[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 170 (Wednesday, September 30, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H5084-H5085]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 1345
HOMELAND SECURITY ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL CAREER PROGRAM ACT
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 5822) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to
establish an acquisition professional career program, and for other
purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5822
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 Security
Acquisition Professional Career Program Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL CAREER
PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--Title VII of the Homeland Security Act of
2002 (6 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end
the following new section:
``SEC. 711. ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL CAREER PROGRAM.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the
Department an acquisition professional career program to
develop a cadre of acquisition professionals within the
Department.
``(b) Administration.--The Under Secretary for Management
shall administer the acquisition professional career program
established pursuant to subsection (a).
``(c) Program Requirements.--The Under Secretary for
Management shall carry out the following with respect to the
acquisition professional career program.
``(1) Designate the occupational series, grades, and number
of acquisition positions throughout the Department to be
included in the program and manage centrally such positions.
``(2) Establish and publish on the Department's website
eligibility criteria for candidates to participate in the
program.
``(3) Carry out recruitment efforts to attract candidates--
``(A) from institutions of higher education, including such
institutions with established acquisition specialties and
courses of study, historically Black colleges and
universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions;
``(B) with diverse work experience outside of the Federal
Government; or
``(C) with military service.
``(4) Hire eligible candidates for designated positions
under the program.
``(5) Develop a structured program comprised of acquisition
training, on-the-job experience, Department-wide rotations,
mentorship, shadowing, and other career development
opportunities for program participants.
``(6) Provide, beyond required training established for
program participants, additional specialized acquisition
training, including small business contracting and innovative
acquisition techniques training.
``(d) Reports.--Not later than December 31, 2020, and
annually thereafter through 2026, the Secretary 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 report on the
acquisition professional career program. Each such report
shall include the following information:
``(1) The number of candidates approved for the program.
[[Page H5085]]
``(2) The number of candidates who commenced participation
in the program, including generalized information on such
candidates' backgrounds with respect to education and prior
work experience, but not including personally identifiable
information.
``(3) A breakdown of the number of participants hired under
the program by type of acquisition position.
``(4) A list of Department components and offices that
participated in the program and information regarding length
of time of each program participant in each rotation at such
components or offices.
``(5) Program attrition rates and post-program graduation
retention data, including information on how such data
compare to the prior year's data, as available.
``(6) The Department's recruiting efforts for the program.
``(7) The Department's efforts to promote retention of
program participants.
``(e) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Hispanic-serving institution.--The term `Hispanic-
serving institution' has the meaning given such term in
section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1101a).
``(2) Historically black colleges and universities.--The
term `historically Black colleges and universities' has the
meaning given the term `part B institution' in section 322(2)
of Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)).
``(3) Institution of higher education.--The term
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given such
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001).''.
(b) 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 710 the
following new item:
``Sec. 711. Acquisition professional career program.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Espaillat). Pursuant to the rule, the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood) and the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Joyce) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Illinois.
General Leave
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative 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
gentlewoman from Illinois?
There was no objection.
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5822, the Homeland Security
Acquisition Professional Career Program Act.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5822 authorizes an existing program within the
Department of Homeland Security focused on strengthening its
acquisition workforce. DHS established the Acquisition Professional
Career Program in 2008 to create a pipeline for hard-to-fill
acquisition workforce positions, such as contract specialists.
Since its inception, the program has had over 300 program graduates
join the ranks of DHS' acquisition workforce, which oversees billions
of dollars of transactions to procure what DHS needs to carry out its
diverse missions.
They are charged with purchasing everything from cybersecurity
software for protecting Federal networks, to disaster response
supplies, to sophisticated security screening equipment. And when it
comes to COVID-19, they have been responsible for spending over $1.7
billion on a wide range of response activities.
Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office has highlighted
workforce shortages as a persistent challenge for DHS acquisition
programs--one that can negatively affect their ability to deliver vital
capabilities on time and on budget.
H.R. 5822 will help address this challenge by authorizing DHS'
rigorous development program, which provides participants with
acquisition training, mentorship, department-wide rotations, and other
career development opportunities.
H.R. 5822, if enacted, will help DHS maintain a pipeline for its
acquisition workforce that directly supports the Department's frontline
officers with the tools that they need to perform their jobs.
Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from Nevada, Representative
Titus, for introducing this measure, and I urge my colleagues to
support it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5822. The Department of
Homeland Security has an important mission to protect the homeland and
secure our borders. To accomplish this mission, DHS must enter into
contracts for equipment and services. To protect taxpayer dollars and
ensure that DHS is getting the most bang for its buck, the Department
must utilize experienced acquisition professionals.
In the past decade, GAO has consistently identified issues that must
be addressed to improve acquisition operations at DHS, including
shortages in the number of trained acquisition professionals. This bill
addresses this specific issue by developing trained acquisition
professionals within DHS.
H.R. 5822 provides the on-the-job acquisition training, rotations
throughout the Department, mentoring, and other opportunities to
enhance acquisition knowledge, and experience for the participants. I
applaud my colleague, Representative Titus, for her efforts to bring
this bill forward.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I urge a ``yes'' vote on the
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, enactment of H.R. 5822 would help ensure that DHS
maintains a pipeline for hard-to-fill acquisition positions throughout
the Department. Given the critical nature of DHS' mission, it is
essential that it have a robust acquisition workforce in place.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5822, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Underwood) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5822, 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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