1.Intergovernmental grant
program
(a)Subtitle H of title
VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is amended by
inserting after section 890 the following:
890a.Homeland
Security Information, Equipment, Capabilities, Technologies, and Services Grant
Program
(a)There is established
the Homeland Security Information, Equipment, Capabilities, Technologies, and
Services Grant Program. The program shall identify, develop, or modify existing
or near term homeland security information, equipment, capabilities,
technologies, and services to further the homeland security of the United
States and to address the homeland security needs of Federal, State, and local
governments.
(b)
(1)In developing the
program established under subsection (a), the Secretary, acting through the
Director of the Office for Domestic Preparedness and the Under Secretary for
Science and Technology, shall—
(A)conduct a needs assessment of Federal,
State, and local governments and first responders to identify—
(i)the homeland security needs of Federal,
State, and local governments and first responders; and
(ii)areas where specific homeland security
information, equipment, capabilities, technologies, and services could address
those needs;
(B)survey near term and existing homeland
security information, equipment, capabilities, technologies, and services
developed within the United States and within other countries that—
(i)are highly focused on homeland security
issues; and
(ii)have demonstrated the capability for
fruitful cooperation with the United States in the area of counterterrorism;
and
(C)provide grants, directly or through a
nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, to eligible applicants to develop new,
or modify existing, homeland security information, equipment, capabilities,
technologies, and services to address the needs identified in subparagraph
(A).
(2)An applicant is
eligible to receive a grant under this subsection if the applicant—
(A)addresses 1 or more needs of Federal,
State, and local governments and first responders, as identified through the
assessment conducted under paragraph (1)(A);
(B)is a joint venture between—
(i)a for profit business entity, academic
institution, or non-profit entity; and
(ii)another entity that has demonstrated
capability in the area of counterterrorism or homeland security; and
(C)meets any other qualifications that the
Secretary may reasonably require.
(3)The Secretary shall give priority to those
applicants who propose to provide the homeland security information, equipment,
technologies, or services developed or modified with grant funds to Federal,
State, and local governments and first responders.
(4)The Secretary may
require a recipient of a grant under this subsection to make available
non-Federal matching contributions in an amount equal to up to 50 percent of
the total proposed cost of the project for which the grant was awarded.
(5)The Secretary may
require a recipient of a grant under this subsection to repay to the Secretary
the amount of the grant, interest at an appropriate rate, and such charges for
administration of the grant as the Secretary determines appropriate. The
Secretary may not require that such repayment be more than 150 percent of the
amount of the grant, adjusted for inflation on the basis of the Consumer Price
Index.
(6)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 to carry out the
grant program established under this
section.
.
(b)Technical and
conforming amendmentThe
table of sections under section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
U.S.C. 101(b)) is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 890
the following:
Sec. 890a. Homeland Security
Information, Equipment, Capabilities, Technologies, and Services Grant
Program.
.
1.This Act may be cited as the
Promoting Antiterrorism Capabilities
Through International Cooperation Act of 2006
.
2.The Congress finds the following:
(1)The development and
implementation of technology is critical to combating terrorism and other high
consequence events and implementing a comprehensive homeland security
strategy.
(2)The United States and its
allies in the global war on terrorism share a common interest in facilitating
research, development, testing, and evaluation of equipment, capabilities,
technologies, and services that will aid in detecting, preventing, responding
to, recovering from, and mitigating against acts of terrorism.
(3)Certain United States
allies in the global war on terrorism, including Israel, the United Kingdom,
Canada, Australia, and Singapore have extensive experience with, and
technological expertise in, homeland security.
(4)The United States and
certain of its allies in the global war on terrorism have a history of
successful collaboration in developing mutually beneficial equipment,
capabilities, technologies, and services in the areas of defense, agriculture,
and telecommunications.
(5)The United States and its
allies in the global war on terrorism will mutually benefit from the sharing of
technological expertise to combat domestic and international terrorism.
(6)The establishment of an office to
facilitate and support cooperative endeavors between and among government
agencies, for-profit business entities, academic institutions, and nonprofit
entities of the United States and its allies will safeguard lives and property
worldwide against acts of terrorism and other high consequence events.
