[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H38-H40]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SECURING AMERICAN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AGAINST TERRORISM ACT OF 
                                  2017

  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1486) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide 
funding to secure non-profit facilities from terrorist attacks, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows

                               H.R. 1486

       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 ``Securing American Non-Profit 
     Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. NON-PROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title XX of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 2009. NON-PROFIT SECURITY GRANT PROGRAM.

       ``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the 
     Department a program to be known as the `Non-Profit Security 
     Grant Program' (in this section referred to as the 
     `Program'). Under the Program, the Secretary, acting through 
     the Administrator, shall make grants to eligible nonprofit 
     organizations described in subsection (b), through the State 
     in which such organizations are located, for target hardening 
     and other security enhancements to protect against terrorist 
     attacks.
       ``(b) Eligible Recipients.--Eligible nonprofit 
     organizations described in this subsection (a) are 
     organizations that are--
       ``(1) described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal 
     Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under section 501(a) 
     of such Code; and
       ``(2) determined to be at risk of a terrorist attack by the 
     Administrator.
       ``(c) Permitted Uses.--The recipient of a grant under this 
     section may use such grant for any of the following uses:
       ``(1) Target hardening activities, including physical 
     security enhancement equipment and inspection and screening 
     systems.
       ``(2) Fees for security training relating to physical 
     security and cybersecurity, target hardening, terrorism 
     awareness, and employee awareness.
       ``(3) Any other appropriate activity, including 
     cybersecurity resilience activities, as determined by the 
     Administrator.
       ``(d) Period of Performance.--The Administrator shall make 
     funds provided under this section available for use by a 
     recipient of a grant for a period of not less than 36 months.
       ``(e) Report.--The Administrator shall annually for each of 
     fiscal years 2018 through 2022 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 report containing information on the expenditure 
     by each grant recipient of grant funds made under this 
     section.
       ``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
       ``(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
     $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022 to 
     carry out this section.
       ``(2) Specification.--Of the amounts authorized to be 
     appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1)--
       ``(A) $35,000,000 is authorized for eligible recipients 
     located in jurisdictions that receive funding under section 
     2003; and
       ``(B) $15,000,000 is authorized for eligible recipients in 
     jurisdictions not receiving funding under section 2003.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--Subsection (a) of section 2002 
     of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 603) is 
     amended by striking ``sections 2003 and 2004'' and inserting 
     ``sections 2003, 2004, and 2009''.
       (c) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by 
     inserting after the item relating to section 2008 the 
     following new item:

``Sec. 2009. Non-profit security grant program.''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

[[Page H39]]

