[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3598 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3598

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance the partnership 
between the Department of Homeland Security and the National Network of 
                Fusion Centers, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 24, 2015

  Mr. Barletta (for himself and Mr. King of New York) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland 
                                Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to enhance the partnership 
between the Department of Homeland Security and the National Network of 
                Fusion Centers, 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 ``Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUSION CENTER PARTNERSHIP 
              INITIATIVE.

    (a) In General.--Section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 124h) is amended--
            (1) by amending the section heading to read as follows:

``SEC. 210A. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY FUSION CENTER PARTNERSHIP 
              INITIATIVE.'';

            (2) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following 
        new sentence: ``Beginning on the date of the enactment of the 
        Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 2015, such Initiative shall be 
        known as the `Department of Homeland Security Fusion Center 
        Partnership Initiative'.'';
            (3) by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:
    ``(b) Interagency Support and Coordination.--Through the Department 
of Homeland Security Fusion Center Partnership Initiative, in 
coordination with principal officials of fusion centers in the National 
Network of Fusion Centers and the officers designated as the Homeland 
Security Advisors of the States, the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) coordinate with the heads of other Federal 
        departments and agencies to provide operational and 
        intelligence advice and assistance to the National Network of 
        Fusion Centers;
            ``(2) support the integration of fusion centers into the 
        information sharing environment;
            ``(3) support the maturation and sustainment of the 
        National Network of Fusion Centers;
            ``(4) reduce inefficiencies and maximize the effectiveness 
        of Federal resource support to the National Network of Fusion 
        Centers;
            ``(5) provide analytic and reporting advice and assistance 
        to the National Network of Fusion Centers;
            ``(6) review information within the scope of the 
        information sharing environment, including homeland security 
        information, terrorism information, and weapons of mass 
        destruction information, that is gathered by the National 
        Network of Fusion Centers and incorporate such information, as 
        appropriate, into the Department's own such information;
            ``(7) provide for the effective dissemination of 
        information within the scope of the information sharing 
        environment to the National Network of Fusion Centers;
            ``(8) facilitate close communication and coordination 
        between the National Network of Fusion Centers and the 
        Department and other Federal departments and agencies;
            ``(9) provide the National Network of Fusion Centers with 
        expertise on Department resources and operations;
            ``(10) coordinate the provision of training and technical 
        assistance to the National Network of Fusion Centers and 
        encourage such fusion centers to participate in terrorism 
        threat-related exercises conducted by the Department;
            ``(11) ensure, to the greatest extent practicable, that 
        support for the National Network of Fusion Centers is included 
        as a national priority in applicable homeland security grant 
        guidance;
            ``(12) ensure that each fusion center in the National 
        Network of Fusion Centers has a privacy policy approved by the 
        Chief Privacy Officer of the Department and a civil rights and 
        civil liberties policy approved by the Officer for Civil Rights 
        and Civil Liberties of the Department;
            ``(13) coordinate the nationwide suspicious activity report 
        initiative to ensure information gathered by the National 
        Network of Fusion Centers is incorporated as appropriate;
            ``(14) lead Department efforts to ensure fusion centers in 
        the National Network of Fusion Centers are the primary focal 
        points for the sharing of homeland security information, 
        terrorism information, and weapons of mass destruction 
        information with State and local entities to the greatest 
        extent practicable;
            ``(15) develop and disseminate best practices on the 
        appropriate levels for staffing at fusion centers in the 
        National Network of Fusion Centers of qualified representatives 
        from State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement, 
        fire, emergency medical, and emergency management services, and 
        public health disciplines, as well as the private sector; and
            ``(16) carry out such other duties as the Secretary 
        determines appropriate.'';
            (4) in subsection (c)--
                    (A) by striking so much as precedes paragraph 
                (3)(B) and inserting the following:
    ``(c) Resource Allocation.--
            ``(1) Information sharing and personnel assignment.--
                    ``(A) Information sharing.--The Under Secretary for 
                Intelligence and Analysis shall ensure that, as 
                appropriate--
                            ``(i) fusion centers in the National 
                        Network of Fusion Centers have access to 
                        homeland security information sharing systems; 
                        and
                            ``(ii) Department personnel are deployed to 
                        support fusion centers in the National Network 
                        of Fusion Centers.
