention of targeted violence among 
        agencies with protective or public safety responsibilities, as 
        well as other public or private entities.
            ``(5) Development of evidence-based programs to promote the 
        standardization of Federal, State, and local threat 
        assessments, best practices in investigations involving 
        threats, and the prevention of targeted violence.
    ``(c) Safe School Initiative.--In carrying out the functions 
described in subsection (b), the Center shall establish a national 
program on targeted school violence prevention, focusing on the 
following activities:
            ``(1) Research.--The Center shall--
                    ``(A) conduct research into targeted school 
                violence and evidence-based practices in targeted 
                school violence prevention, including school threat 
                assessment; and
                    ``(B) publish the findings of the Center on the 
                public website of the United States Secret Service.
            ``(2) Training.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Center shall develop and 
                offer training courses on targeted school violence 
                prevention to agencies with protective or public safety 
                responsibilities and other public or private entities, 
                including local educational agencies.
                    ``(B) Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
                of enactment of this section, the Center shall 
                establish a plan to offer its training and other 
                educational resources to public or private entities 
                within each State.
            ``(3) Coordination with other federal agencies.--The Center 
        shall develop research and training programs under this section 
        in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Department 
        of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
            ``(4) Consultation with entities outside the federal 
        government.--The Center is authorized to consult with State and 
        local educational, law enforcement, and mental health officials 
        and private entities in the development of research and 
        training programs under this section.
            ``(5) Interactive website.--The Center may create an 
        interactive website to disseminate information and data on 
        evidence-based practices in targeted school violence 
        prevention.
    ``(d) Hiring of Additional Personnel.--The Director of the United 
States Secret Service may hire additional personnel to comply with the 
requirements of this section, which, if the Director exercises that 
authority, shall include--
            ``(1) at least 1 employee with expertise in child 
        psychological development; and
            ``(2) at least 1 employee with expertise in school threat 
        assessment.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the functions of the Center $10,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025.
    ``(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Director of the Secret Service shall 
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on the 
Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives a report on actions taken by the United States Secret 
Service to implement provisions of this section, which shall include--
            ``(1) the number of employees hired (on a full-time 
        equivalent basis);
            ``(2) the number of individuals in each State trained in 
        threat assessment;
            ``(3) the number of school districts in each State trained 
        in school threat assessment or targeted school violence 
        prevention;
            ``(4) information on Federal, State, and local agencies 
        trained or otherwise assisted by the Center;
            ``(5) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
        and other assistance provided by the Center is effective;
            ``(6) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
        and other assistance provided by the Center was implemented by 
        the school;
            ``(7) a summary of the Center's research activities and 
        findings; and
            ``(8) a strategic plan for disseminating the Center's 
        educational and training resources to each State.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `evidence-based' means--
                    ``(A) strong evidence from at least 1 well-designed 
                and well-implemented experimental study;
                    ``(B) moderate evidence from at least 1 well-
                designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; 
                or
                    ``(C) promising evidence from at least 1 well-
                designed and well-implemented correlational study with 
                statistical controls for selection bias;
            ``(2) the term `local educational agency' has the meaning 
        given that term under section 8101 of the Elementary and 
        Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
            ``(3) the term `State' means any State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(h) No Funds To Provide Firearms Training.--None of the funds 
authorized to be appropriated under this section may be used to train 
any person in the use of a firearm.
    ``(i) No Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to preclude or contradict any other provision of law 
authorizing training in the use of firearms.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 4 of the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 
        2000 (18 U.S.C. 3056 note) is repealed.
            (2) The table of sections for chapter 203 of title 18, 
        United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
        relating to section 3056A the following:

``3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
                            United States Secret Service.''.
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