Title: Pray Safe Act
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
Pray Safe Act
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Faith-Based Organizations and Houses of Worship.
The clearinghouse shall be the primary resource of the federal government to (1) educate and publish online best practices and recommendations for safety and security for faith-based organizations and houses of worship, and (2) provide information relating to federal grant programs available to faith-based organizations and houses of worship.
DHS shall develop tiers for determining evidence-based practices that demonstrate a significant effect on improving safety, security, or both for faith-based organizations and houses of worship.
The clearinghouse website shall include a separate section for other resources that shall provide a centralized list of all available points of contact to seek assistance in grant applications and in carrying out the best practices and recommendations of the clearinghouse.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2123 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2123

  To establish the Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best 
Practices for Faith-Based Organizations and Houses of Worship, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 17, 2021

Mr. Portman (for himself and Ms. Hassan) introduced the following bill; 
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best 
Practices for Faith-Based Organizations and Houses of Worship, 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 ``Pray Safe Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Clearinghouse'' means the Federal 
        Clearinghouse on Safety Best Practices for Faith-Based 
        Organizations and Houses of Worship established under section 
        2220A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by section 
        3 of this Act;
            (2) the term ``Department'' means the Department of 
        Homeland Security; and
            (3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland 
        Security.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES FOR 
              FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.), as amended by section 9, is amended 
by adding at the end:

