[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H277-H279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              LEVERAGING EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ACT OF 2017

  Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 240) to encourage engagement between the Department of 
Homeland Security and technology innovators, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 240

       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 2017''.

     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 innovation or technology is proven.
       (c) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds 
     are authorized to carry out the requirements of this Act. 
     Such requirements shall be carried out using amounts 
     otherwise authorized.

  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 to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.

[[Page H278]]

  

  Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, again, I am pleased that the House is today considering 
H.R. 240, the Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act of 2017.
  H.R. 240 encourages engagement between the Department of Homeland 
Security and technology innovators, including startups. This bill 
requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to proactively engage with 
innovative and emerging technology developers and firms to address our 
vital Homeland Security needs.
  Additionally, H.R. 240 provides the Secretary with the authority to 
identify geographic areas in the United States where high 
concentrations of these 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 certainly needs to do a better job working with the 
private sector, and H.R. 240 will help to address that.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill also requires the Secretary to develop and to 
implement a targeted strategy to proactively engage innovative and 
emerging technology developers and firms.

                              {time}  1630

  Under this bill, the Secretary must use the strategic plan to address 
existing barriers to leveraging innovative and emerging technologies, 
and the small businesses and startup ventures that create those 
technologies, and to incorporate them into the Department's acquisition 
process.
  For example, in order to keep pace, the Department of Homeland 
Security has established an office in Silicon Valley to encourage 
engagement and communication with the innovative technology developers 
in that area. Although it is a vital technology hub, Silicon Valley 
certainly is not the only technology hub in the United States. The 
Department should not be limited to a single geographic area from which 
to identify these emerging and innovative technologies.
  Mr. Speaker, all Americans are learning that cybersecurity is 
national security. The impacts of cyber intrusions are being felt 
everywhere, from boardroom tables to kitchen tables. We have seen them 
undermine consumer confidence and damage a company's hard-earned 
reputation in just a couple of seconds. Cybersecurity is a complex and 
serious issue that our Nation will have to address for decades to come. 
So it only makes sense for us to require the Department to consider 
strategically just how it will engage these technology developers to 
strengthen the Department's ability to access innovative and emerging 
technologies to better combat evolving cyber threats.
  I am happy to support this measure today because I believe it will 
move us forward, further addressing our homeland security needs by 
supporting technology innovation. I urge Members to join me in 
supporting this important bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
240, the Leveraging Emerging Technologies Act of 2017, and I yield 
myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I am a cosponsor of this measure, as I was for its 
predecessor last Congress. Last June, the House approved this measure 
by a 347-8 vote. This bipartisan bill directs the Department of 
Homeland Security to engage small businesses, startup companies, and 
other developers of innovative and emerging technologies to tackle some 
of our most vexing, persistent homeland security challenges.
  It is no secret that navigating the Federal procurement process is 
difficult, especially for small startups. Meanwhile, small companies 
continue to develop some of the most innovative technological solutions 
in use today. They are a huge source of untapped potential, capable of 
bringing forward-thinking, groundbreaking ideas to the homeland 
security enterprise.
  To build these relationships, H.R. 240 allows DHS to establish 
personnel and office space in areas around the U.S. where technology 
innovators are concentrated. Having a physical presence in these tech 
hubs will make it easier for DHS to grow and maintain connections with 
local startups, innovators, and incubators. The Department has already 
taken action in this regard.
  In 2015, the DHS Science and Technology Directorate established a 
Silicon Valley office and announced its first-ever procurement focused 
on working with nontraditional contractors and tech startups. The DHS 
innovation ``other transaction'' solution sought technologies to 
address security challenges in aviation, border, and cybersecurity.
  To date, under this program, DHS has funded awards to 13 small 
businesses in California, Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Washington 
State. Additionally, DHS has reached out to technology innovators at 
regional events in Boston, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, New Orleans, 
Chicago, Louisville and Austin, raising awareness with more than 1,500 
startups, accelerators, and venture capitalists through industry days, 
panels, conferences, and startup meetups. The feedback has been very 
positive, but it has also validated the need to educate the community 
about who DHS is and what the challenges are.
  Mr. Speaker, for those reasons, I urge my colleagues to support this 
bipartisan legislation.
  H.R. 240 recognizes that DHS depends on technology to carry out its 
missions, and must nurture and maintain robust and direct relationships 
with talented technology developers, even those that do not fit the 
mold of the typical Federal contractor.
  DHS could improve the productivity and sustainability of these 
outreach efforts by developing a strategy to proactively engage with 
innovators in a way that supports long-term relationships. H.R. 240 
calls for such a strategy to be delivered to Congress and implemented 
within 6 months.
  Two features of that strategy required under this bill that I would 
like to highlight are provisions that I sponsored. One requires the 
strategy to give attention to fostering engagement with developers that 
may be located outside a recognized regional technology hub. The other 
directs the strategy to include coordination with venture capital 
organizations, like the In-Q-Tel nonprofit, to help emerging technology 
developers, including small businesses and startup ventures, 
commercialize technologies that address a rapidly growing list of 
homeland security needs.
  Mr. Speaker, for all of the reasons discussed, I urge support of H.R. 
240.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Mississippi 
(Mr. Thompson) for his support of this bill and for his leadership in 
keeping this issue at the forefront of our cybersecurity discussion. 
This is an incredibly important bill, and I, once again, urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 240.
  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. 240, the ``Leveraging 
Emerging Technologies Act of 2017,'' 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. 240 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. 240 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

[[Page H279]]

progress must be made regarding effective inter-operable communication 
between the federal, state, and local agencies.
  Although not a panacea, H.R. 240 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. 240, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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