I 115th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1372 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 6, 2017 Mr. Payne (for himself and Mr. Thompson of Mississippi ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security , and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure , for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to ensure that the needs of children are considered in homeland security planning, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Homeland Security for Children Act . 2. Responsibilities of the Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans Subsection (c) of section 709 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 349 ) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as paragraphs (5) through (8), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph: (4) lead, conduct, and coordinate Department-wide identification and integration of the needs of children into the Department’s policies, programs, and activities, in coordination with relevant outside organizations and experts, as necessary. . 3. Technical expert authorized Paragraph (2) of section 503(b) of the Homeland Security Act ( 6 U.S.C. 313(b) ) is amended— (1) in subparagraph (G), by striking and at the end; (2) in subparagraph (H), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (3) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (I) identify and integrate the needs of children into activities to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the risk of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other manmade disasters, including catastrophic incidents, including by appointing a technical expert, who may consult with relevant outside organizations and experts, as necessary, to coordinate such integration, as necessary. . 4. Report Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter for five years, the Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report describing the efforts the Department has undertaken to identify and integrate the needs of children into the Department’s policies, programs, and activities in accordance with paragraph (4) of section 709(c) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as added by section 2 of this Act), including information on the following: (1) The designation of any individual responsible for carrying out such paragraph (4). (2) Any review, formal or informal, of any policies, programs, or activities of the Department under such paragraph (4) to assess the suitability of such policies, programs, or activities for children. (3) Any such review, change, modification, or promulgation of any such policies, programs, or activities to ensure that such policies, programs, or activities are appropriate for children. (4) Coordination with organizations or experts outside the Department pursuant to such paragraph (4) conducted to inform any such review, change, modification, or promulgation of such policies, programs, or activities.