``SEC. 2220A. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST 
              PRACTICES FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND HOUSES OF 
              WORSHIP.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `Clearinghouse' means the Clearinghouse 
        established under subsection (b);
            ``(2) the term `faith-based organization' means a group, 
        center, or nongovernmental organization at risk because of 
        religious, ideological, or spiritual beliefs; and
            ``(3) the term `house of worship' means a place or 
        building, including synagogues, mosques, temples, and churches, 
        in which congregants practice their religious or spiritual 
        beliefs.
    ``(b) Establishment.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
        of enactment of the Pray Safe Act, the Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Attorney General, the Executive Director 
        of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood 
        Partnerships, and the head of any other agency that the 
        Secretary determines appropriate, shall establish a Federal 
        Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Faith-
        Based Organizations and Houses of Worship within the 
        Department.
            ``(2) Purpose.--The Clearinghouse shall be the primary 
        resource of the Federal Government--
                    ``(A) to educate and publish online best practices 
                and recommendations for safety and security for faith-
                based organizations and houses of worship; and
                    ``(B) to provide information relating to Federal 
                grant programs available to faith-based organizations 
                and houses of worship.
            ``(3) Personnel.--
                    ``(A) Assignments.--The Clearinghouse shall be 
                assigned such personnel and resources as the Secretary 
                considers appropriate to carry out this section.
                    ``(B) Detailees.--The Secretary may coordinate 
                detailees as required for the Clearinghouse.
                    ``(C) Designated point of contact.--There shall be 
                not less than 1 employee assigned or detailed to the 
                Clearinghouse who shall be the designated point of 
                contact to provide information and assistance to faith-
                based organizations and houses of worship, including 
                assistance relating to the grant program established 
                under section 5 of the Pray Safe Act. The contact 
                information of the designated point of contact shall be 
                made available on the website of the Clearinghouse.
                    ``(D) Qualification.--To the maximum extent 
                possible, any personnel assigned or detailed to the 
                Clearinghouse under this paragraph should be familiar 
                with faith-based organizations and houses of worship 
                and with physical and online security measures to 
                identify and prevent safety and security risks.
    ``(c) Clearinghouse Contents.--
            ``(1) Evidence-based tiers.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation 
                with the Attorney General, the Executive Director of 
                the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood 
                Partnerships, and the head of any other agency that the 
                Secretary determines appropriate, shall develop tiers 
                for determining evidence-based practices that 
                demonstrate a significant effect on improving safety or 
                security, or both, for faith-based organizations and 
                houses of worship.
                    ``(B) Requirements.--The tiers required to be 
                developed under subparagraph (A) shall--
                            ``(i) prioritize--
                                    ``(I) strong evidence from not less 
                                than 1 well-designed and well-
                                implemented experimental study; and
                                    ``(II) moderate evidence from not 
                                less than 1 well-designed and well-
                                implemented quasi-experimental study; 
                                and
                            ``(ii) consider promising evidence that 
                        demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality 
                        research findings or positive evaluations that 
                        such activity, strategy, or intervention is 
                        likely to improve security and promote safety 
                        for faith-based organizations and houses of 
                        worship.
            ``(2) Criteria for best practices and recommendations.--The 
        best practices and recommendations of the Clearinghouse shall, 
        at a minimum--
                    ``(A) identify areas of concern for faith-based 
                organizations and houses of worship, including event 
                planning recommendations, checklists, facility 
                hardening, tabletop exercise resources, and other 
                resilience measures;
                    ``(B) involve comprehensive safety measures, 
                including threat prevention, preparedness, protection, 
                mitigation, incident response, and recovery to improve 
                the safety posture of faith-based organizations and 
                houses of worship upon implementation;
                    ``(C) involve comprehensive safety measures, 
                including preparedness, protection, mitigation, 
                incident response, and recovery to improve the 
                resiliency of faith-based organizations and houses of 
                worship from manmade and natural disasters;
                    ``(D) include any evidence or research rationale 
                supporting the determination of the Clearinghouse that 
                the best practice or recommendation under subparagraph 
                (B) has been shown to have a significant effect on 
                improving the safety and security of individuals in 
                faith-based organizations and houses of worship, 
                including--
                            ``(i) findings and data from previous 
                        Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, 
                        private sector, and nongovernmental 
                        organization research centers relating to 
                        safety, security, and targeted violence at 
                        faith-based organizations and houses of 
                        worship; and
                            ``(ii) other supportive evidence or 
                        findings relied upon by the Clearinghouse in 
                        determining best practices and recommendations 
                        to improve the safety and security posture of a 
                        faith-based organization or house of worship 
                        upon implementation; and
                    ``(E) an overview of the available resources the 
                Clearinghouse can provide for faith-based organizations 
                and houses of worship.
            ``(3) Additional information.--The Clearinghouse shall 
        maintain and make available a comprehensive index of all 
        Federal grant programs for which faith-based organizations and 
        houses of worship are eligible, which shall include the 
        performance metrics for each grant management that the 
        recipient will be required to provide.
            ``(4) Past recommendations.--To the greatest extent 
        practicable, the Clearinghouse shall identify and present, as 
        appropriate, best practices and recommendations issued by 
        Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, private sector, and 
        nongovernmental organizations relevant to the safety and 
        security of faith-based organizations and houses of worship.
    ``(d) Assistance and Training.--The Secretary may produce and 
publish materials on the Clearinghouse to assist and train faith-based 
organizations, houses of worship, and law enforcement agencies on the 
implementation of the best practices and recommendations.
    ``(e) Continuous Improvement.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
                    ``(A) collect for the purpose of continuous 
                improvement of the Clearinghouse--
                            ``(i) Clearinghouse data analytics;
                            ``(ii) user feedback on the implementation 
                        of resources, best practices, and 
                        recommendations identified by the 
                        Clearinghouse; and
                            ``(iii) any evaluations conducted on 
                        implementation of the best practices and 
                        recommendations of the Clearinghouse; and
                    ``(B) in coordination with the Faith-Based Security 
                Advisory Council of the Department, the Department of 
                Justice, the Executive Director of the White House 
                Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, 
                and any other agency that the Secretary determines 
                appropriate--
                            ``(i) assess and identify Clearinghouse 
                        best practices and recommendations for which 
                        there are no resources available through 
                        Federal Government programs for implementation;
                            ``(ii) provide feedback on the 
                        implementation of best practices and 
                        recommendations of the Clearinghouse; and
                            ``(iii) propose additional recommendations 
                        for best practices for inclusion in the 
                        Clearinghouse; and
                    ``(C) not less frequently than annually, examine 
                and update the Clearinghouse in accordance with--
                            ``(i) the information collected under 
                        subparagraph (A); and
                            ``(ii) the recommendations proposed under 
                        subparagraph (B)(iii).
            ``(2) Annual report to congress.--The Secretary shall 
        submit to Congress, on an annual basis, a report on the updates 
        made to the Clearinghouse during the preceding 1-year period 
        under paragraph (1)(C), which shall include a description of 
        any changes made to the Clearinghouse.''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296; 116 Stat. 2135), 
as amended by section 9 of this Act, is amended by inserting after the 
item relating to section 2220 the following:

``Sec. 2220A. Federal Clearinghouse on Safety Best Practices for Faith-
                            Based Organizations and Houses of 
                            Worship.''.

SEC. 4. NOTIFICATION OF CLEARINGHOUSE.

    The Secretary shall provide written notification of the 
establishment of the Clearinghouse, with an overview of the resources 
required as described in section 2220A of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002, as added by section 3 of this Act, and section 5 of this Act, 
to--
            (1) every State homeland security advisor;
            (2) every State department of homeland security;
            (3) other Federal agencies with grant programs or 
        initiatives that aid in the safety and security of faith-based 
        organizations and houses of worship, as determined appropriate 
        by the Secretary;
            (4) every Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism 
        Task Force;
            (5) every Homeland Security Fusion Center;
            (6) every State or territorial Governor or other chief 
        executive;
            (7) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
        Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
            (8) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on 
        the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

SEC. 5. GRANT PROGRAM OVERVIEW.

