[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 884 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 884

To provide for the establishment of the Science and Technology Homeland 
   Security International Cooperative Programs Office, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 7, 2007

  Mr. King of New York (for himself, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, Mr. 
 Langevin, Mr. McCaul of Texas, Ms. Harman, Mr. Reichert, Ms. Jackson-
  Lee of Texas, Mr. Shays, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. Dent, Mr. David 
   Davis of Tennessee, Mr. Pascrell, Mr. Davis of Kentucky, and Mr. 
   McNulty) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the establishment of the Science and Technology Homeland 
   Security International Cooperative Programs Office, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Promoting Antiterrorism Cooperation 
through Technology and Science Act'' or the ``PACTS Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    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.

SEC. 3. PROMOTING ANTITERRORISM THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION ACT.

    (a) In General.--The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by 
inserting after section 313 (6 U.S.C. 193) the following:

``SEC. 314. PROMOTING ANTITERRORISM THROUGH INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION 
              PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Director.--The term `Director' means the Director 
        selected under subsection (b)(2).
            ``(2) International cooperative activity.--The 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) Establishment.--The Under Secretary shall establish 
        the Science and Technology Homeland Security International 
        Cooperative Programs Office.
            ``(2) Director.--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) Responsibilities.--
                    ``(A) Development of mechanisms.--The Director 
                shall be responsible for developing, in consultation 
                with the Department of State, understandings or 
                agreements that allow and support international 
                cooperative activity in support of homeland security 
                research, development, and comparative testing.
                    ``(B) Priorities.--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 in support of 
                homeland security research, development, and 
                comparative testing.
                    ``(C) Activities.--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 partners.--The 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) Coordination.--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 workshops.--The Director may 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) International Cooperative Activities.--
            ``(1) Authorization.--The Under Secretary is authorized to 
        carry out international cooperative activities to support the 
        responsibilities specified under section 302.
            ``(2) Mechanisms and equitability.--In carrying out this 
        section, the Under Secretary may award grants to and enter into 
        cooperative agreements or contracts with United States 
        governmental organizations, businesses (including small 
        businesses and small and disadvantaged businesses), federally 
        funded research and development centers, institutions of higher 
        education, and foreign public or private entities. The Under 
        Secretary shall ensure that funding and resources expended in 
        international cooperative activities will be equitably matched 
        by the foreign partner organization through direct funding or 
        funding of complementary activities, or through provision of 
        staff, facilities, materials, or equipment.
            ``(3) Loans of equipment.--The Under Secretary may make or 
        accept loans of equipment for research and development and 
        comparative testing purposes.
            ``(4) Cooperation.--The Under Secretary is authorized to 
        conduct international cooperative activities jointly with other 
        agencies.
            ``(5) Foreign partners.--Partners may include Israel, the 
        United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and other allies 
        in the global war on terrorism, as appropriate.
            ``(6) Exotic diseases.--As part of the international 
        cooperative activities authorized in this section, the Under 
        Secretary, in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer, may 
        facilitate the development of information sharing and other 
        types of cooperative mechanisms with foreign countries, 
        including nations in Africa, to strengthen American 
        preparedness against threats to the Nation's agricultural and 
        public health sectors from exotic diseases.
    ``(d) Budget Allocation.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Secretary, to be derived from amounts otherwise authorized for 
the Directorate of Science and Technology, $25,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2008 through 2011 for activities under this section.
    ``(e) Foreign Reimbursements.--Whenever the Science and Technology 
Homeland Security International Cooperative Programs Office 
participates in an international cooperative activity with a foreign 
country on a cost-sharing basis, any reimbursements or contributions 
received from that foreign country to meet its share of the project may 
be credited to appropriate current appropriations accounts of the 
Directorate of Science and Technology.
    ``(f) Report to Congress on International Cooperative Activities.--
            ``(1) Initial report.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of enactment of this section, the Under Secretary, acting 
        through the Director, shall transmit to the Congress a report 
        containing--
                    ``(A) a brief description of each partnership 
                formed under subsection (b)(4), including the 
                participants, goals, and amount and sources of funding; 
                and
                    ``(B) a list of international cooperative 
                activities underway, including the participants, goals, 
                expected duration, and amount and sources of funding, 
                including resources provided to support the activities 
                in lieu of direct funding.
            ``(2) Updates.--At the end of the fiscal year that occurs 5 
        years after the transmittal of the report under subsection (a), 
        and every 5 years thereafter, the Under Secretary, acting 
        through the Director, shall transmit to the Congress an update 
        of the report required under subsection (a).''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents for the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 is amended by adding after the item relating to 
section 313 the following new item:

``Sec. 314. Promoting antiterrorism through international cooperation 
                            program.''.
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