[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 96 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H4370-H4372]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    HOMELAND PROCUREMENT REFORM ACT

  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 2083) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 regarding 
the procurement of certain items related to national security interests 
for Department of Homeland Security frontline operational components, 
and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 2083

       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 ``Homeland Procurement Reform 
     Act'' or the ``HOPR Act''.

     SEC. 2. REQUIREMENTS TO BUY CERTAIN ITEMS RELATED TO NATIONAL 
                   SECURITY INTERESTS ACCORDING TO CERTAIN 
                   CRITERIA.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle D of title VIII of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 391 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following new section:

     ``SEC. 836. REQUIREMENTS TO BUY CERTAIN ITEMS RELATED TO 
                   NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS.

       ``(a) Requirement.--The Secretary shall ensure that any 
     procurement of covered items for a frontline operational 
     component meets the following criteria:
       ``(1) To the maximum extent possible, not less than one-
     third of funds obligated in a specific fiscal year for the 
     procurement of such covered items shall be covered items that 
     are manufactured in part or provided in the United States by 
     entities that qualify as small business concerns (as such 
     term is described under section 3 of the Small Business Act 
     (15 U.S.C. 632)).
       ``(2) Each prime contractor, with respect to the 
     procurement of such covered items, shall ensure, to the 
     maximum extent practicable, the following:
       ``(A) Each first-tier subcontractor and end item 
     manufacturer complies with the contractor code of business 
     ethics and conduct under section 3509 of title 41, United 
     States Code, and the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
       ``(B) Each first-tier subcontractor and end-item 
     manufacturer is in compliance with a standard identified by 
     the Secretary as appropriate for quality, such as ISO 
     9001:2015 of the International Organization for 
     Standardization.
       ``(C) The ability of a first-tier subcontractor to fulfill 
     the terms of the contract is verified.
       ``(3) Each supplier of such a covered item with an insignia 
     (such as any patch, badge, or emblem) and each supplier of 
     such an insignia, if such covered item with such insignia or 
     such insignia, as the case may be, is not produced, applied, 
     or assembled in the United States, shall--
       ``(A) store such covered item with such insignia or such 
     insignia in a locked area;
       ``(B) report any pilferage or theft of such covered item 
     with such insignia or such insignia occurring at any stage 
     before delivery of such covered item with such insignia or 
     such insignia; and
       ``(C) destroy any defective or unusable covered item with 
     insignia or insignia in a manner established by the 
     Secretary, and maintain records, for three years after the 
     creation of such records, of such destruction that include 
     the date of such destruction, a description of the covered 
     item with insignia or insignia destroyed, the quantity of the 
     covered item with insignia or insignia destroyed, and the 
     method of destruction.
       ``(b) Pricing.--The Secretary shall ensure that covered 
     items are purchased at a fair and reasonable price, 
     consistent with the procedures and guidelines specified in 
     the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
       ``(c) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Homeland 
     Security, the Committee on Oversight and Reform, and the 
     Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, 
     and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a 
     report on the following:
       ``(1) Instances in which vendors have failed to meet 
     deadlines for delivery of covered items and corrective 
     actions taken by the Department in response to such 
     instances.
       ``(2) The status of efforts to carry out paragraph (1) of 
     subsection (a).
       ``(3) A description of how the Department ensures the 
     compliance of each prime contractor with the requirements of 
     paragraph (2) of subsection (a) and any instances of non-
     compliance.
       ``(d) Department Frontline Operational Component 
     Described.--In this section, the term `Department frontline 
     operational component' refers to any of the following 
     components of the Department:
       ``(1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
       ``(2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
       ``(3) The United States Secret Service.
       ``(4) The Transportation Security Administration.
       ``(5) The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

[[Page H4371]]

       ``(6) The Federal Protective Service.
       ``(7) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
       ``(8) The Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
       ``(e) Determination.--If the Secretary determines that 
     compliance with paragraph (1) of subsection (a) is 
     impractical, the Secretary shall, not later than 15 days 
     after making such determination, submit to the Committee on 
     Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 
     the Senate an explanation relating to such determination and 
     specifics regarding what percentage of covered items will be 
     procured by small business concerns.
       ``(f) Exception.--This section shall not apply to the 
     purchase of covered items by the Department to be used by the 
     Department for training purposes.
       ``(g) Covered Item Described.--In this section, the term 
     `covered item' refers to any of the following with respect to 
     a Department frontline operational component:
       ``(1) Body armor components intended to provide ballistic 
     protection for an individual, consisting of one or more of 
     the following:
       ``(A) Soft ballistic panels.
       ``(B) Hard ballistic plates.
       ``(C) Concealed armor carriers worn under a uniform.
       ``(D) External armor carriers worn over a uniform.
       ``(2) Helmets that provide ballistic protection and other 
     head protection and components.
       ``(3) Protective eyewear.
       ``(4) Rain gear, cold weather gear, other environmental and 
     flame-resistant clothing.
       ``(5) Footwear.
       ``(6) Uniforms.
       ``(7) Bags and packs.
       ``(8) Holsters and tactical pouches.
       ``(9) Patches, insignia, and embellishments.
       ``(10) Respiratory protective masks.
       ``(11) Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear 
     protective gear.
       ``(12) Hearing protection equipment.
       ``(13) Any other critical safety item as determined 
     appropriate by the Secretary.
       ``(h) Effective Date.--This section applies with respect to 
     a contract entered into by the Department or any of its 
     frontline operational components on or after October 1, 2020.
       ``(i) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that 
     the Secretary should endeavor to ensure that the majority of 
     covered items for a frontline operational component procured 
     by the Department are manufactured in the United States by 
     entities that qualify as small business concerns.''.
       (b) Study.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall 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 study of 
     the adequacy of allowances provided to employees of 
     Department of Homeland Security frontline operational 
     components (as such term is described in section 836 of the 
     Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a)). 
     Such study shall be informed by a Department-wide survey of 
     employees from across the Department who receive uniform 
     allowances that seeks to ascertain what, if any, improvements 
     could be made to the current uniform allowances and what, if 
     any, impacts current allowances have had on employee morale 
     and retention. Such study shall also consider increasing by 
     25 percent, at minimum, the uniform allowance for first year 
     employees and by 50 percent, at minimum, the annual allowance 
     for all other employees.
       (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 835 the 
     following new item:

