[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 623 Introduced in House (IH)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 623
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department
of Homeland Security to establish a social media working group, and for
other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 30, 2015
Mrs. Brooks of Indiana (for herself, Mr. McCaul, and Mr. Payne)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on
Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department
of Homeland Security to establish a social media working group, 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 ``Social Media Working Group Act of
2015''.
SEC. 2. SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.
(a) In General.--Title III of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
U.S.C. 181 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``SEC. 318. SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.
``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within the
Department a social media working group (in this section referred to as
the `Group').
``(b) Purpose.--In order to enhance information sharing between the
Department and appropriate stakeholders, the Group shall provide
guidance and best practices to the emergency preparedness and response
community on the use of social media technologies before, during, and
after a terrorist attack or other emergency.
``(c) Membership.--
``(1) In general.--The Under Secretary for Science and
Technology shall serve as the permanent chairperson of the
Group, and shall designate, on a rotating basis, a
representative from a State or local government who is a member
of the Group to serve as co-chairperson. The Under Secretary
shall establish term limits for individuals appointed to the
Group pursuant to paragraph (2). Membership of the Group shall
be composed of a cross section of subject matter experts from
Federal, State, local, tribal, and nongovernmental organization
practitioners, including representatives from the following
entities:
``(A) The Office of Public Affairs of the
Department.
``(B) The Office of the Chief Information Officer
of the Department.
``(C) The Privacy Office of the Department.
``(D) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(E) The Office of Disability Integration and
Coordination of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
``(F) The American Red Cross.
``(G) The Forest Service.
``(H) The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
``(I) The United States Geological Survey.
``(J) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration.
``(2) Additional members.--The Under Secretary for Science
and Technology shall appoint, on a rotating basis, qualified
individuals to the Group. The total number of such additional
members shall--
``(A) be equal to or greater than the total number
of regular members under paragraph (1); and
``(B) include--
``(i) not fewer than three representatives
from the private sector; and
``(ii) representatives from--
``(I) State, local, and tribal
entities, including from--
``(aa) law enforcement;
``(bb) fire services;
``(cc) emergency
management; and
``(dd) public health
entities;
``(II) universities and academia;
and
``(III) non-profit disaster relief
organizations.
``(d) Consultation With Non-Members.--To the extent practicable,
the Group shall work with existing bodies in the public and private
sectors to carry out subsection (b).
``(e) Meetings.--
``(1) Initial meeting.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of the enactment of this section, the Group shall hold its
initial meeting. Such initial meeting may be held virtually.
``(2) Subsequent meetings.--After the initial meeting under
paragraph (1), the Group shall meet at least twice each year,
or at the call of the Chairperson. Such subsequent meetings may
be held virtually.
``(f) Nonapplicability of FACA.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act
(5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Group.
``(g) Reports.--Not later than March 30 of each year, the Group
shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that
includes the following:
``(1) A review of current and emerging social media
technologies being used to support preparedness and response
activities related to terrorist attacks and other emergencies.
``(2) A review of best practices and lessons learned on the
use of social media during the response to terrorist attacks
and other emergencies that occurred during the period covered
by the report at issue.
``(3) Recommendations to improve the Department's use of
social media for emergency management purposes.
``(4) Recommendations to improve public awareness of the
type of information disseminated through social media, and how
to access such information, during a terrorist attack or other
emergency.
``(5) Recommendations to improve information sharing among
the Department and its components.
``(6) Recommendations to improve information sharing among
State and local governments.
``(7) A review of available training for Federal, State,
local, and tribal officials on the use of social media in
response to a terrorist attack or other emergency.
``(8) A summary of coordination efforts with the private
sector to discuss and resolve legal, operational, technical,
privacy, and security concerns.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the
item relating to section 317 the following new item:
``Sec. 318. Social media working group.''.
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