[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1616 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1616

 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the National 
         Computer Forensics Institute, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 17, 2017

  Mr. Ratcliffe (for himself and Mr. Palmer) introduced the following 
  bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 National 
         Computer Forensics Institute, 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 ``Strengthening State and Local Cyber 
Crime Fighting Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE NATIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS INSTITUTE OF 
              THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) In General.--Subtitle C of title VIII of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 381 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following new section:

``SEC. 822. NATIONAL COMPUTER FORENSICS INSTITUTE.

    ``(a) In General.--There is in the Department a National Computer 
Forensics Institute (in this section referred to as the `Institute'), 
to be operated by the United States Secret Service. The Institute shall 
disseminate homeland security information related to the investigation 
and prevention of cyber and electronic crime and related threats, and 
educate, train, and equip State, local, tribal, and territorial law 
enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges.
    ``(b) Functions.--The functions of the Institute shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Educating State, local, tribal, and territorial law 
        enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges on current--
                    ``(A) cyber and electronic crimes and related 
                threats;
                    ``(B) methods for investigating cyber and 
                electronic crime and related threats and conducting 
                computer and mobile device forensic examinations; and
                    ``(C) prosecutorial and judicial challenges related 
                to cyber and electronic crime and related threats, and 
                computer and mobile device forensic examinations.
            ``(2) Training State, local, tribal, and territorial law 
        enforcement officers to--
                    ``(A) conduct cyber and electronic crime and 
                related threat investigations;
                    ``(B) conduct computer and mobile device forensic 
                examinations; and
                    ``(C) respond to network intrusion incidents.
            ``(3) Training State, local, tribal, and territorial law 
        enforcement officers, prosecutors, and judges on methods to 
        obtain, process, store, and admit digital evidence in court.
    ``(c) Principles.--In carrying out the functions specified in 
subsection (b), the Institute shall ensure, to the extent practicable, 
that timely, actionable, and relevant expertise and homeland security 
information related to cyber and electronic crime and related threats 
is shared with State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement 
officers and prosecutors.
    ``(d) Equipment.--The Institute may provide State, local, tribal, 
and territorial law enforcement officers with computer equipment, 
hardware, software, manuals, and tools necessary to conduct cyber and 
electronic crime and related threat investigations and computer and 
mobile device forensic examinations.
    ``(e) Electronic Crime Task Forces.--The Institute shall facilitate 
the expansion of the network of Electronic Crime Task Forces of the 
United States Secret Service through the addition of State, local, 
tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers educated and trained 
at the Institute.
    ``(f) Savings Provision.--All activities and functions carried out 
by the Institute at any location as of the day before the date of the 
enactment of this section are authorized to continue to be carried out 
at any such location on and after such date.''.
    (b) No Additional Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to 
be appropriated to carry out this Act and the amendments made by this 
Act. This Act and such amendments shall be carried out using amounts 
otherwise available for such purposes.
    (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after the item relating to section 821 the following new 
item:

``Sec. 822. National Computer Forensics Institute.''.
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