H.R. 5079House115th Congress (2017-2019)Passed House

DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 15, 2026 at 8:24 PM UTC

The DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a formal, regularly updated strategy for working with state and local fusion centers. It also mandates performance metrics, training, and policy guidance for DHS personnel and information‑sharing systems, and requires a congressional report on how these measures are being implemented. The bill primarily affects DHS leadership, its intelligence and analysis offices, fusion centers, and the congressional committees that oversee homeland security and intelligence.

Key Provisions

Within one year (and at least every five years thereafter) the DHS Secretary must create and update a strategy for engaging with fusion centers, outlining goals, performance metrics, and a five‑year engagement plan.
The Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis must assess how field personnel are prepared for fusion‑center assignments, publish performance metrics for those staff, and develop a training module on the classified Homeland Secure Data Network for fusion‑center workers.
The DHS Chief Information Officer, in consultation with intelligence leadership, must create policies and metrics to ensure effective use of the unclassified Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) and improve its technical capabilities such as search and data analysis.
Within 18 months of enactment, the DHS Secretary must report to the relevant Senate and House committees on the fusion‑center strategy, field‑personnel deployment metrics, and HSIN policy implementation.

Legislative Activity

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17 earlier actions

SenateCalendars Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 642.

November 13, 2018

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 23, 2018

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.

Homeland Security Committee

February 23, 2018

HouseCommittee

Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.

Counterterrorism and Intelligence Subcommittee

February 28, 2018

HouseCommittee

Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Discharged.

Homeland Security Committee

March 7, 2018

HouseCommittee

Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.

Homeland Security Committee

March 7, 2018

HouseCommittee

Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Unanimous Consent.

Homeland Security Committee

March 7, 2018

HouseCommittee

Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 115-606.

Homeland Security Committee

March 19, 2018

HouseCalendars

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 462.

March 19, 2018

HouseFloor

Mr. Bacon moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.

March 19, 2018 • 4:41 PM

HouseFloor

Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H1667-1669)

March 19, 2018 • 4:41 PM

HouseFloor

DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 5079.

March 19, 2018 • 4:41 PM

HouseFloor

Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H1666-1668)

March 19, 2018 • 4:50 PM

HouseFloor

On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H1666-1668)

March 19, 2018 • 4:50 PM

HouseFloor

Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.

March 19, 2018 • 4:50 PM

SenateIntro Referral

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

March 20, 2018

SenateCommittee

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

June 13, 2018

SenateCommittee

Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 115-355.

Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee

November 13, 2018

SenateCalendars

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 642.

November 13, 2018

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about H.R. 5079 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Rep. Don BaconR-NE-2 · Mar 19, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5079) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security to develop an engagement strategy with…

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5079, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act. The sharing of counterterrorism and other homeland security information with State and local officials is vital in our efforts to protect the homeland.

Fusion centers as hubs for information sharing and analysis play a critical role in the domestic homeland security information-sharing environment. Over the years, there have been vast improvements in DHS' support for these key stakeholders, including the Nebraska Information Analysis Center, known as NIAC, in my home State of Nebraska.

H.R. 5079, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act, builds on ongoing efforts to hold DHS more accountable for supporting fusion centers and fully utilizing them as a resource to the Federal Government.

First, it requires DHS to develop a strategy for engagement with fusion centers. With the maturation of the national network, many fusion centers have adopted an all-threats, all-hazards mission to ensure they are keeping pace with the changing threat environment. A strategy that incorporates all the components of the Department will ensure DHS is supporting and leveraging fusion centers effectively and efficiently.

Second, this bill mandates performance metrics to hold DHS personnel in the field accountable. Among other responsibilities, these personnel serve as ambassadors of the Department and are integral in shaping and strengthening the relationship between fusion centers and DHS. As such, the Department must have appropriate performance objectives and metrics in place to ensure greater transparency in the expectations of these officers and accountability when issues arise.

Finally, this bill requires additional training and improvements for both the classified and unclassified information-sharing systems that the Department makes available to fusion centers and other law enforcement agencies.

While DHS has made strides in facilitating fusion center access to information and information systems, there are gaps in the Department's efforts to ensure these partners are adequately trained to utilize these systems.

So, for example, while all fusion centers now have access to DHS' classified HSDN, many fusion center personnel are not proficient in this system, and DHS does not currently provide any standardized, in- person HSDN training. Granting the appropriate clearances and credentials to access DHS systems is just as important as ensuring competency when using these systems.

Additionally, I have learned that many DHS components do not routinely share analytic products on the Homeland Security Information Network-Intelligence portal, and many documents are not posted on a timely basis.

It is incumbent on the Department to ensure the appropriate policies and metrics are in place to incentivize component use of this critical information-sharing program.

