Title: DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and update at least once every five years a strategy for DHS engagement with fusion centers. The term "fusion center" means a collaborative effort of two or more government agencies that combines resources, expertise, or information to maximize the ability of such agencies to detect, prevent, investigate, apprehend, and respond to criminal or terrorist activity.
The Office of Intelligence and Analysis of DHS shall provide personnel and support to fusion centers, publish performance metrics for DHS field personnel assigned to fusion centers, and develop and implement training for fusion center personnel.
DHS intelligence and information components shall develop policies and metrics to ensure effective use of the unclassified Homeland Security Information Sharing Network and shall assess and implement enhancements to improve such network.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 504 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 504

To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of 
    Homeland Security to develop an engagement strategy with fusion 
                    centers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 11, 2019

 Mr. Bacon (for himself, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Panetta) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of 
    Homeland Security to develop an engagement strategy with fusion 
                    centers, 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 ``DHS Field Engagement Accountability 
Act''.

SEC. 2. ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY WITH FUSION CENTERS.

    Section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h) 
is amended by--
            (1) redesigning subsections (j) and (k) as subsections (k) 
        and (l), respectively; and
            (2) inserting after subsection (i) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(j) Fusion Center Information Sharing Strategy.--Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the 
Secretary shall develop and update at least once every five years a 
strategy for Department engagement with fusion centers. Such strategy 
shall be developed and updated in consultation with the heads of 
intelligence components of the Department, the Chief Privacy Officer of 
the Department, the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the 
Department, officials of fusion centers, officers designated as 
Homeland Security Advisors, and the heads of other relevant agencies, 
as appropriate. Such strategy shall include the following:
            ``(1) Specific goals and objectives for sharing information 
        and engaging with fusion centers--
                    ``(A) through the direct deployment of personnel 
                from intelligence components of the Department;
                    ``(B) through the use of Department unclassified 
                and classified information sharing systems, including 
                the Homeland Security Information Sharing Network and 
                the Homeland Secure Data Network, or any successor 
                systems; and
                    ``(C) through any additional means.
            ``(2) The performance metrics to be used to measure success 
        in achieving the goals and objectives referred to in paragraph 
        (1).
            ``(3) A five-year plan for continued engagement with fusion 
        centers.''.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF INTELLIGENCE AND ANALYSIS FIELD PERSONNEL SUPPORT TO 
              FUSION CENTERS.

    (a) Performance Metrics.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall--
            (1) consider the effectiveness of existing processes to 
        identify and prepare field personnel for deployment to support 
        fusion centers and internal mechanisms to ensure oversight and 
        accountability of such field personnel, including field 
        personnel assigned to one center and field personnel assigned 
        to multiple centers; and
            (2) publish and disseminate performance metrics, taking 
        into account, as appropriate, regional and threat diversity, 
        for--
                    (A) field personnel from the Office of Intelligence 
                and Analysis assigned to an individual fusion center;
                    (B) field personnel from the Office of Intelligence 
                and Analysis assigned to multiple fusion centers; and
                    (C) regional Directors of the Office of 
                Intelligence and Analysis to ensure accountability for 
                monitoring all field personnel under the supervision of 
                such Regional Directors.
    (b) Training.--In consultation with the Chief Information Officer 
of the Department of Homeland Security, the Under Secretary for 
Intelligence and Analysis of the Department shall develop and implement 
a formalized training module for fusion center personnel regarding the 
classified Homeland Secure Data Network of the Department, or any 
successor system.
    (c) Fusion Center Defined.--In this section, the term ``fusion 
center'' has the meaning given such term in section 210A of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h).

SEC. 4. DHS COMPONENT USAGE OF THE HOMELAND SECURITY INFORMATION 
              NETWORK.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Chief Intelligence Officer of the Department 
of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Chief Information 
Officer of the Department, shall--
            (1) develop policies and metrics to ensure effective use by 
        components of the Department of the Department's unclassified 
        Homeland Security Information Sharing Network, or any successor 
        system; and
            (2) develop policies for posting unclassified products on 
        the Homeland Security Information Sharing Network, or any 
        successor system.
    (b) Technical Enhancements.--The Chief Information Officer of the 
Department of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Chief 
Intelligence Officer of the Department, shall assess and implement, as 
appropriate, technical enhancements to the Homeland Security 
Information Sharing Network (HSIN) to improve usability, including 
search functionality, data analysis, and collaboration capabilities.

SEC. 5. REPORT.

    Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee 
on Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence 
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security 
and Governmental Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence of 
the Senate a report on the implementation of the following:
            (1) The fusion center information sharing strategy required 
        under subsection (j) of section 210A of the Homeland Security 
        Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h), as added by section 2 of this Act, 
        based on performance metrics developed pursuant to such 
        strategy.
            (2) Field personnel deployed to fusion centers (as such 
        term is defined in section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 
        2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h)) in accordance with section 3, based on 
        performance metrics developed pursuant to such section.
            (3) Policies that seek to ensure the effective use of the 
        Homeland Security Information Sharing Network in accordance 
        with section 4, based on the metrics developed pursuant to such 
        section.
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