3.Promoting antiterrorism
through international cooperation act
(a)The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting
after section 313 (6 U.S.C. 193) the following:
314.Promoting
antiterrorism through international cooperation program
(a)In
this section:
(1)The
term Director
means the Director selected under subsection
(b)(2).
(2)International
cooperative activityThe term international cooperative
activity
includes—
(A)coordinated research
projects, joint research projects, or joint ventures;
(B)joint studies or
technical demonstrations;
(C)coordinated field
exercises, scientific seminars, conferences, symposia, and workshops;
(D)training of scientists
and engineers;
(E)visits and exchanges of
scientists, engineers, or other appropriate personnel;
(F)exchanges or sharing of
scientific and technological information; and
(G)joint use of laboratory
facilities and equipment.
(b)Science and technology
homeland security international cooperative programs office
(1)The
Under Secretary shall establish the Science and Technology Homeland Security
International Cooperative Programs Office.
(2)The
Office shall be headed by a Director, who—
(A)shall be selected by and
shall report to the Under Secretary; and
(B)may be an officer of the
Department serving in another position.
(3)
(A)Development of
mechanismsThe Director shall be responsible for developing, in
coordination with the Department of State and other Federal agencies,
mechanisms and legal frameworks to allow and to support international
cooperative activity in support of homeland security research.
(B)The
Director shall be responsible for developing, in coordination with the
Directorate of Science and Technology, the other components of the Department
of Homeland Security, and other Federal agencies, strategic priorities for
international cooperative activity.
(C)The
Director shall facilitate the planning, development, and implementation of
international cooperative activity to address the strategic priorities
developed under subparagraph (B) through mechanisms the Under Secretary
considers appropriate, including grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts
to or with foreign public or private entities, governmental organizations,
businesses, federally funded research and development centers, and
universities.
(D)Identification of
partnersThe Director shall facilitate the matching of United
States entities engaged in homeland security research with non-United States
entities engaged in homeland security research so that they may partner in
homeland security research activities.
(4)The
Director shall ensure that the activities under this subsection are coordinated
with those of other relevant research agencies, and may run projects jointly
with other agencies.
(5)Conferences and
workshopsThe Director, periodically, shall hold international
homeland security technology workshops and conferences to improve contact among
the international community of technology developers and to help establish
direction for future technology goals.
(c)
(1)
(A)The
Director shall ensure that funding and resources expended in international
cooperative activity will be equitably matched by the foreign partner
government or other entity through direct funding, funding of complementary
activities, or through the provision of staff, facilities, material, or
equipment.
(B)Grant matching and
repayment
(i)The Secretary may require a recipient of grant under this
section—
(I)to make a matching
contribution of not more than 50 percent of the total cost of the proposed
project for which the grant is awarded; and
(II)to repay to the
Secretary the amount of the grant (or a portion thereof), interest on such
amount at an appropriate rate, and such charges for administration of the grant
as the Secretary determines appropriate.
(ii)The Secretary may not require that repayment under clause
(i)(II) be more than 150 percent of the amount of the grant, adjusted for
inflation on the basis of the Consumer Price Index.
(2)Partners shall
include Israel, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and other
allies in the global war on terrorism, as appropriate.
(d)Authorization of
appropriationsThere are
authorized to be appropriated such sums as necessary to carry out this
section.
.
(b)Technical and
conforming amendmentThe table of contents of the Homeland
Security Act of 2002 is amended by adding after the item relating to section
313 the following:
Sec. 314. Promoting antiterrorism through
international cooperation
program.
.
Amend the title so as to read:
A bill to establish a capability and office to promote cooperation
between entities of the United States and its allies in the global war on
terrorism for the purpose of engaging in cooperative endeavors focused on the
research, development, and commercialization of high-priority technologies
intended to detect, prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against
acts of terrorism and other high consequence events and to address the homeland
security needs of Federal, State, and local
governments.
.
June 29, 2006
Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the
title