Topic: International Affairs — Terrorism
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-12-09 00:00:00

Defeat ISIS and Protect and Secure the United States Act of 2015

This bill directs the President to designate a person to coordinate federal government and international partner efforts to defeat the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The President may prohibit, or impose strict conditions on, the opening or maintaining in the United States of a correspondent account or a payable-through account by a foreign financial institution that knowingly facilitates a significant transaction for ISIS.

The Director of National Intelligence shall review each intelligence sharing agreement between the United States and a foreign country experiencing a significant ISIS threat or participating in the anti-ISIS coalition.

The President shall: (1) design programs to counter violent extremism abroad; and (2) develop as part of the National Strategy for Counterterrorism a comprehensive strategy to counter ISIS propaganda, including through online activities.

The Department of State shall make counterterrorism funding available for programs that strengthen governance and security in fragile nation states that share a border with a country that ISIS or other violent extremists have threatened to destabilize or delegitimize.

The President may give technical and operational assistance for the European Union and its member states to: (1) improve border management, including migrant screening; and (2) enhance intelligence sharing.

The bill authorizes funds for emergency and life-saving assistance, including care of internally displaced persons in Syria and Iraq and mitigation of the outflow of refugees to Lebanon and Jordan.

Visa Waiver Program Security Enhancement Act

The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to revise the visa waiver program, requiring use of machine-readable, electronic passports in order to participate in the program.

Federal criminal law is amended to prohibit known or suspected terrorists from purchasing a gun.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall:

 review training for transportation security officers who operate airport security checkpoints and conduct baggage screening, review airport security to identify insider threat vulnerabilities in aviation, convene a working group of private sector screening technology users to foster public-private partnerships, and encourage maximum coordination with international counterparts. The Federal Bureau of Investigation shall give TSA names and identifying information from the terrorist screening database to permit TSA to administer the credential vetting program for individuals with unescorted access to sensitive transportation environments.

DHS shall create a grant program to assist airports in carrying out construction necessary to address attack scenarios and mitigate insider threats.

The Atomic Energy Act of 1954 is amended to prohibit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission from granting a commercial license to any individual who is: (1) listed in the FBI terrorist screening database; or (2) convicted of any terrorism-related offense under any federal, state, or local law.

The Administrator for Nuclear Security shall develop a strategy to enhance the security of all high activity radiological sources.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended to establish an Office for Community Partnerships to lead DHS efforts to counter violent extremism.

The Department of Justice (DOJ), through the Office of Justice Programs, may award grants to local governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education to identify causes of violent extremism and related phenomena.

The National Research Council shall study cryptographic technologies and national cryptography policy.

DHS shall give technical assistance to state, local, tribal, territorial, private sector, and nongovernmental partners to develop response plans for active shooter incidents in publicly accessible spaces.

DOJ may award grants to develop antiterrorism training and technical assistance programs for state, local, and tribal law enforcement.