``Sec. 836. Requirements to buy certain items related to national 
              security interests.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Correa) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 days to revise and extend their remarks and to include 
extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.

                              {time}  1545

  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2083, the Homeland Procurement 
Reform Act, or HOPR.
  I am proud to have introduced this bipartisan legislation to reform 
the way the Department of Homeland Security procures uniforms and 
protective equipment for its personnel. The aim is to improve the 
quality of uniforms and equipment issued to Department frontline 
personnel by encouraging the procurement of domestically sourced 
uniform items.
  Today, DHS has more than 60,000 uniformed men and women. Less than 
half of those uniforms are made here in the United States. Under this 
legislation, at least a third of DHS funds spent on uniforms are to be 
used to purchase goods manufactured by American small businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, my bill is good for homeland security, and it is good 
for small American businesses.
  Additionally, in response to concerns expressed by frontline 
personnel about how quickly they exhaust their annual uniform 
allowances, my bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to take 
a hard look at the adequacy of the allowances. In studying the issue, 
the Secretary is required to determine what improvements can be made to 
the current allowances and what impacts the current allowances have had 
on employee morale and retention.
  H.R. 2083 is endorsed by the Warrior Protection and Readiness 
Coalition and the National Border Patrol Council, and it passed out of 
committee unanimously.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee 
and Representative Mast from Florida for their contributions to and 
support of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, 
and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may 
consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2083.
  This bill will encourage the Department of Homeland Security to 
purchase uniforms and protective gear for its law enforcement officers 
from ethical manufacturers and sellers. To do business with DHS, 
contractors that supply frontline operational components must abide by 
the code of business ethics, the Federal Acquisition Regulation, and 
any quality control standards deemed appropriate by the Secretary. 
These conditions will ensure that we are purchasing the very best 
products for our men and women on the front lines.
  The bill also protects the security of DHS law enforcement personnel 
by requiring that uniforms and equipment that bear a law enforcement 
insignia be properly stored and disposed of if they are unusable. This 
will help prevent law enforcement badges and patches from falling into 
the wrong hands or being used for nefarious purposes.
  H.R. 2083 will also help to promote small businesses by encouraging 
the Secretary of DHS to utilize small businesses for at least one-third 
of DHS uniform needs. Small businesses are the backbone of America, and 
this bill will help to ensure that the Secretary considers them for the 
agency's needs whenever possible.
  H.R. 2083 requires that the Secretary purchase uniforms at a fair and 
reasonable price.
  Further, the bill requires a study on the adequacy of uniform 
allowances to ensure that DHS law enforcement personnel do not have to 
pay out of pocket for the basic items they need to carry out their 
duties.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill goes a long way toward improving the process 
for procurement of uniforms for DHS personnel, and I urge my colleagues 
to support it.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, in addition to the goal of ensuring that at least a 
third of all uniforms and protective equipment is provided by American 
small businesses, this bill also addresses concerns expressed by DHS 
frontline personnel.
  Component personnel often deplete their annual uniform allowances 
before the conclusion of the year and have experienced delays in 
receiving basic uniform items, such as duty shirts, belts, and socks. 
H.R. 2083 would put DHS on a path to improving its processes and 
delivery of uniform items for its vital frontline personnel.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud of this bipartisan legislation that will 
ensure that the men and women protecting our Nation have the best 
equipment that they can.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for their support of this process, 
and once again, I ask for their support.

[[Page H4372]]

  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2083, 
the ``Homeland Procurement Reform Act.''
  H.R. 2083 would reform the . way the Department of Homeland Security 
procures uniforms and items related to national security interests.
  This bill seeks to encourage the procurement of domestically sourced 
uniform items to ensure higher-quality uniforms and equipment are 
issued to the Department.
  Specifically, this bill would allocate that no less than one-third of 
the funds obligated for uniforms and protective equipment are used for 
items that are manufactured in part or provided in the United States by 
entities that qualify as a U.S. small business.
  Additionally, H.R. 2083 will ensure that uniforms and protective 
equipment are purchased at fair and reasonable prices, and that uniform 
allowances provided to Department frontline personnel are adequate.
  Last, the bill mandates that suppliers--
  store such covered item in a locked area;
  report any pilferage or theft of such covered item occurring at any 
stage before delivery of such covered item; and
  destroy any defective or unusable covered item bearing official DHS 
insignia not manufactured in the US.
  I stand to support this bill that will bring more opportunities for 
American small businesses.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 2083 
to reform the way the Department of Homeland Security procures uniforms 
and items related to national security interests.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 2083, 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.

                          ____________________