    (a) DHS Grants and Resources.--The Secretary shall include a grants 
program overview on the website of the Clearinghouse that shall--
            (1) be the primary location for all information regarding 
        Department grant programs that are open to faith-based 
        organizations and houses of worship;
            (2) directly link to each grant application and any 
        applicable user guides;
            (3) identify all safety and security homeland security 
        assistance programs managed by the Department that may be used 
        to implement best practices and recommendation of the 
        Clearinghouse;
            (4) annually, and concurrent with the application period 
        for any grant identified under paragraph (1), provide 
        information related to the required elements of grant 
        applications to aid smaller faith based organizations and 
        houses of worship in earning access to Federal grants; and
            (5) provide frequently asked questions and answers for the 
        implementation of best practices and recommendations of the 
        Clearinghouse and best practices for applying for a grant 
        identified under paragraph (1).
    (b) Other Federal Grants and Resources.--Each Federal agency 
notified under section 4(3) shall provide necessary information on any 
Federal grant programs or resources of the Federal agency that are 
available for faith-based organizations and houses of worship to the 
Secretary or the appropriate point of contact for the Clearinghouse.
    (c) State Grants and Resources.--
            (1) In general.--Any State notified under paragraph (1), 
        (2), or (6) of section 4 may provide necessary information on 
        any grant programs or resources of the State available for 
        faith-based organizations and houses of worship to the 
        Secretary or the appropriate point of contact for the 
        Clearinghouse.
            (2) Identification of resources.--The Clearinghouse shall, 
        to the extent practicable, identify, for each State--
                    (A) each agency responsible for safety for faith-
                based organizations and houses of worship in the State, 
                or any State that does not have such an agency 
                designated;
                    (B) any grant program that may be used for the 
                purposes of implementing best practices and 
                recommendations of the Clearinghouse; and
                    (C) any resources or programs, including community 
                prevention or intervention efforts, that may be used to 
                assist in targeted violence and terrorism prevention.

SEC. 6. OTHER RESOURCES.

    The Secretary shall, on the website of the Clearinghouse, include a 
separate section for other resources that shall provide a centralized 
list of all available points of contact to seek assistance in grant 
applications and in carrying out the best practices and recommendations 
of the Clearinghouse, including--
            (1) a list of contact information to reach Department 
        personnel to assist with grant-related questions;
            (2) the applicable Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
        Security Agency contact information to connect houses of 
        worship with Protective Security Advisors;
            (3) contact information for all Department Fusion Centers, 
        listed by State;
            (4) information on the If you See Something Say Something 
        Campaign of the Department; and
            (5) any other appropriate contacts.

SEC. 7. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act or the amendments made by this Act shall be 
construed to create, satisfy, or waive any requirement under Federal 
civil rights laws, including--
            (1) title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 
        (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.); or
            (2) title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
        2000d et seq.).

SEC. 8. EXEMPTION.

    Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the 
``Paperwork Reduction Act'') shall not apply to any rulemaking or 
information collection required under this Act or under section 2220A 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by section 3 of this 
Act.

SEC. 9. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.

    (a) Redesignations.--Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating section 2217 (6 U.S.C. 665f) as 
        section 2220;
            (2) by redesignating section 2216 (6 U.S.C. 665e) as 
        section 2219;
            (3) by redesignating the fourth section 2215 (relating to 
        Sector Risk Management Agencies) (6 U.S.C. 665d) as section 
        2218;
            (4) by redesignating the third section 2215 (relating to 
        the Cybersecurity State Coordinator) (6 U.S.C. 665c) as section 
        2217; and
            (5) by redesignating the second section 2215 (relating to 
        the Joint Cyber Planning Office) (6 U.S.C. 665b) as section 
        2216.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--Section 2202(c) of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 652(c)) is amended--
            (1) in the first paragraph (12), by striking ``section 
        2215'' and inserting ``section 2217''; and
            (2) by redesignating the second and third paragraphs (12) 
        as paragraphs (13) and (14), respectively.
    (c) Table of Contents.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296; 116 Stat. 2135) 
is amended by striking the item relating to section 2214 and all that 
follows through the item relating to section 2217 and inserting the 
following:

``Sec. 2214. National Asset Database.
``Sec. 2215. Duties and authorities relating to .gov internet domain.
``Sec. 2216. Joint Cyber Planning Office.
``Sec. 2217. Cybersecurity State Coordinator.
``Sec. 2218. Sector Risk Management Agencies.
``Sec. 2219. Cybersecurity Advisory Committee.
``Sec. 2220. Cybersecurity education and training programs.''.
    (d) Additional Technical Amendment.--
            (1) Amendment.--Section 904(b)(1) of the DOTGOV Act of 2020 
        (title IX of division U of Public Law 116-260) is amended, in 
        the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``Homeland 
        Security Act'' and inserting ``Homeland Security Act of 2002''.
            (2) Effective date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
        shall take effect as if enacted as part of the DOTGOV Act of 
        2020 (title IX of division U of Public Law 116-260).
                                 <all>