[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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