[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H46-H47]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1345
        DHS INTERAGENCY COUNTERTERRORISM TASK FORCE ACT OF 2017

  Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4555) to authorize the participation in overseas interagency 
counterterrorism task forces of personnel of the Department of Homeland 
Security, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4555

       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 ``DHS Interagency 
     Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. OVERSEAS INTERAGENCY COUNTERTERRORISM TASK FORCE 
                   PARTICIPATION.

       Section 102 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     112) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
     subsection:
       ``(h) Coordination With Other Federal Departments and 
     Agencies Overseas.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to assign 
     Department personnel to participate in overseas interagency 
     counterterrorism task forces to--
       ``(A) facilitate the sharing of counterterrorism 
     information, and
       ``(B) combat the threat of terrorism and associated risks 
     to the United States stemming from overseas sources of 
     conflict or terrorism,
     as determined by the Secretary.
       ``(2) Personnel.--In carrying out this subsection, the 
     Secretary may assign personnel from any component of the 
     Department the Secretary determines necessary to participate 
     in the overseas counterterrorism task forces referred to in 
     paragraph (1).''.

     SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORTS.

       Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act and annually thereafter for three years, the 
     Secretary of Homeland Security shall report to the Committee 
     on Homeland Security, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the 
     Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Committee 
     on Armed Services of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the 
     Committee on Foreign Relations, Select Committee on 
     Intelligence, and the Committee on Armed Services of the 
     Senate on activities carried out pursuant to subsection (h) 
     of section 102 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 
     112), as added by section 2 of this Act.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Rutherford) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson 
Lee) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Mr RUTHERFORD. 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 Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Mr RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, as terrorists and foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria 
seek to return home or travel to other regions in the wake of the 
defeat of ISIS on the battlefield, cooperation among U.S. military, 
national security, and law enforcement agencies is vital.
  When these fighters move from the Middle East to the West or other 
regions, information collection and tracking becomes extremely 
difficult, especially when ensuring that all relevant Federal agencies 
have access to the same critical information. An enhanced, whole-of-
government effort to share information and intelligence related to 
these fighters and their movements would improve security of the 
homeland.
  In order to achieve this, H.R. 4555 authorizes the Department of 
Homeland Security Secretary to assign DHS personnel to overseas 
interagency counterterrorism task forces to facilitate the sharing of 
counterterrorism information and combat threats stemming from overseas 
sources of conflict or terrorism. This will enable DHS to build on 
existing initiatives to colocate DHS personnel with other Federal 
departments and agencies that play a crucial role in the fight against 
terrorism.
  For example, assigning DHS personnel to the Department of Defense 
locations would facilitate better collection and sharing of information 
recovered from those conflict zones, which significantly improves our 
ability to interdict terrorists before they enter our country.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4555, the DHS Interagency 
Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4555 authorizes DHS personnel to participate in 
overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces. Since the attacks of 
September 11 and the demise of central al-Qaida, there has been an 
upsurge in the number of foreign terrorist organizations. The terrorist 
threat picture demands that DHS work to ``push our borders out'' and 
deal with terrorist threats overseas. As such, it is important that DHS 
deploy DHS personnel overseas to engage in counterterrorism information 
sharing with international partners.
  Our close partnerships with countries around the world, especially in 
Europe, are essential to preventing returning foreign fighters from 
attacking the U.S. homeland. However, we remain concerned that 
terrorist organizations, in particular, ISIS, al-Qaida, and their 
affiliates, continue to plot attacks against the U.S. homeland and our 
interests abroad.
  Authorizing the participation of DHS personnel in overseas 
interagency counterterrorism task forces will facilitate better 
counterterrorism information sharing, which will help protect the 
homeland and U.S. interests abroad. As such, I support this 
legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, in closing, H.R. 4555 authorizes the participation of 
DHS personnel in overseas interagency counterterrorism task forces. 
This measure seeks to help safeguard our homeland by fostering DHS 
overseas partnerships and facilitating counterterrorism information 
sharing.
  I want to thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) for 
sponsoring this legislation and for working with me on my amendment, 
which added reporting language on the activities authorized by this 
measure.
  This is an important step forward and, again, I might emphasize, the 
work that is being done between the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, and 
the full committee chair, Mr. McCaul, in bringing our committee 
together in producing a myriad of constructive legislation all geared 
to our task, because, when all is said and done, we are the Homeland 
Security Committee within the Homeland Security Department, created in 
the aftermath of the most heinous, horrific tragedy in the history of 
the United States of recent recollection that was not an incident of 
war.
  Therefore, I think the American people, and I know the American 
people are owed our diligence and are owed our commitment and are owed 
our studiousness. I am very pleased to say that, on this committee, the 
production of legislation that comes to the floor, all is geared to 
securing the homeland.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4555.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4555, the ``DHS Interagency 
Counterterrorism Task Force Act of 2017.''
  H.R. 4555 authorizes DHS personnel to participate in overseas 
interagency counterterrorism task forces.
  Since the attacks of September 11th and the demise of central al 
Qaeda, there has been an upsurge in the number of foreign terrorist 
organizations.
  The terrorist threat picture demands that DHS work to ``push our 
borders out'' and deal with terrorist threats overseas.
  As such, it is important that DHS deploy DHS personnel overseas to 
engage in counter-terrorism information sharing with international 
partners.
  Our close partnerships with countries around the world, especially in 
Europe, are essential to preventing returning foreign fighters from 
attacking the U.S. homeland.

[[Page H47]]

  However, we remain concerned that terrorist organizations, in 
particular ISIS, al Qaeda, and their affiliates, continue to plot 
attacks against the U.S. homeland and our interests abroad.
  Authorizing the participation of DHS personnel in overseas 
interagency counterterrorism task forces will facilitate better 
counterterrorism information sharing, which will help protect the 
homeland and U.S. interests abroad.
  I thank the gentleman from Florida, Mr. Rutherford, for sponsoring 
this legislation and for working with me on my amendment which added 
reporting language on the activities authorized by this measure.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 4555.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee) for 
her very commonsense amendment to this bill, which made it stronger and 
better, and I do appreciate the bipartisan work on that.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support 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 Florida (Mr. Rutherford) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4555, 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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