                    ``(B) Personnel assignment.--Department personnel 
                referred to in subparagraph (A)(ii) may include the 
                following:
                            ``(i) Intelligence officers.
                            ``(ii) Intelligence analysts.
                            ``(iii) Other liaisons from components and 
                        offices of the Department, as appropriate.
            ``(2) Sources of support.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Information shared and personnel 
                assigned pursuant to paragraph (1) may be shared or 
                provided, as the case may be, by the following 
                Department components and offices, in coordination with 
                the respective component or office head and in 
                consultation with the principal officials of fusion 
                centers in the National Network of Fusion Centers:
                            ``(i) The Office of Intelligence and 
                        Analysis.
                            ``(ii) The Office of Infrastructure 
                        Protection.
                            ``(iii) The Transportation Security 
                        Administration.
                            ``(iv) U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
                            ``(v) U.S. Immigration and Customs 
                        Enforcement.
                            ``(vi) The Coast Guard.
                            ``(vii) Other components or offices of the 
                        Department, as determined by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Coordination with other federal agencies.--
                The Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis shall 
                coordinate with appropriate officials throughout the 
                Federal Government to ensure the deployment to fusion 
                centers in the National Network of Fusion Centers of 
                representatives with relevant expertise of other 
                Federal departments and agencies.
            ``(3) Resource allocation criteria.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make 
                available criteria for sharing information and 
                deploying personnel to support a fusion center in the 
                National Network of Fusion Centers pursuant to 
                paragraph (1).''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (4)(B), in the matter preceding 
                clause (i), by inserting ``in which such fusion center 
                is located'' after ``region'';
            (5) in subsection (d)--
                    (A) in paragraph (3), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) in paragraph (4)--
                            (i) by striking ``government'' and 
                        inserting ``governments''; and
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following new 
                paragraph:
            ``(5) utilize Department information, including information 
        held by components and offices, to develop analysis focused on 
        the mission of the Department under section 101(b).'';
            (6) in subsection (e)--
                    (A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as follows:
            ``(1) In general.--To the greatest extent practicable, the 
        Secretary shall make it a priority to allocate resources, 
        including deployed personnel, under this section from U.S. 
        Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs 
        Enforcement, and the Coast Guard to support fusion centers in 
        the National Network of Fusion Centers located in jurisdictions 
        along land or maritime borders of the United States in order to 
        enhance the integrity of and security at such borders by 
        helping Federal, State, local, tribal, and territorial law 
        enforcement authorities to identify, investigate, and otherwise 
        interdict persons, weapons, and related contraband that pose a 
        threat to homeland security.''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding 
                subparagraph (A), by striking ``participating State, 
                local, and regional'';
            (7) in subsection (j)--
                    (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ``and'' at the 
                end;
                    (B) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph 
                (6); and
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following 
                new paragraph:
            ``(5) 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 fusion centers 
        for the purpose of enhancing analysis and homeland security 
        information sharing nationally; and''; and
            (8) by striking subsection (k).
    (b) Accountability Report.--Not later than one year after the date 
of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter through 2022, the 
Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of 
Homeland Security shall report to the Committee on Homeland Security of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
Governmental Affairs of the Senate on the efforts of the Office of 
Intelligence and Analysis of the Department and other relevant 
components and offices of the Department to enhance support provided to 
fusion centers in the National Network of Fusion Centers, including 
meeting the requirements specified in section 210A of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h), as amended by subsection (a) of 
this section.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
such Act is amended by striking the item relating to section 210A and 
inserting the following new item:

``Sec. 210A. Department of Homeland Security Fusion Centers 
                            Initiative.''.
    (d) Reference.--Any reference in any law, rule, or regulation to 
the ``Department of Homeland Security State, Local, and Regional Fusion 
Center Initiative'' shall be deemed to be a reference to the 
``Department of Homeland Security Fusion Center Initiative''.
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