[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 495 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 495

 To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the 
    National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland 
                               Security.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 14, 2019

Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Jones, Mr. Scott of Florida, 
Mr. Manchin, and Mr. Gardner) introduced the following bill; which was 
       read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the 
    National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland 
                               Security.

    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 ``EAGLES Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals lost their lives 
        in a senseless and violent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas 
        High School in Parkland Florida, a school whose mascot is the 
        eagle.
            (2) These individuals lived lives of warmth, joy, 
        determination, service, and love, and their loss is mourned by 
        the Nation.
            (3) The shooter in that attack exhibited patterns of 
        behavior that were alarming and that should have alerted law 
        enforcement and other Federal, State, and local officials.
            (4) The attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was 
        preventable.
            (5) Lives were saved because of the brave and exemplary 
        conduct of many students, teachers, and staff at Marjory 
        Stoneman Douglas High School, including several of the victims 
        of the attack.
            (6) The National Threat Assessment Center (referred to in 
        this Act as the ``Center'') was established in 1998 to conduct 
        research on various types of targeted violence.
            (7) Studies conducted by the Center on targeted school 
        violence, in particular, have shown that--
                    (A) most incidents were planned in advance;
                    (B) the attackers' behavior gave some indication 
                that the individual was planning, or at least 
                contemplating, an attack;
                    (C) most attackers had already exhibited a pattern 
                of behavior that was of concern to other people in 
                their lives; and
                    (D) prior to the attack, someone associated with 
                the attacker, such as a family member or peer, knew the 
                attack was to likely to occur.
            (8) Through their research, the Center developed the threat 
        assessment model for responding to indicators of targeted 
        violence, which includes a 3-step process--
                    (A) identifying individuals who are exhibiting 
                behaviors that indicate they are planning an attack on 
                a school;
                    (B) assessing whether the individual poses a threat 
                to the school, based on articulable facts; and
                    (C) managing the threat the individual may pose to 
                the school.
            (9) The threat assessment model works most effectively when 
        all the relevant parties, including school officials, local law 
        enforcement, and members of the community, are part of a 
        comprehensive protocol to identify, assess, and manage a 
        potential threat to the school.
            (10) The primary goal of threat assessment programs in 
        schools should be to prevent violent conduct, with an emphasis 
        on early intervention, treatment, and care of individuals 
        exhibiting behaviors associated with targeted violence.
            (11) Early intervention, treatment, and prevention of 
        violent behavior is an effective way to prevent violent conduct 
        that would harm others and necessitate disciplinary action, 
        including criminal penalties.
            (12) The parties involved need the appropriate training and 
        tools to establish the appropriate mechanisms for implementing 
        this type of approach.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a fact-
based threat assessment approach, involving school officials, local law 
enforcement, and members of the community, is one of the most effective 
ways to prevent targeted violence in schools, and is a fitting memorial 
to those who lost their lives in the February 14, 2018 attack on 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and those who heroically acted to 
preserve the lives of their friends, students, and colleagues.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF THE NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT 
              CENTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) In General.--Chapter 203 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 3056A the following:
``Sec. 3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
              United States Secret Service
    ``(a) In General.--There is established a National Threat 
Assessment Center (in this section referred to as the `Center'), to be 
operated by the United States Secret Service, at the direction of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security.
    ``(b) Functions.--The functions of the Center shall include the 
following:
            ``(1) Training in the area of best practices on threat 
        assessment.
            ``(2) Consultation on complex threat assessment cases or 
        programs.
            ``(3) Research on threat assessment and the prevention of 
        targeted violence, consistent with evidence-based standards and 
        existing laws and regulations.
            ``(4) Facilitation of information sharing on threat 
        assessment and the prevention of targeted violence among 
        agencies with protective or public safety responsibilities, as 
        well as other public or private entities.
            ``(5) Development and implementation of evidence-based 
        programs to promote the standardization of Federal, State, and 
        local threat assessments, best practices in investigations 
        involving threats, and the prevention of targeted violence.
    ``(c) Safe School Initiative.--In carrying out the functions 
described in subsection (b), the Center shall establish a national 
program on targeted school violence prevention, focusing on the 
following activities:
            ``(1) Research.--The Center shall--
                    ``(A) conduct evidence-based research into targeted 
                school violence and school threat assessment; and
                    ``(B) publish the findings of the Center on the 
                public website of the United States Secret Service.
            ``(2) Training.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The Center shall offer training 
                courses on targeted school violence prevention to 
                agencies with protective or public safety 
                responsibilities and other public or private entities, 
                including public school districts and schools.
                    ``(B) Development.--Training programs developed by 
                the Center shall use best practices in school threat 
                assessment, such as data produced through experimental, 
                quasi-experimental, and non-experimental research.
                    ``(C) Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
                of enactment of this section, the Center shall 
                establish a plan to offer its training and other 
                educational resources to public or private entities 
                within each State.
            ``(3) Coordination with other federal agencies.--To the 
        extent practicable, the Center shall develop research and 
        training programs under this section in coordination with the 
        Department of Justice and Department of Education.
            ``(4) Consultation with entities outside the federal 
        government.--The Center is authorized to consult with State and 
        local educational, law enforcement, and mental health officials 
        and private entities in the development of research and 
        training programs under this section.
            ``(5) Contracting services.--In carrying out the functions 
        under subsection (b), and subject to the requirements of other 
        applicable Federal law, the Director of the United States 
        Secret Service may enter into contracts with public and private 
        entities to assist in conducting research and training.
            ``(6) Interactive website.--The Center may create an 
        interactive website to disseminate information and data on 
        evidence-based practices in targeted school violence 
        prevention.
    ``(d) Hiring of Additional Personnel.--The Director of the Secret 
Service may hire additional personnel to comply with the requirements 
of this section.
    ``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out the functions of the Center--
            ``(1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; and
            ``(2) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 
        2023.
    ``(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Director of the Secret Service shall 
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report on 
actions taken by the United States Secret Service to implement 
provisions of this section, which shall include--
            ``(1) the number of employees hired (on a full-time 
        equivalent basis);
            ``(2) the number of individuals in each State trained in 
        school threat assessment;
            ``(3) the number of school districts in each State trained 
        in school threat assessment or targeted school violence 
        prevention;
            ``(4) information on Federal, State, and local agencies 
        trained or otherwise assisted by the Center;
            ``(5) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
        and other assistance provided by the Center is effective;
            ``(6) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
        and other assistance provided by the Center was implemented by 
        the school;
            ``(7) a summary of the Center's research activities and 
        findings; and
            ``(8) a strategic plan for disseminating the Center's 
        educational and training resources to each State.
    ``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
            ``(1) the term `evidence-based'--
                    ``(A) means a program that demonstrates a rationale 
                based on high-quality research findings or positive 
                evaluation that such program is likely to improve 
                relevant outcomes; and
                    ``(B) includes ongoing efforts to examine the 
                effects of the program; and
            ``(2) the term `State' means any State of the United 
        States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto 
        Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
    ``(h) No Funds To Provide Firearms Training.--None of the funds 
authorized to be appropriated under this section may be used to train 
any person in the use of a firearm.
    ``(i) No Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to preclude or contradict any other provision of law 
authorizing training in the use of firearms.''.
    (b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Section 4 of the Presidential Threat Protection Act of 
        2000 (18 U.S.C. 3056 note), is repealed.
            (2) The table of sections for chapter 203 of title 18, 
        United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item 
        relating to section 3056A the following:

``3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
                            United States Secret Service.''.
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