Title: ALERTS Act
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on Transparency and Security Act or the ALERTS Act
This bill requires federal agencies and state and local governments to provide notification regarding election cybersecurity incidents. Specifically, federal entities must share information about an election cybersecurity incident with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If there is credible evidence that an unauthorized intrusion into an election system occurred that put voter information or other systems at risk, DHS must, with limited exceptions, share this information with relevant state and local offices and with appropriate members of Congress. State and local election offices must notify individuals possibly affected by this intrusion.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3529 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3529

   To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to promptly notify 
   appropriate State and local officials and Members of Congress if 
 Federal officials have credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion 
  into an election system and a basis to believe that such intrusion 
  could have resulted in voter information being altered or otherwise 
 affected, to require State and local officials to notify potentially 
    affected individuals of such intrusion, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 27, 2019

    Mrs. Murphy (for herself, Mr. Waltz, Ms. Shalala, Mr. Soto, Mr. 
Fitzpatrick, Ms. Kendra S. Horn of Oklahoma, Mr. Gaetz, Mr. Deutch, Mr. 
 Spano, Ms. Mucarsel-Powell, Mr. Mast, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Diaz-
Balart, Mr. Crist, Mr. Rutherford, Mr. Arrington, Mr. Buchanan, and Mr. 
    Yoho) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                   Committee on House Administration

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to promptly notify 
   appropriate State and local officials and Members of Congress if 
 Federal officials have credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion 
  into an election system and a basis to believe that such intrusion 
  could have resulted in voter information being altered or otherwise 
 affected, to require State and local officials to notify potentially 
    affected individuals of such intrusion, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms 
on Transparency and Security Act'' or the ``ALERTS Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds as follows:
            (1) Free and fair elections are central to our democratic 
        system of government.
            (2) An attack on election systems in the United States by a 
        foreign government is a hostile act, and protecting our 
        election systems from such attacks is a critical national 
        security objective.
            (3) The March 2019 ``Report on the Investigation into 
        Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election'', known 
        as the Mueller Report, concludes that Russian military 
        intelligence officers targeted individuals and entities 
        involved in the administration of the November 2016 elections, 
        including State boards of elections, Secretaries of State, 
        county governments, and private technology firms responsible 
        for manufacturing and administering election-related software 
        and hardware.
            (4) The Mueller Report states that Russian military 
        intelligence officers sent spearphishing emails to over 120 
        email accounts used by Florida county officials responsible for 
        administering the 2016 elections, and further states that the 
        Federal Bureau of Investigation ``believes that this operation 
        enabled Russian military intelligence officers to gain access 
        to the network of at least one Florida county government''.
            (5) In May 2019, it came to light that Russian military 
        intelligence officers had gained access to the computer network 
        of a second Florida county in the run-up to the 2016 elections.
            (6) To date, government officials have not publicly 
        disclosed or confirmed the identity of the Florida counties 
        whose voter registration systems were breached.
            (7) As a result, voters in affected counties do not possess 
        the information necessary to take appropriate responsive 
        action, such as taking affirmative steps to confirm that their 
        individual registration data is accurate and holding State and 
        local election officials accountable for their actions or 
        inactions.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
principal victim of an attack on election systems in the United States 
