[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 31, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H775-H776]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY INSIDER THREAT AND MITIGATION ACT OF 
                                  2017

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 666) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish the Insider Threat Program, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 666

       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 ``Department of Homeland 
     Security Insider Threat and Mitigation Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. ESTABLISHMENT OF INSIDER THREAT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Title I of the Homeland Security Act of 
     2002 (6 U.S.C. 111 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
     the following new section:

     ``SEC. 104. INSIDER THREAT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish an 
     Insider Threat Program within the Department. Such Program 
     shall--
       ``(1) provide training and education for Department 
     personnel to identify, prevent, mitigate, and respond to 
     insider threat risks to the Department's critical assets;
       ``(2) provide investigative support regarding potential 
     insider threats that may pose a risk to the Department's 
     critical assets; and
       ``(3) conduct risk mitigation activities for insider 
     threats.
       ``(b) Steering Committee.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a Steering 
     Committee within the Department. The Under Secretary for 
     Intelligence and Analysis shall serve as the Chair of the 
     Steering Committee. The Chief Security Officer shall serve as 
     the Vice Chair. The Steering Committee shall be comprised of 
     representatives of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis, 
     the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of 
     the General Counsel, the Office for Civil Rights and Civil 
     Liberties, the Privacy Office, the Office of the Chief Human 
     Capital Officer, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, 
     the Federal Protective Service, the Office of the Chief 
     Procurement Officer, the Science and Technology Directorate, 
     and other components or offices of the Department as 
     appropriate. Such representatives shall meet on a regular 
     basis to discuss cases and issues related to insider threats 
     to the Department's critical assets, in accordance with 
     subsection (a).
       ``(2) Responsibilities.--Not later than one year after the 
     date of the enactment of this section, the Under Secretary 
     for Intelligence and Analysis and the Chief Security Officer, 
     in coordination with the Steering Committee established 
     pursuant to paragraph (1), shall--
       ``(A) develop a holistic strategy for Department-wide 
     efforts to identify, prevent, mitigate, and respond to 
     insider threats to the Department's critical assets;
       ``(B) develop a plan to implement the insider threat 
     measures identified in the strategy developed under 
     subparagraph (A) across the components and offices of the 
     Department;
       ``(C) document insider threat policies and controls;
       ``(D) conduct a baseline risk assessment of insider threats 
     posed to the Department's critical assets;
       ``(E) examine existing programmatic and technology best 
     practices adopted by the Federal Government, industry, and 
     research institutions to implement solutions that are 
     validated and cost-effective;
       ``(F) develop a timeline for deploying workplace monitoring 
     technologies, employee awareness campaigns, and education and 
     training programs related to identifying, preventing, 
     mitigating, and responding to potential insider threats to 
     the Department's critical assets;
       ``(G) require the Chair and Vice Chair of the Steering 
     Committee to consult with the Under Secretary for Science and 
     Technology and other appropriate stakeholders to ensure the 
     Insider Threat Program is informed, on an ongoing basis, by 
     current information regarding threats, beset practices, and 
     available technology; and
       ``(H) develop, collect, and report metrics on the 
     effectiveness of the Department's insider threat mitigation 
     efforts.
       ``(c) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) Critical assets.--The term `critical assets' means 
     the people, facilities, information, and technology required 
     for the Department to fulfill its mission.
       ``(2) Insider.--The term `insider' means--
       ``(A) any person who has access to classified national 
     security information and is employed by, detailed to, or 
     assigned to the Department, including members of the Armed 
     Forces, experts or consultants to the Department, industrial 
     or commercial contractors, licensees, certificate holders, or 
     grantees of the Department, including all subcontractors, 
     personal services contractors, or any other category of 
     person who acts for or on behalf of the Department, as 
     determined by the Secretary; or
       ``(B) State, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector 
     personnel who possess security clearances granted by the 
     Department.
       ``(3) Insider threat.--The term `insider threat' means the 
     threat that an insider will use his or her authorized access, 
     wittingly or unwittingly, to do harm to the security of the 
     United States, including damage to the United States through 
     espionage, terrorism, the unauthorized disclosure of 
     classified national security information, or through the loss 
     or degradation of departmental resources or capabilities.''.
       (b) Reporting.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than two years after the date of 
     the enactment of section 104 of the Homeland Security Act of 
     2002 (as added by subsection (a) of this section) and the 
     biennially thereafter for the next four years, the Secretary 
     of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on 
     Intelligence of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and 
     the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate a report 
     on how the Department of Homeland Security and its components 
     and offices have implemented the strategy developed pursuant 
     to subsection (b)(2)(A) of such section 104, the status of 
     the Department's risk assessment of critical assets, the 
     types of insider threat training conducted, the number of 
     Department employees who have received such training, and 
     information on the effectiveness of the Insider Threat 
     Program (established pursuant to subsection (a) of such 
     section 104), based on metrics developed, collected, and 
     reported pursuant to subsection (b)(2)(H) of such section 
     104.
       (2) Definitions.--In this subsection, the terms ``critical 
     assets'', ``insider'', and ``insider threat'' have the 
     meanings given such terms in section 104 of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (as added by subsection (a) of this 
     section).
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents of the 
     Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 103 the following new item:

``Sec. 104. Insider Threat Program.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. King) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. KING of New York. 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 material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the legislation. Recent 
high-profile cases of government employees leaking classified 
information have caused drastic damage to U.S. national security and 
diplomacy. The names Snowden and Manning are now synonymous with the 
term ``insider threat.'' Unfortunately, Snowden, Manning, and others 
were able to conduct their traitorous work undetected because the 
government had at one time vetted and granted them access to secure 
facilities and information systems.
  In response to these cases, it is vital that Congress ensure Federal 
agencies have the tools to detect and disrupt future insider threat 
situations before damage is done. H.R. 666, in contrast to its unholy 
numbering, has the important and respectable goal of authorizing and 
expanding insider threat detection and mitigation efforts at the 
Department of Homeland Security.

