Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5099) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security a fusion center technical assistance program.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act.

Today, the Nation is facing a complex and evolving threat. Terrorist attacks, like the New York City vehicle attack and the Pulse nightclub shooting, have been carried out by individuals inspired by ISIS and other terrorist organizations. These type of lone wolf attacks appear to be the new normal.

This means that now, more than ever, it is imperative that we have strong preventive activities in place, including intelligence and information sharing.

Since 9/11, States and major urban areas established fusion centers to build up the preventive activities by creating an avenue for greater collaboration between Federal, State, and local governments with regards to terrorism and information sharing.

These State and locally owned fusion centers have largely evolved from terrorist-focused centers to all-crimes, all-hazard centers working on a range of relevant Homeland Security issues, including cybersecurity.

I was able to see the work of one of these fusion centers firsthand when I visited my home State's fusion center, the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center--KIFC--earlier this year. I was very impressed with their operation. I want to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is fully supporting this center and the other 78 fusion centers across the United States.

That is why I was troubled to hear about a key fusion center resource in the DHS not living up to its potential.

In 2009, the DHS created a fusion center technical assistance program to provide fusion centers with assistance on a range of topics, including suspicious activity reporting and other relevant trainings. However, based on the findings from the committee's recent fusion center report and my meetings with fusion center personnel, this program is not meeting the needs of the National Network of Fusion Centers.

This is why I introduced H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act. This bill provides formal authorization for the DHS fusion center technical assistance program and a clear set of directives on the services to be provided by the program, including assistance related to available grant funding and DHS terrorism prevention programs, as well as intelligence and information sharing.

The bill expands the role of the program to include being a repository of best practices relevant to fusion center activities, including cybersecurity. This is a commonsense bill that should help strengthen the Nation's ability to prevent and protect against terrorist attacks and other Homeland Security relevant events.

Earlier this month, this legislation was passed out of the Committee on Homeland Security by a voice vote. I would like to thank Chairman McCaul and Mr. Gallagher for cosponsoring this legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the ranking member for his support on this legislation. I would once again urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the following cost estimate for H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS's Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office was not made available to the Committee at the time of filing of the legislative report.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, May 4, 2018.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5099, the

Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program

Act.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Mark

Grabowicz.

Sincerely,

Keith Hall, Director.

Enclosure.

H.R. 5099--Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program

Act

As passed by the House of Representatives on March 19, 2018.

H.R. 5099 would modify current laws relating to fusion

centers supported by the Department of Homeland Security

(DHS); those centers facilitate information sharing among

federal, state, and local authorities. The act would direct

DHS to provide technical assistance to and share effective

practices with fusion center participants. Because the

department currently carries out simi1ar activities, CBO

estimates that implementing H.R. 5099 would have no

significant effect on spending by DHS.

Enacting H.R. 5099 would not affect direct spending or

revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5099 would not increase

net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.

H.R. 5099 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Mark Grabowicz.

The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy

Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5099 would authorize the Department of Homeland Security's existing fusion center technical assistance program. Currently, there are 79 fusion centers operating in the United States. Each fusion center relies on the DHS to help assist with intelligence products and information-sharing activities, terrorism prevention initiatives, and Homeland Security grant programs.

This bill seeks to solidify engagement between representatives at the fusion centers with their partners in the departments like FEMA and the DHS intelligence branch. Specifically, the program provides technical assistance on topics like best practices for information sharing regarding threats and operating a fusion center.

By codifying this existing program, H.R. 5099 seeks to strengthen the DHS' partnership with fusion centers to ensure that they are well- positioned to address a wide range of diverse security threats that may emerge.

The bill passed committee unanimously and would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002. I urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, the security and well-being of our country is dependent upon the timely sharing of threat information between our law enforcement and intelligence personnel.

Importantly, one of the key areas where the DHS will provide expertise to fusion centers under H.R. 5099 is with respect to the protection of privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5099, and I yield back the balance of my time.