[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 14 (Monday, January 25, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E63]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





   MEMORANDUM REGARDING AUTHORIZATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 
                                SECURITY

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. NANCY PELOSI

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 25, 2021

  Ms. PELOSI. Madam Speaker, I submit the following memorandum 
regarding authorization of the Department of Homeland Security:

       We, the chairs of the committees with jurisdiction over the 
     Department of Homeland Security or its components, are hereby 
     recording our agreement on the following principles for the 
     117th Congress:
       1. The Department of Homeland Security (``the Department'') 
     and its components should be authorized on a regular basis to 
     ensure robust oversight and improve its operation.
       2. Committees with jurisdiction over the Department and its 
     components will prioritize any expired or expiring 
     authorizations within the Department and its components in 
     that committee's jurisdiction.
       3. To the maximum extent practicable, the committees with 
     jurisdiction over components of the Department will 
     coordinate with the Committee on Homeland Security to produce 
     comprehensive authorization legislation for the Department 
     and consult with the Committee on Homeland Security prior to 
     consideration of component authorization legislation in a 
     committee markup. Prior to consideration of component 
     authorization legislation in a committee markup, the 
     Committee on Homeland Security will consult with any other 
     committee that is a party to this agreement that is a 
     committee with jurisdiction over that component.
       4. The Committee on Homeland Security will coordinate with 
     the committees with jurisdiction over components of the 
     Department in the development of any comprehensive 
     authorization bill for the Department.
       5. The committees will work in good faith to expeditiously 
     consider any bill to comprehensively authorize the 
     Department, including timely resolution of any matters 
     subject to a sequential or additional referral.
       6. To the extent that there are policy differences between 
     the committees regarding a provision of a bill or 
     comprehensive authorization bill for the Department, the 
     committees will make best efforts to resolve any such dispute 
     and where the Committee on Homeland Security has policy 
     differences regarding a measure to be advanced by another 
     committee that is a party to this agreement, the Committee on 
     Homeland Security will make best efforts to achieve a timely 
     resolution of such dispute.
       7. Consistent with existing rules and precedents of the 
     House, the Committee on Homeland Security Committee shall not 
     include any provision in a bill that the chair of the 
     Committee on Ways and Means has determined to be a revenue 
     provision or a provision affecting revenue. Nothing in this 
     agreement shall be construed to preclude the Committee on 
     Ways and Means from exercising an additional or sequential 
     referral over any measure or to waive clause 5(a) of Rule XXI 
     of the Rules of the House of Representatives .
       8. Nothing in this agreement shall be construed as altering 
     or expanding any committee's jurisdiction under rule X of the 
     Rules of the House of Representatives or the referral of any 
     measure thereunder and will not be construed as support for 
     any claim for sequential referral on legislation pertaining 
     to the Department generally, including policies, programs, 
     and general management of component agencies.
       9. Further, nothing in this agreement shall be construed to 
     affect the provision of information by the Executive Branch 
     to committees of jurisdiction pursuant to law or otherwise.
       10. Further, nothing in this agreement shall be construed 
     as altering any responsibilities or authority of any 
     committee under Rule XI of the House of Representatives.
       11. Further, nothing in this agreement precludes a further 
     agreement between the committees with regard to the 
     implementation of a process to collaborate on comprehensive 
     authorization legislation and component-specific measures.
       12. Consistent with past practice, committees that are 
     party to this agreement will consult with the Committee on 
     Oversight and Reform when statutes under its Rule X 
     jurisdiction are implicated by comprehensive reauthorization 
     legislation.
           Signed,
     David Scott,
       Chair, Committee on Agriculture.
     Frank Pallone, Jr.,
       Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce.
     Maxine Waters,
       Chair, Committee on Financial Services.
     Bennie G. Thompson,
       Chair Committee on Homeland Security.
     Adam Schiff,
       Chair, Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
     Jerrold Nadler,
       Chair, Committee on the Judiciary.
     Carolyn B. Maloney,
       Chair, Committee on Oversight and Reform.
     Eddie Bernice Johnson,
       Chair, Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
     Peter A. DeFazio,
       Chair, Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
     Richard Neal,
       Chair, Committee on Ways and Means.

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