[[Page H776]]

  DHS has over 115,000 employees with access to classified information 
and many more with access to law enforcement sensitive data. 
Unauthorized disclosures of classified information, whether deliberate 
or unwitting, represent a significant threat to national security. The 
very nature of modern communication systems, as well as DHS' important 
information-sharing role with State and local partners, adds complexity 
to the challenge and requires thoughtful programs to educate employees 
and enhance DHS-wide detection capabilities.
  The bill directs DHS to develop a strategy for the Department to 
identify, prevent, mitigate, and respond to insider threats and 
requires DHS to ensure that personnel understand what workplace 
behavior may be indicative of a potential insider threat and how their 
activity on DHS networks will be monitored. The bill codifies a 
comprehensive insider threat program at DHS that can be implemented 
through the Department and its component agencies and, most 
importantly, reinforces the importance of preventing future insider 
attacks.
  I want to thank Homeland Security Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member 
Thompson, and Congressmen Dan Donovan and Lou Barletta for working with 
me to bring this bill to the floor.
  The same bill passed the House floor in November 2015 by voice vote. 
Unfortunately, last-minute scheduling issues with the Senate prevented 
the bill from reaching the President's desk. I am pleased that the 
House is willing to take up this measure so quickly in the new Congress 
so we can move it through the process. I look forward to working with 
the Senate to move this measure forward.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill so we can establish a 
comprehensive, transparent, DHS-wide insider threat program. I urge 
support for the bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 666, the Department of 
Homeland Security Insider Threat and Mitigation Act of 2017. H.R. 666, 
the Department of Homeland Security Insider Threat and Mitigation Act 
of 2017, authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to address the 
homeland and national security risk posed by trusted insiders.
  Typically, trusted insiders are given unrestricted access to mission-
critical assets such as personnel, facilities, and computer networks. 
While DHS, like other Federal agencies, conducts extensive vetting of 
prospective employees, there is a risk that someone with insider status 
exploits their position to damage the United States through espionage, 
terrorism, or the unauthorized disclosure of sensitive national 
security information.
  As the ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am 
supportive of the Department of Homeland Security's current Insider 
Threat Program. It is targeted at preventing and detecting when a 
vetted DHS employee or contractor with access to U.S. Government 
resources, including personnel, facilities, information, equipment, 
networks, and systems, exploits such access for nefarious, terroristic, 
or criminal purposes.

                              {time}  1430

  Though I support the DHS program, I do have some concerns about DHS 
and other Federal agencies deploying continuous evaluation programs 
without transparency and congressional oversight. I am concerned that 
Federal agencies, with the understandable urge to protect their IT 
systems and facilities, are racing to acquire the capability before 
knowing whether such costly systems are even effective.
  Therefore, I would like to reiterate to this Congress, as I did last 
Congress, that prior to establishing any such program, under which 
certain DHS employees would be subjected to ongoing automated credit, 
criminal, and social media monitoring, the Department engage Congress 
about not only the potential costs and benefits of such a program but 
what protections would be in place for workers subject to such a 
program.
  Mr. Speaker, we live at a time when the threats to our Nation are 
complex. When this bill was considered last Congress, the prospect that 
a foreign intelligence agency would carry out an espionage campaign to 
influence the outcome of our Presidential election was material for the 
movies or for a good spy thriller. Today, in light of the Russian 
Government's actions in the 2016 elections, we have a greater 
appreciation for the importance of counterintelligence efforts. As 
such, this bill is particularly timely. None of us wants to see someone 
exploit their access to DHS networks to carry out cybercrimes or other 
criminal activity.
  Even as DHS works to detect and prevent such threats, it is important 
that such activities be carried out in a transparent way so as not to 
compound the chronic morale challenges that exist within its workforce. 
Each time DHS considers making an adjustment to its insider threat 
program, thoughtful consideration must be paid to whether the 
operational drawbacks and costs for such an adjustment outweigh the 
benefits of such a change.
  That said, I commend General Taylor, the previous Under Secretary for 
Intelligence and Analysis at DHS, for the attention he gave to the 
insider threat challenge. I look forward to continuing to work with the 
Department's successor to bolster security within the Department.
  I would also like to give Mr. King particular credit for his interest 
in this effort to make sure that problems don't come from the inside if 
we can help it.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 666.
  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, at the outset, let me thank the ranking member for his 
support and for his kind words, and let me fully agree with him on the 
outstanding job General Taylor did during his time at DHS and 
throughout his career in public service.
  Mr. Speaker, on a daily basis, adversaries are targeting DHS and 
other Federal agencies seeking to acquire sensitive information. U.S. 
citizens with trusted access to government facilities and electronic 
networks have been responsible for some of the most damaging attacks to 
the U.S. Government.
  This bill provides the framework for DHS to implement an insider 
threat program that identifies and disrupts malicious insiders who seek 
to do the Department and its employees harm. It also seeks to protect 
the Department's workforce by conducting a transparent process to 
reinforce cyber hygiene, data security, and an awareness of malicious 
activity through a robust training program.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for this bill, and I yield 
back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. King) that the House suspend the rules and 
pass the bill, H.R. 666.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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