have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
any extraneous material on the bill that is under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1486, the Securing American 
Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2017. This bill 
authorizes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program within the Department 
of Homeland Security.
  Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, this program 
provides critical support to help protect at-risk nonprofit 
institutions, including Jewish community centers, houses of worship, 
and other cultural and community institutions, against threats and 
attacks.
  Security enhancements covered by the program include the installation 
of cameras, physical barriers or controlled entry systems, along with 
training for active-shooter scenarios.
  Nonprofit organizations in my district have told me about the 
positive impact this program has had on their security. In fact, the 
Jewish Community Center of Staten Island recently received a $75,000 
grant through this program for their facility located on Arthur Kill 
Road in order to adequately respond to an increase in threats.
  I have also led letters to appropriators advocating for $50 million 
for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and was so glad to see that 
the funding level was included in the Make America Secure and 
Prosperous Appropriations Act, which passed the House last September.
  The bill we are considering today further demonstrates our commitment 
to the program by authorizing it for the first time. I was pleased to 
work with the ranking member on this language as part of the DHS 
Authorization Act that we approved this summer, and I am pleased to 
once again support it today.
  Nonprofit organizations provide vital services to our communities 
every day. The program authorized by the bill we are considering here 
today will help provide peace of mind that they will be secure as they 
continue to serve their neighbors.
  I urge all of my colleagues to join me in support of this bill, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1486, the Securing American 
Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism Act of 2017.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1486 would authorize the Department of Homeland 
Security's Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which awards grants to 
nonprofit organizations at risk of a terrorist attack, in statute.
  Since early last year, nonprofit organizations throughout the United 
States have experienced an uptick in threats, vandalism, and violent 
acts. According to the Anti-Defamation League, anti-Semitic incidents 
jumped 67 percent from 2016 to the first three quarters of 2017. Many 
nonprofit organizations, however, do not have the resources to make 
their facilities more secure by installing proper surveillance, 
hardening their facilities, and undergoing general preparedness 
activities.
  The need for nonprofit organizations across the country to have 
access to the Homeland Security grants to bolster security is 
substantial. Given the security challenges associated with the current 
terrorist threat environment, it is important that this critical 
Homeland Security grant program be codified in law.
  This bill goes further than just codifying the existing program. It 
expands it to include jurisdictions that are located outside funded 
UASIs but are still at risk of terrorism.
  H.R. 1486 authorizes the Nonprofit Security Grant Program at $50 
million, a $25 million increase over its current funding level. 
Language similar to this measure was included in the Department of 
Homeland Security Authorization Act of 2017, which passed the House 
earlier this Congress.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, with the emergence of lone wolves and small terrorist 
cells, we have seen that acts of terror are not just limited to urban 
areas. As threats to our homeland continue to evolve and as violent 
extremists continue to exploit soft targets, the risk to nonprofit 
organizations grows. We need to make sure that we do our part to ensure 
that places of worship and other nonprofit organizations throughout the 
country have access to resources necessary to keep themselves safe and 
secure.

                              {time}  1315

  H.R. 1486 was endorsed by The Jewish Federations of North America. I 
appreciate its support.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the letter of support.

                                            The Jewish Federations


                                             of North America,

                                 Washington, DC, December 7, 2017.
     Hon. Michael T. McCaul, Chairman,
     Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Ranking Member,
     Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, 
         Washington, DC.
     Hon. Daniel M. Donovan, Chairman,
     Hon. Donald M. Payne, Jr., Ranking Member,
     Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and 
         Communications, House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Chairmen McCaul and Donovan and Ranking Members 
     Thompson and Payne: We commend you for scheduling the mark-up 
     of H.R. 1486, the Securing American Non-Profit Organizations 
     Against Terrorism Act of 2017. The Jewish Federations 
     strongly endorse this bill, and respectfully urge Members of 
     the Committee to adopt Ranking Member Thompson's amendment of 
     the bill in the nature of a substitute, in order to align it 
     with Sec. 2011 of House-passed H.R. 2825, the Department of 
     Homeland Security Authorization Act of 2017.
       The vulnerability of places of worship to violent homegrown 
     extremists (HVEs) is a growing threat in the United States. 
     According to a joint assessment by the National 
     Counterterrorism Center, Department of Homeland Security 
     (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, HVEs are 
     increasingly favoring softer civilian targets, such as houses 
     of worship, having judged them to have lower levels of 
     security (and, for some, as a result of encouragement from 
     overseas violent extremists, such as ISIL).
       Last month, the FBI released its annual hate crimes report 
     for 2016, which found that Muslim bias crimes increased , 
     and, for the 20th consecutive year, anti-Jewish hate crimes 
     amounted to the majority of all religious bias crimes 
     reported. This year, synagogues, churches, mosques, religious 
     centers, cemeteries, and other nonprofits have been subjected 
     to arson/fire-bombing, shooting/mass shooting, attempted 
     bombing, death threats, robbery, vandalism/destruction of 
     property, hate-based/anti-Semitic graffiti, assault, 
     intimidation, and the targets of incitement to violence.
       According to DHS, religious facilities share a number of 
     common vulnerabilities that make them ready targets of 
     attack, including unrestricted access to facilities and 
     contiguous and peripheral areas, easy identification, 
     predictable schedules, and large congregations of people. To 
     minimize these vulnerabilities, DHS recommends protective 
     measures that include, access controls, barriers, monitoring, 
     surveillance, and other physical target hardening and 
     preparedness investments, such as planning and training. 
     Unfortunately, DHS acknowledges that common vulnerabilities 
     also include the limited resources nonprofit institutions 
     have for security.
       Passage of the amendment in the nature of a substitute to 
     H.R. 1486 would address the vulnerabilities of at-risk 
     nonprofit institutions, by authorizing a nonprofit security 
     grant program for the acquisition and installation of 
     physical target hardening, including fencing, bollards, and 
     other barriers; lighting, surveillance, and metal detection 
     equipment; blast proofing doors and windows; cyber-security; 
     and related employee training and awareness exercises.
       For these reasons, JFNA strongly endorses H.R. 1486, and 
     respectfully urges Members of the Committee to adopt the bill 
     as amended.
           Sincerely,

