[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3503 Introduced in House (IH)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3503

  To require an assessment of fusion center personnel needs, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 11, 2015

    Ms. McSally (for herself, Mr. McCaul, Mr. King of New York, Mr. 
Loudermilk, and Mr. Barletta) introduced the following bill; which was 
             referred to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require an assessment of fusion center personnel needs, 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 ``Department of Homeland Security 
Support to Fusion Centers Act of 2015''.

SEC. 2. FUSION CENTER PERSONNEL NEEDS ASSESSMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis 
of the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the 
appropriate components and offices of the Department and the Homeland 
Security Advisors of the States, shall, in consultation with the 
principal officials of the fusion centers in the National Network of 
Fusion Centers, conduct a needs assessment of Department personnel 
assigned to fusion centers pursuant to subsection (c) of section 210A 
of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h), including an 
assessment of whether deploying additional Department personnel to such 
fusion centers would enhance the Department's mission under section 
101(b) of such Act and the National Network of Fusion Centers. The 
assessment required under this subsection shall include the following:
            (1) Information on the current deployment of the 
        Department's personnel to each fusion center.
            (2) Information on the roles and responsibilities of the 
        Office of Intelligence and Analysis' intelligence officers, 
        intelligence analysts, senior reports officers, reports 
        officers, and regional directors deployed to fusion centers.
            (3) Information on Federal resources, in addition to 
        personnel, provided to each fusion center.
            (4) An assessment of whether deploying additional 
        personnel, as described in paragraph (2), would enhance 
        intelligence and information sharing between the Department and 
        Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
            (5) An assessment of fusion centers located in 
        jurisdictions along land and maritime borders of the United 
        States, and the degree to which deploying personnel, as 
        appropriate, from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. 
        Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Coast Guard to 
        such fusion centers would enhance the integrity and security at 
        such borders by helping Federal, State, local, and tribal law 
        enforcement authorities to identify, investigate, and interdict 
        persons, weapons, and related contraband that pose a threat to 
        homeland security.
            (6) An assessment of fusion centers located in 
        jurisdictions with large and medium hub airports, and the 
        degree to which deploying, as appropriate, personnel from the 
        Transportation Security Administration to such fusion centers 
        would enhance the integrity and security of aviation security.
    (b) Report.--Not later than 60 days after the completion of the 
assessment required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary of 
Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security, in 
coordination with the appropriate components and offices of the 
Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate such 
assessment, together with a report on the following:
            (1) The number of personnel assigned to fusion centers from 
        the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of 
        Homeland Security, including a breakdown of the types of 
        positions assigned and the methodology for determining the 
        fusion centers to which such personnel are assigned.
            (2) The number of personnel assigned to the National 
        Network of Fusion Centers from components and offices of the 
        Department of Homeland Security and the methodology for 
        determining the fusion centers to which such personnel are 
        assigned.
            (3) An implementation plan for determining how the 
        Department's personnel resources will be allocated to fusion 
        centers in the future.

SEC. 3. PROGRAM FOR STATE AND LOCAL ANALYST CLEARANCES.

    (a) In General.--The Under Secretary of Intelligence and Analysis 
of the Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Chief 
Security Officer of the Department, shall establish a program to 
provide eligibility for access to information classified as Top Secret 
pursuant to Executive Order 13526 (50 U.S.C. 3161 note) for State and 
local analysts located in fusion centers.
    (b) Report.--Not later than two years after the establishment of 
the program required under subsection (a), the Under Secretary of 
Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall 
submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
Affairs of the Senate a report on the following:
            (1) The effects of such program on the Department's ability 
        to sponsor such Top Secret clearances for State and local 
        analysts located in designated fusion centers.
            (2) The effects of such program on enhancing information 
        sharing with State, local, tribal, and territorial partners.
            (3) The cost for providing additional training and 
        providing such Top Secret clearances for State and local 
        analysts.
            (4) The effect of such program on increasing the 
        situational awareness of key stakeholders of the fusion 
        centers, including Federal, State, local, tribal, and 
        territorial law enforcement and emergency response providers.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Fusion center.--The term ``fusion center'' has the 
        meaning given such term in subsection (j) of section 210A of 
        the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h).
            (2) National network of fusion centers.--The term 
        ``National Network of Fusion Centers'' means a decentralized 
        arrangement of fusion centers intended to enhance individual 
        State and urban area fusion centers' ability to leverage the 
        capabilities and expertise of all such fusion centers for the 
        purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland security information 
        sharing nationally.
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