is the voting public and, except in certain narrowly defined cases, the 
voting public should be promptly informed if Federal officials have 
credible evidence of an unauthorized intrusion into an election system 
and a basis to believe that such intrusion could have resulted in voter 
information systems or voter tabulation systems being altered or 
otherwise affected.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act, the following definitions apply:
            (1) Appropriate members of congress.--The term 
        ``appropriate Members of Congress'' means, with respect to a 
        notification described in section 3(b)(2)--
                    (A) the Speaker of the House of Representatives, 
                the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, 
                the chairs and ranking minority members of the 
                Committees on House Administration, Homeland Security, 
                the Judiciary, and Permanent Select Committee on 
                Intelligence of the House of Representatives, and each 
                Member of the House of Representatives (including a 
                Delegate or Resident Commissioner to the Congress) who 
                represents a congressional district in which the unit 
                of local government involved is located; and
                    (B) the Majority Leader of the Senate, the Minority 
                Leader of the Senate, the chairs and ranking minority 
                members of the Committees on Rules and Administration, 
                Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the 
                Judiciary, and Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
                Senate, and the Senators who represent the State 
                involved.
            (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Homeland Security.
            (3) Election agency.--The term ``election agency'' means 
        any component of a State or any component of a unit of local 
        government of a State that is responsible for administering 
        Federal elections.
            (4) Election cybersecurity incident.--The term ``election 
        cybersecurity incident'' means any incident, as defined in 
        section 2209(a)(3) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
        U.S.C. 659(a)(3)), involving an election system.
            (5) Election system.--The term ``election system'' means a 
        voting system, an election management system, a voter 
        registration website or database, an electronic pollbook, a 
        system for tabulating or reporting election results, an 
        election agency communications system, or any other information 
        system (as defined in section 3502 of title 44, United States 
        Code) that the Secretary identifies as central to the 
        management, support, or administration of a Federal election.
            (6) Federal election.--The term ``Federal election'' means 
        any election (as defined in section 301(1) of the Federal 
        Election Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101(1))) for Federal 
        office (as defined in section 301(3) of the Federal Election 
        Campaign Act of 1971 (52 U.S.C. 30101(3))).
            (7) Federal entity.--The term ``Federal entity'' means any 
        agency (as defined in section 551 of title 5, United States 
        Code).
            (8) Local election official.--The term ``local election 
        official'' means the chief election official of a component of 
        a unit of local government of a State that is responsible for 
        administering Federal elections.
            (9) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Homeland Security.
            (10) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
        States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
        Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
        the United States Virgin Islands.
            (11) State election official.--The term ``State election 
        official'' means--
                    (A) the chief State election official of a State 
                designated under section 10 of the National Voter 
                Registration Act of 1993 (52 U.S.C. 20509); or
                    (B) in the case of Puerto Rico, Guam, American 
                Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United 
                States Virgin Islands, a chief State election official 
                designated by the State for purposes of this Act.
            (12) Voting system.--The term ``voting system'' has the 
        meaning given the term in section 301(b) of the Help America 
        Vote Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081(b)).