                                           Robert B. Goldberg,

                             Senior Director, Legislative Affairs,
                          The Jewish Federations of North America.

  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I strongly encourage my colleagues to support 
H.R. 1486, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. DONOVAN. Mr. Speaker, I, once again, urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 1486, as amended, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCaul. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record the cost estimate 
from the Congressional Budget Office regarding H.R. 1486. The cost 
estimate was not available at the time of the filing of the Committee 
report.



 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  January 9, 2018, on page H39, the following copy was typeset in 
Ionic font: Mr. MCCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I include . . . Committee 
report.
  
  The online version has been corrected to show the copy typeset 
in Helvetica font.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


[[Page H40]]

                                                    U.S. Congress,


                                  Congressional Budget Office,

                                  Washington, DC, January 8, 2018.
     Hon. Michael McCaul,
     Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of 
         Representatives, Washington, DC.
       Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has 
     prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 1486, the 
     Securing American Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism 
     Act of 2017.
       If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be 
     pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Robert 
     Reese.
           Sincerely,
                                                       Keith Hall.
       Enclosure.
                                  ____


H.R. 1486--Securing American Non-Profit Organizations Against Terrorism 
                              Act of 2017

     As ordered reported by the House Committee on Homeland 
         Security on December 13, 2017


                                SUMMARY

       H.R. 1486 would authorize the appropriation of $50 million 
     annually for fiscal years 2018 through 2022 for the Federal 
     Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide grants to 
     certain nonprofit organizations to enhance security measures 
     aimed at guarding against terrorist attacks.
       Assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts, CBO 
     estimates implementing H.R. 1486 would cost $112 million over 
     the 2018-2022 period. Enacting the bill would not affect 
     direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go 
     procedures do not apply.
       CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1486 would not increase 
     net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
     consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
       H.R. 1486 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
     mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act 
     (UMRA).


                ESTIMATED COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

       The estimated budgetary effect of H.R. 1486 is shown in the 
     following table. The costs of this legislation fall within 
     budget function 450 (community and regional development).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                               By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
                                                    ------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       2018      2019      2020      2021      2022    2018-2022
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                 INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
 
Authorization Level................................        50        50        50        50        50        250
Estimated Outlays..................................         4        11        21        33        43        112
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                           BASIS OF ESTIMATE

       CBO assumes the bill will be enacted near the beginning of 
     calendar year 2018 and that the authorized amounts will be 
     appropriated each year. H.R. 1486 would authorize the 
     appropriation of $50 million in each of fiscal years 2018 
     through 2022 for FEMA to provide grants to nonprofit 
     organizations for improvements to physical security and 
     cybersecurity. (In 2017, FEMA allocated $25 million for such 
     grants.) Based on historical spending patterns for such 
     grants, CBO estimates implementing the bill would cost $112 
     million over the five year period and $138 million after 
     2022.


                      PAY-AS-YOU-GO CONSIDERATIONS

       None.


           INCREASE IN LONG-TERM DIRECT SPENDING AND DEFICITS

       CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 1486 would not increase 
     net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four 
     consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.


                                MANDATES

       H.R. 1486 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector 
     mandates as defined in UMRA.


                          ESTIMATE PREPARED BY

       Federal Costs: Robert Reese; Mandates: Andrew Laughlin.


                          estimate approved by

       H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget 
     Analysis.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Donovan) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1486, 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.

                          ____________________