[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 623 Reported in Senate (RS)]

<DOC>





                                                       Calendar No. 234
114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 623

                          [Report No. 114-145]


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 3, 2015

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security 
                        and Governmental Affairs

                           September 21, 2015

               Reported by Mr. Johnson, with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
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,

<DELETED>SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    This Act may be cited as the ``Social Media Working Group 
Act of 2015''.</DELETED>

<DELETED>SEC. 2. SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``SEC. 318. SOCIAL MEDIA WORKING GROUP.</DELETED>

<DELETED>    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish within 
the Department a social media working group (in this section referred 
to as the `Group').</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(c) Membership.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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:</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) The Office of Public Affairs of the 
                Department.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) The Office of the Chief Information 
                Officer of the Department.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(C) The Privacy Office of the 
                Department.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(D) The Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(E) The Office of Disability Integration 
                and Coordination of the Federal Emergency Management 
                Agency.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(F) The American Red Cross.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(G) The Forest Service.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(H) The Centers for Disease Control and 
                Prevention.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(I) The United States Geological 
                Survey.</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(J) The National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
                Administration.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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--</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(A) be equal to or greater than the 
                total number of regular members under paragraph (1); 
                and</DELETED>
                <DELETED>    ``(B) include--</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(i) not fewer than three 
                        representatives from the private sector; 
                        and</DELETED>
                        <DELETED>    ``(ii) representatives from--
                        </DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(I) State, local, and 
                                tribal entities, including from--
                                </DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(aa) law 
                                        enforcement;</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(bb) fire 
                                        services;</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(cc) emergency 
                                        management; and</DELETED>
                                        <DELETED>    ``(dd) public 
                                        health entities;</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(II) universities and 
                                academia; and</DELETED>
                                <DELETED>    ``(III) nonprofit disaster 
                                relief organizations.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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).</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(e) Meetings.--</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(f) Nonapplicability of FACA.--The Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Group.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    ``(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:</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(3) Recommendations to improve the Department's 
        use of social media for emergency management 
        purposes.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(5) Recommendations to improve information 
        sharing among the Department and its components.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(6) Recommendations to improve information 
        sharing among State and local governments.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(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.</DELETED>
        <DELETED>    ``(8) A summary of coordination efforts with the 
        private sector to discuss and resolve legal, operational, 
        technical, privacy, and security concerns.''.</DELETED>
<DELETED>    (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:</DELETED>

<DELETED>``Sec. 318. Social media working group.''.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``DHS Social Media Improvement 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:

``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 the dissemination of 
information through social media technologies between the Department 
and appropriate stakeholders and to improve use of social media 
technologies in support of preparedness, response, and recovery, the 
Group shall identify, and provide guidance and best practices to the 
emergency preparedness and response community on, the use of social 
media technologies before, during, and after a natural disaster or an 
act of terrorism or other man-made disaster.
    ``(c) Membership.--
            ``(1) In general.--Membership of the Group shall be 
        composed of a cross section of subject matter experts from 
        Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, 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) Chairperson; co-chairperson.--
                    ``(A) Chairperson.--The Secretary, or a designee of 
                the Secretary, shall serve as the chairperson of the 
                Group.
                    ``(B) Co-chairperson.--The chairperson shall 
                designate, on a rotating basis, a representative from a 
                State or local government who is a member of the Group 
                to serve as the co-chairperson of the Group.
            ``(3) Additional members.--The chairperson 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 3 representatives from 
                        the private sector; and
                            ``(ii) representatives from--
                                    ``(I) State, local, tribal, and 
                                territorial entities, including from--
                                            ``(aa) law enforcement;
                                            ``(bb) fire services;
                                            ``(cc) emergency 
                                        management; and
                                            ``(dd) public health 
                                        entities;
                                    ``(II) universities and academia; 
                                and
                                    ``(III) nonprofit disaster relief 
                                organizations.
            ``(4) Term limits.--The chairperson shall establish term 
        limits for individuals appointed to the Group under paragraph 
        (3).
    ``(d) Consultation With Non-members.--To the extent practicable, 
the Group shall work with entities 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 enactment of this section, the Group shall hold its 
        initial meeting.
            ``(2) Subsequent meetings.--After the initial meeting under 
        paragraph (1), the Group shall meet--
                    ``(A) at the call of the chairperson; and
                    ``(B) not less frequently than twice each year.
            ``(3) Virtual meetings.--Each meeting of the Group may be 
        held virtually.
    ``(f) Reports.--During each year in which the Group meets, the 
Group shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report 
that includes the following:
            ``(1) A review and analysis of current and emerging social 
        media technologies being used to support preparedness and 
        response activities related to natural disasters and acts of 
        terrorism and other man-made disasters.
            ``(2) A review of best practices and lessons learned on the 
        use of social media technologies during the response to natural 
        disasters and acts of terrorism and other man-made disasters 
        that occurred during the period covered by the report at issue.
            ``(3) Recommendations to improve the Department's use of 
        social media technologies for emergency management purposes.
            ``(4) Recommendations to improve public awareness of the 
        type of information disseminated through social media 
        technologies, and how to access such information, during a 
        natural disaster or an act of terrorism or other man-made 
        disaster.
            ``(5) A review of available training for Federal, State, 
        local, tribal, and territorial officials on the use of social 
        media technologies in response to a natural disaster or an act 
        of terrorism or other man-made disaster.
            ``(6) A review of coordination efforts with the private 
        sector to discuss and resolve legal, operational, technical, 
        privacy, and security concerns.
    ``(g) Duration of Group.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Group shall terminate on the date 
        that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this section 
        unless the chairperson renews the Group for a successive 5-year 
        period, prior to the date on which the Group would otherwise 
        terminate, by submitting to the Committee on Homeland Security 
        and Governmental Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on 
        Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a 
        certification that the continued existence of the Group is 
        necessary to fulfill the purpose described in subsection (b).
            ``(2) Continued renewal.--The chairperson may continue to 
        renew the Group for successive 5-year periods by submitting a 
        certification in accordance with paragraph (1) prior to the 
        date on which the Group would otherwise terminate.''.
    (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:

``Sec. 318. Social media working group.''.
                                                       Calendar No. 234

114th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 623

                          [Report No. 114-145]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

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.

_______________________________________________________________________

                           September 21, 2015

                       Reported with an amendment