Homeland Security Open Source Information Enhancement Act of 2008

Bill: 110-hr-3815
Sponsor: Rep. Perlmutter, Ed [D-CO-7]
Introduced: 2007-10-10 in the House
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Commerce
Electronic government information
Federal-Indian relations
Federal-local relations
Federal-state relations
Government Operations and Politics
Government and business
Infrastructure
Infrastructure (Economics)
Inspectors general
Internet
Minorities
Native Americans
Public records
Right of privacy
Science, Technology, Communications
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: 
Homeland Security Open Source Information Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) components responsible for information sharing and infrastructure protection make full and efficient use of open source information to develop and disseminate open source products.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DHS makes full and efficient use of such information to analyze U.S. critical infrastructure nodes from the perspective of terrorists and other activities with a nexus to terrorism using publicly available information; and (2) share the unclassified results with appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector officials.

Directs: (1) the Secretary to ensure that the manner in which open source information is gathered and disseminated complies with the Constitution, the Privacy Act of 1974, the E-Government Act of 2002, and all other relevant federal laws; (2) the Chief Privacy Officer of DHS to include in such Officer's annual report a description of the types of personally identifiable information collected by DHS intelligence components; and (3) the Inspector General of DHS to audit the use and dissemination of such information to evaluate the effectiveness of DHS activities and to ensure consistency with existing federal open source information guidelines.

action_date: 2008-07-30
text: 
Homeland Security Open Source Information Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish an open source collection, analysis, and dissemination program, which shall make full and efficient use of open source information to develop and disseminate open source intelligence products.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that there is a specific focus on generating products that: (1) analyze news and developments related to foreign terrorist organizations, including how the threat of such organizations is relevant to homeland security; (2) analyze the risks and vulnerabilities to the nation's critical infrastructure; (3) analyze terrorist tactics and techniques to include recommendations on identifying patterns of terrorist activity and behavior allowing first responders to allocate resources appropriately; and (4) utilize computer-based electronic visualization and animation tools that combine imagery, sound, and written material into unclassified open source intelligence products.

Requires the Secretary to: (1) share the unclassified results of such analysis with federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector officials; and (2) ensure that the manner in which open source information is gathered and disseminated complies with all relevant federal laws.

Directs the Inspector General to audit the use and dissemination of open source information by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evaluate its effectiveness and to ensure that it is consistent with procedures established by the Secretary and with federal open source information and intelligence guidelines.

Requires the Privacy Officer and DHS's Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to submit a privacy and civil liberties impact assessment of DHS's open source program.

action_date: 2008-09-24
text: 
Homeland Security Open Source Information Enhancement Act of 2008 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open Source and the Director of National Intelligence, to establish an open source collection, analysis, and dissemination program within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis. 

Defines &quot;open source information&quot; to mean publicly available information that can be lawfully obtained by a member of the public by request, purchase, or observation. Requires the program to make full and efficient use of open source information to develop and disseminate open source alerts, warnings, and other intelligence products relating to the mission of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

 Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that DHS makes full and efficient use of such information in intelligence analysis to identify terrorist threats; and (2) make DHS open source information available to federal, state, local, tribal, and private-sector entities, using systems and networks for the dissemination of homeland security information. 

Directs: (1) the Secretary to ensure that the manner in which open source information is gathered and disseminated complies with all relevant federal laws; and (2) the Chief Privacy Officer of DHS to include in such Officer's annual report submitted to Congress an assessment of compliance by federal departments and agencies with laws relating to the use of open source information.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-09-24
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 1051.
action_date: 2008-09-24
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2008-09-24
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Lieberman with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2008-09-23
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2008-07-31
text: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2008-07-30
text: Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
action_date: 2008-07-30
text: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR 7/29/2008 H7189-7190)
action_date: 2008-07-30
text: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR 7/29/2008 H7189-7190)
action_date: 2008-07-30
text: Considered as unfinished business. (consideration: CR H7596)
action_date: 2008-07-29
text: At the conclusion of debate, the chair put the question on the motion to suspend the rules. Mr. Bilirakis objected to the vote on the grounds that a quorum was not present. Further proceedings on the motion were postponed. The point of no quorum was withdrawn.
action_date: 2008-07-29
text: DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 3815.
action_date: 2008-07-29
text: Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7189-7191)
action_date: 2008-07-29
text: Ms. Harman moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
action_date: 2008-07-21
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 486.
action_date: 2008-07-21
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 110-763.
action_date: 2008-07-21
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 110-763.
action_date: 2008-06-26
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2008-06-26
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee (Amended) by Unanimous Consent .
action_date: 2008-06-11
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2007-10-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Intelligence, Information Sharing, and Terrorism Risk Assessment.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-10-10
text: Introduced in House