[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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