[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 99 (Tuesday, June 21, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H3988-H3990]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEVERAGING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ACT OF 2016
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5389) to encourage engagement between the Department of
Homeland Security and technology innovators, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5389
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 ``Leveraging Emerging
Technologies Act of 2016''.
SEC. 2. INNOVATION ENGAGEMENT.
(a) Innovation Engagement.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security--
(A) shall engage with innovative and emerging technology
developers and firms, including technology-based small
businesses and startup ventures, to address homeland security
needs; and
(B) may identify geographic areas in the United States with
high concentrations of such innovative and emerging
technology developers and firms, and may establish personnel
and office space in such areas, as appropriate.
(2) Engagement.--Engagement under paragraph (1) may include
innovative and emerging technology developers or firms with
proven technologies, supported with outside investment, with
potential applications for the Department of Homeland
Security.
(3) Co-location.--If the Secretary of Homeland Security
determines that it is appropriate to establish personnel and
office space in a specific geographic area in the United
States pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall co-
locate such personnel and office space with other existing
assets of--
(A) the Department of Homeland Security, where possible; or
(B) Federal facilities, where appropriate.
(4) Oversight.--Not later than 30 days after establishing
personnel and office space in a specific geographic area in
the United States pursuant to paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary
of Homeland Security shall inform Congress about the
rationale for such establishment, the anticipated costs
associated with such establishment, and the specific goals
for such establishment.
(b) Strategic Plan.--Not later than six months after the
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall develop, implement, and submit to the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs of the Senate a Department of Homeland
Security-wide strategy to proactively engage with innovative
and emerging technology developers and firms, including
technology-based small businesses and startup ventures, in
accordance with subsection (a). Such strategy shall--
(1) focus on sustainable methods and guidance to build
relationships, including with such innovative and emerging
technology developers and firms in geographic areas in the
United States with high concentrations of such innovative and
emerging technology developers and firms, and in geographic
areas outside such areas, to establish, develop, and enhance
departmental capabilities to address homeland security needs;
(2) include efforts to--
(A) ensure proven innovative and emerging technologies can
be included in existing and future acquisition contracts;
(B) coordinate with organizations that provide venture
capital to businesses, particularly small businesses and
startup ventures, as appropriate, to assist the
commercialization of innovative and emerging technologies
that are expected to be ready for commercialization in the
near term and within 36 months; and
(C) address barriers to the utilization of innovative and
emerging technologies and the engagement of small businesses
and startup ventures in the acquisition process;
(3) include a description of how the Department plans to
leverage proven innovative and emerging technologies to
address homeland security needs; and
(4) include the criteria the Secretary plans to use to
determine an innovative or technology is proven.
(c) Prohibition on Additional Funding.--No additional funds
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
and include any extraneous materials on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support and I am very pleased that the House
is considering H.R. 5389, the Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act of
2016. H.R. 5389 encourages engagement between the Department of
Homeland Security and technology innovators, including tech startups.
This important bill requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to
proactively engage with innovative and emerging technology developers
and firms to address homeland security needs. More specifically, H.R.
5389 provides the Secretary authority to identify geographic areas in
the United States where high concentrations of innovative and emerging
technology developers and firms exist and to establish personnel and
office space in these areas to more effectively collaborate with these
technology hubs.
The Federal Government needs to do a better job working with the
private sector, and this bill will support that goal by requiring the
Secretary to develop and implement a targeted strategy to proactively
engage innovative and emerging technology developers and firms. The
Secretary must use this strategic plan to address and to reduce
barriers to leveraging innovative and emerging technologies and the
small business and startup ventures that create those technologies by
incorporating them into the Department's acquisition process.
In order to keep pace, the Department of Homeland Security recently
established an office in Silicon Valley to encourage engagement and
communication with the innovative technology developers in that area.
Although a vital technology hub, Silicon Valley is not the only
technology hub in the United States. For that reason, the Department
should not be limited to a single geographic area from which to
identify emerging and innovative technologies.
Mr. Speaker, we are all learning that cybersecurity is national
security. The Nation is under constant cyber attack from nation-states,
from criminal groups, and from terrorist organizations, and, with each
passing day, the attacks and tools that they are using are becoming
more sophisticated. Requiring the Department to consider strategically
how it will engage these technology developers will strengthen the
Department's ability to access innovative and emerging technologies in
order to combat these evolving threats.
I am happy to support this measure today and believe it will move us
toward further addressing homeland security needs by supporting
technology innovation.
Before I close, I include in the Record an exchange between the
chairman of the Committee on Science,
[[Page H3989]]
Space, and Technology and the chairman of the Committee on Homeland
Security.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology,
Washington, DC, June 20, 2016.
Hon. Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 5389, the
``Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act of 2016,'' which your
Committee reported on June 8, 2016.