SEC. 4. DUTY OF SECRETARY OF HOMELAND SECURITY TO NOTIFY STATE AND 
              LOCAL OFFICIALS AND APPROPRIATE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS OF 
              UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSIONS INTO ELECTION SYSTEMS.

    (a) Duty To Share Information With Department of Homeland 
Security.--If a Federal entity receives information about an election 
cybersecurity incident, the Federal entity shall promptly share that 
information with the Department, unless the head of the entity (or a 
Senate-confirmed official designated by the head) makes a specific 
determination in writing that there is good cause to withhold the 
particular information.
    (b) Response to Receipt of Information by Secretary of Homeland 
Security.--
            (1) In general.--Upon receiving information about an 
        election cybersecurity incident under subsection (a), the 
        Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General and the 
        Director of National Intelligence, shall promptly (but in no 
        case later than 96 hours after receiving the information) 
        review the information and make a determination whether each of 
        the following apply:
                    (A) There is credible evidence that an unauthorized 
                intrusion into an election system occurred.
                    (B) There is a basis to believe that the 
                unauthorized intrusion resulted, could have resulted, 
                or could result in voter information systems or voter 
                tabulation systems being altered or otherwise affected.
            (2) Duty to notify state and local officials and 
        appropriate members of congress.--
                    (A) Duty described.--If the Secretary makes a 
                determination under paragraph (1) that subparagraphs 
                (A) and (B) of such paragraph apply with respect to an 
                unauthorized intrusion into an election system, not 
                later than 48 hours after making the determination, the 
                Secretary shall provide a notification of the 
                unauthorized intrusion to each of the following:
                            (i) The chief executive of the State 
                        involved.
                            (ii) The State election official of the 
                        State involved.
                            (iii) The local election official of the 
                        election agency involved.
                            (iv) The appropriate Members of Congress.
                    (B) Treatment of classified information.--
                            (i) Efforts to avoid inclusion of 
                        classified information.--In preparing a 
                        notification provided under this paragraph to 
                        an individual described in clause (i), (ii), or 
                        (iii) of subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall 
                        attempt to avoid the inclusion of classified 
                        information.
                            (ii) Providing guidance to state and local 
                        officials.--To the extent that a notification 
                        provided under this paragraph to an individual 
                        described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of 
                        subparagraph (A) includes classified 
                        information, the Secretary (in consultation 
                        with the Attorney General and the Director of 
                        National Intelligence) shall indicate in the 
                        notification which information is classified.
            (3) Exception.--
                    (A) In general.--If the Secretary, in consultation 
                with the Attorney General and the Director of National 
                Intelligence, makes a determination that it is not 
                possible to provide a notification under paragraph (1) 
                with respect to an unauthorized intrusion without 
                compromising intelligence methods or sources or 
                interfering with an ongoing investigation, the 
                Secretary--
                            (i) shall not provide the notification 
                        under such paragraph; and
                            (ii) shall, not later than 48 hours after 
                        making the determination under this 
                        subparagraph, provide a classified briefing on 
                        the unauthorized intrusion to the appropriate 
                        Members of Congress.
                    (B) Ongoing review.--Not later than 30 days after 
                making a determination under subparagraph (A) and every 
                30 days thereafter, the Secretary shall review the 
                determination. If, after reviewing the determination, 
                the Secretary makes a revised determination that it is 
                possible to provide a notification under paragraph (2) 
                without compromising intelligence methods or sources or 
                interfering with an ongoing investigation, the 
                Secretary shall provide the notification under 
                paragraph (2) not later than 48 hours after making such 
                revised determination.
    (c) Effective Date.--This section shall apply with respect to 
information about an election cybersecurity incident which is received 
on or after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 5. RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO NOTIFY 
              AFFECTED INDIVIDUALS.

    (a) Responsibilities Described.--Title III of the Help America Vote 
Act of 2002 (52 U.S.C. 21081 et seq.) is amended by inserting after 
section 303 the following new section:

``SEC. 303A. RESPONSIBILITIES OF STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS TO NOTIFY 
              INDIVIDUALS AFFECTED BY UNAUTHORIZED INTRUSIONS INTO 
              ELECTION SYSTEMS.

    ``(a) Responsibilities Described.--If a State or unit of local 
government receives a notification from the Secretary of Homeland 
Security under section 4 of the Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on 
Transparency and Security Act of an unauthorized intrusion described in 
such section, the State election official and the appropriate local 
election official shall provide notification of the intrusion to the 
individuals who were affected, could have been affected, or may be 
affected by the intrusion.
    ``(b) Contents and Manner of Notification.--The notification 
provided under this section shall be in such form and manner as the 
State election official may establish, except that--
            ``(1) the notification shall not reveal classified 
        information about the nature of the intrusion or the persons 
        suspected of making the intrusion;
            ``(2) the notification shall be provided in a manner that 
        does not discourage any individual from voting or registering 
        to vote; and
            ``(3) nothing in this section shall be construed to require 
        an election official to provide a separate notification to each 
        affected individual.
    ``(c) Deadline.--The State election official or the appropriate 
election official shall provide the notification required under this 
section as soon as practicable after the official receives the 
notification from the Secretary of Homeland Security under section 4 of 
the Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on Transparency and Security 
Act, but in no event later than--
            ``(1) 48 hours before the date of the next election for 
        public office held in the State or unit of local government 
        involved; or
            ``(2) 30 days after receiving the notification,
whichever is earlier.
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section, the terms `State' and `State 
election official' each have the meaning given such term in the 
Achieving Lasting Electoral Reforms on Transparency and Security 
Act.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment Relating to Enforcement.--Section 401 of 
such Act (52 U.S.C. 21111) is amended by striking ``sections 301, 302, 
and 303'' and inserting ``subtitle A of title III''.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of such Act is 
amended by inserting after the item relating to section 303 the 
following new item:

``303A. Responsibilities of State and local officials to notify 
                            individuals affected by unauthorized 
                            intrusions into election systems.''.
                                 <all>