[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H7246-H7247]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CLASSIFIED FACILITY INVENTORY ACT

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2443) to require an inventory of all facilities certified by 
the Department of Homeland Security to host infrastructure or systems 
classified above the Secret level, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2443

       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 Classified Facility Inventory Act''.

     SEC. 2. INVENTORY.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, 
     to the extent practicable--
       (1) maintain an inventory of those Department of Homeland 
     Security facilities that the Department certifies to house 
     classified infrastructure or systems at the secret level and 
     above;
       (2) update such inventory on a regular basis; and
       (3) share part or all of such inventory with--
       (A) Department personnel who have been granted the 
     appropriate security clearance;
       (B) non-Federal governmental personnel who have been 
     granted a Top Secret security clearance; and
       (C) other personnel as determined appropriate by the 
     Secretary.
       (b) Inventory.--The inventory of facilities described in 
     subsection (a) may include--
       (1) the location of such facilities;
       (2) the attributes of such facilities (including the square 
     footage of, the total capacity of, the number of workstations 
     in, and the number of conference rooms in, such facilities);
       (3) the entities that operate such facilities; and
       (4) the date of establishment of such facilities.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentlewoman from New York (Miss 
Rice) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in 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 Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today we are advancing another bill to support the men 
and women who answer the call to keep their neighbors safe.
  Yesterday we honored the first responders and countless other 
Americans who were murdered in the September 11 terrorist attacks. We 
will never forget them, nor their great sacrifices of their families 
and loved ones.
  I come from Pennsylvania, which has a proud history of service, from 
the National Guard to police, to fire houses, to EMTs. Even one of our 
former Governors, Tom Ridge, was a key player in setting up the 
Department of Homeland Security.
  Today, we, in Congress, continue to work to reduce the blind spots 
that led to 9/11, and ensure our Nation's newest Department is able to 
get local law enforcement officers the resources that they need to keep 
our communities safe.
  Having served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I have long known 
that it will be the police officer on the streets of Hazleton, Shamokin 
or Shippensburg, not some analyst in Washington, who will recognize 
when a member of our community has radicalized or been recruited by a 
gang or terrorist sect.
  That is one of the reasons why I worked with the committee to 
introduce H.R. 2443, the Department of Homeland Security Classified 
Facility Inventory Act.
  My bill strengthens information sharing between local, State, and 
Federal law enforcement by requiring the DHS to maintain an inventory 
of facilities certified to store information classified above the 
secret level.
  This is a follow-up to the Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 2017, 
which I first introduced last Congress and has successfully passed the 
committee in the House.
  I come from a State with three fusion centers: the Pennsylvania 
Criminal Intelligence Center, known as PaCIC, in Harrisburg; Delaware 
Valley Intelligence Center in Philadelphia; and Southwestern PA Region 
13 Fusion Center in Pittsburgh.
  This bill is part of my efforts to make the DHS share information 
with its State and local partners.

[[Page H7247]]

  


                              {time}  1315

  More and more, State and local officials are now getting the security 
clearances they need to get important national security information 
that will help them; however, gaps remain.
  This bill will ensure that DHS is tracking the specific location of 
all the Department's secure facilities and make this information 
available to the appropriate State and local personnel as well as 
Department employees.
  To be honest, it is frustrating that this legislation is even needed. 
Congress and DHS share the same goal of keeping our communities safe. 
We must make it clear that information needs to be shared to allow for 
proper oversight both now and in the future. Our State and local law 
enforcement officials are professionals and leaders of our communities. 
However, far too often, I have heard complaints that Federal officials 
do not take local information seriously simply because someone has not 
been able to obtain a certain security clearance. My legislation will 
help address this concern.
  Specifically, this bill requires greater transparency and information 
sharing on the locations of all facilities certified by DHS to store 
classified infrastructure or systems above the secret level, commonly 
known as SCIFs. This will give local law enforcement the tools that 
they need to protect their communities and our Nation as a whole.
  Additionally, by requiring DHS to maintain an updated list of all of 
these facilities, this bill will ensure that the Department does not 
invest in new facilities in areas already covered, in turn, reducing 
the chances of wasteful spending.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure, which passed the House 
once already as part of the larger DHS authorization bill in July. I 
hope that my colleagues in the Senate will realize the critical need 
for my bill and will act quickly so President Trump can sign it into 
law.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2443, the Department of 
Homeland Security Classified Facility Inventory Act of 2017.
  This measure addresses a concern to many of us in the 
counterterrorism arena--the absence of a centralized inventory of 
classified systems within DHS.
  DHS is the third largest Federal agency and has a vast footprint, yet 
DHS does not maintain a centralized list of all the spaces around the 
country where individuals with clearances can access classified 
information.
  H.R. 2443 tackles this issue by requiring DHS to maintain an 
inventory of all DHS certified facilities that house classified systems 
above the secret level on a regular basis. It requires DHS to share 
part or all of the inventory, in accordance with standard information-
sharing procedures and policies. This legislation will enhance 
Congress' ability to assist DHS with protecting classified facilities.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2443 is an important piece of legislation. It has 
strong support on both sides of the aisle.
  Extensive efforts have been made to enhance information sharing, 
establish the DHS intelligence enterprise, and support the National 
Network of Fusion Centers. It is important that DHS' partners at all 
levels know where to go to access classified information, particularly 
when a terrorist or other national security incident occurs.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2443, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 2443, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2443, 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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