H.R. 5389 contains provisions within the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. As a
result of your having consulted with the Committee and in
order to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will forego
action on the bill. This is being done on the basis of our
mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or
alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology with respect to the appointment of conferees,
or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject
matters contained in the bill or similar legislation.
I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming
this understanding, and would request that you include a copy
of this letter and your response in the Committee Report and
in the Congressional Record during the floor consideration of
this bill. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Homeland Security,
Washington, DC, June 20, 2016.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for your interest in H.R.
5389, the ``Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act of 2016.'' I
appreciate your cooperation in allowing this legislation to
move expeditiously before the House of Representatives on
June 21, 2016. I understand that the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology, to the extent it may have a
jurisdictional claim, will not seek a sequential referral on
the bill; and therefore, there has been no formal
determination as to its jurisdiction by the Parliamentarian.
While we are not prepared to recognize the jurisdiction of
the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology over this
bill, we do appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
The Committee on Homeland Security concurs with the mutual
understanding that the absence of a decision on this bill at
this time does not prejudice any claim the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology may have held or may have on
similar legislation in the future.
I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional
Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.
I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5389, the Leveraging Emerging
Technologies Act of 2016.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to cosponsor H.R. 5389, a bipartisan bill
that directs the Department of Homeland Security to engage, in an
unprecedented fashion, with developers of innovative and emerging
technologies.
When it comes to tackling vexing homeland security challenges,
Washington does not have the monopoly on groundbreaking, forward-
thinking ideas. H.R. 5389 specifically directs the Secretary of
Homeland Security to engage with innovative and emerging technology
developers to help tackle the rapidly expanding list of homeland
security technology needs.
To encourage such engagement, the bill authorizes DHS to establish
personnel and office space in diverse geographical areas around the
United States that have high concentrations of technology developers
and firms to nurture relationships.
In April 2015, the Department announced that it was establishing a
Silicon Valley office to cultivate relationships with technology
innovators, particularly nontraditional performers, such as small
startups, investors, incubators, and accelerators. The establishment of
this office is in furtherance of DHS' homeland security innovation
program, whose goal is to generate innovation in hubs around the Nation
and the world to solve DHS' most difficult technology challenges.
Over the past year, through these programs, DHS has reached out to
technology innovators and other stakeholders at regional events held in
Boston, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New Orleans, Chicago, Louisville,
and Austin.
To ensure that DHS pursues outreach to innovators and related
stakeholders in a thoughtful manner, H.R. 5389 also directs DHS, within
6 months, to develop and submit to Congress a Department-wide strategy
for such engagement. Importantly, the bill specifically calls for DHS
to include ways to effectively engage with technology-based small
businesses and startup ventures in the strategy.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. H.R.
5389 was unanimously approved by the Committee on Homeland Security on
June 8. It recognizes that DHS depends on technology to carry out its
missions and for the Department to effectively identify, support, and
procure innovative technology. DHS must nurture and maintain robust and
direct relationships with technology developers.
Two features of the strategy required under this act that I would
like to highlight are that it directs DHS to give attention to
fostering engagement with developers that may be located outside a
recognized regional technology hub, and coordinate with venture capital
organizations to help emerging technology developers, including small
businesses and startup ventures, commercialize technologies that
address a rapidly growing list of homeland security needs.
I also join my colleague from Texas in supporting this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge support of H.R. 5389.
I yield back the balance of my time.
{time} 1515
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi
for cosponsoring this bill and for his leadership in this area.
I, once again, urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5389.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland
Security Committee, I rise in support of H.R. 5389, the ``Leveraging
Emerging Technologies Act of 2016,'' which requires the Secretary of
Homeland Security to engage with innovative and emerging technology
developers, including technology-based small businesses and startup
ventures that can help tackle the rapidly expanding list of homeland
security technology needs.
H.R. 5389 helps to protect America's computer and communications
networks, which security experts believe represent the nation's most
critical national security challenge, including internet functions and
connected critical infrastructure such as air traffic control, the U.S.
electrical grid, and nuclear power plants.
H.R. 5389 authorizes DHS to establish personnel and office space in
diverse geographic areas around the United States that have high
concentrations of technology developers and firms.
The bill also directs DHS, within 6 months, to develop and submit to
Congress a Department-wide strategy to engage with innovative and
emerging technology companies.
Importantly, the bill specifically requires the Secretary to include
in that strategy ways to effectively integrate technology-based small
businesses and startup ventures.
Importantly, the bill also requires the DHS Secretary to coordinate
with those in the venture capital industry to assist in the development
of technologies that are ready for commercialization and use in the
Homeland Security Enterprise.
Since its founding, the Department of Homeland Security has overcome
many challenges as an organization but much more progress must be made
regarding effective inter-operable communication between the federal,
state, and local agencies.
Although not a panacea, H.R. 5389 is a step in the right direction
because it will help improve DHS' overall functions so that it can more
effectively protect our people.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important
legislation.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 5389.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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