In that regard, I am pleased to report that, as of this month, both the Federal Protective Service and the United States Coast Guard have started participating on the HSIN-Intel Partner Products page. I encourage other components of the Department that do not participate to follow suit. This is a commonsense bill with bipartisan support that will enhance DHS' relationship with State and local fusion centers across the country.

In short, we have learned many lessons this past year in analyzing and studying fusion centers. This bill fixes the multiple problems that we have encountered.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank the gentlewoman from New Jersey for her comments and her support making this bill a bipartisan bill. Part of the work that we are doing is we are going to improve 70 different fusion centers with this bill and standardize the performance of all of them.

Mr. Speaker, once again, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time

Rep. Bonnie Watson ColemanD-NJ-12 · Mar 19, 2018

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5079, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act. H.R. 5079 would require the Department of Homeland…

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5079, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act.

H.R. 5079 would require the Department of Homeland Security to develop a fusion center engagement strategy. One of the tragic lessons of the September 11 attacks was what can happen when information is not shared at all levels of law enforcement.

Since 2006, the committee has supported the Department's efforts to deploy intelligence analysts to many of the 79 fusion centers across the country. These fusion centers are charged with connecting the dots at the State or local level to prevent terrorist or extremist violence. H.R. 5079 continues in this vein by directing DHS to focus on strengthening its relationship with the fusion centers.

At a time when violent attacks in Florida, New York, Las Vegas, and Charlottesville are tragically all too much a part of our new normal, we need this improved relationship between the Department and fusion centers more than ever.

In addition to requiring an engagement strategy, the bill requires DHS to have metrics in place to hold the personnel it deploys to fusion centers accountable for their performance.

Finally, this legislation seeks to encourage use of the Department's intelligence and document-sharing systems to promote greater engagement among the Department and fusion centers across the country.

Specifically, H.R. 5079 would create policies for information sharing via Department networks that are developed and updated in consultation with the Department's experts on privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

In closing, with the emergence of lone wolves and small terrorist cells, the decentralized terrorist threat in the United States poses serious threats to local communities across our country from big cities to small towns. Whether the target is a church in South Carolina, a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, a mosque in Illinois, a synagogue in New York, a concert venue in Las Vegas, or a school in Florida, State and local law enforcement need a clear line of communication with Federal agencies. As such, DHS must ensure that fusion centers throughout the country have access to the resources--including personnel, training, and access to information--necessary to keep the U.S. homeland safe and secure.

H.R. 5079 directs DHS to do just that by requiring the Department to have a strategy to enhance engagement with fusion centers and provide fusion center personnel. Additionally, H.R. 5079 would ensure that DHS' information-sharing policies include strong privacy and civil liberty safeguards. I, therefore, encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5079.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Bill Text

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Reported to SenateIssued November 13, 2018

Calendar No. 642

115th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 5079

[Report No. 115–355]

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 20, 2018

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs

November 13, 2018

Reported by Mr. Johnson, with an amendment

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic

AN ACT

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.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act.

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 1 year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall develop and update at least once every 5 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 5-year plan for continued engagement with fusion centers.

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).

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.

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.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act.

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:

(j)

Fusion center information sharing strategy

Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this subsection, and not less frequently than once every 5 years thereafter, the Secretary shall develop or update 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, the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, 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 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 5-year plan for continued engagement with fusion centers.

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 shall—

(1)

(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, the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis shall develop and implement a formalized training module for fusion center personnel regarding the classified Homeland Secure Data Network, or any successor system.

(c)

Fusion center defined

In this section, the term fusion center has the meaning given such term in section 210A(k) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as redesignated by section 2.

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 Information Officer, in consultation with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, and in accordance with the functions and responsibilities assigned to the Under Secretary under title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 121 et seq.), shall—

(1)

develop policies and metrics to ensure effective use by components of the Department of the unclassified Homeland Security Information Network (referred to in this section as HSIN), or any successor system; and

(2)

develop policies for posting unclassified products on HSIN, or any successor system.

(b)

Technical enhancements

The Chief Information Officer, in consultation with the Chief Intelligence Officer, shall assess and implement, as appropriate, technical enhancements to HSIN to improve usability, including search functionality, data analysis, and collaboration capabilities.

Report

Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit a report to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate, the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate, the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives that describes the implementation of—

(1)

the fusion center information sharing strategy required under section 210A(j) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by section 2, based on performance metrics developed pursuant to such strategy;

(2)

the deployment of field personnel 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; and

(3)

policies that seek to ensure the effective use of the Homeland Security Information Network, in accordance with section 4, based on the metrics developed pursuant to such section.

November 13, 2018

Reported with an amendment