[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5247-S5249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 5766. Mr. PORTMAN submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 5499 submitted by Mr. Reed (for himself and Mr. Inhofe) 
and intended to be proposed to the bill H.R. 7900, to authorize 
appropriations for

[[Page S5248]]

fiscal year 2023 for military activities of the Department of Defense, 
for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department 
of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal 
year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as 
follows:
        At the end, add the following:

                       DIVISION E--PRAY SAFE ACT

     SEC. 5001. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Pray Safe Act''.

     SEC. 5002. DEFINITIONS.

       In this division--
       (1) the term ``Clearinghouse'' means the Federal 
     Clearinghouse on Safety Best Practices for Faith-Based 
     Organizations and Houses of Worship established under section 
     2220A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by 
     section 5003 of this division;
       (2) the term ``Department'' means the Department of 
     Homeland Security;
       (3) the terms ``faith-based organization'' and ``house of 
     worship'' have the meanings given such terms under section 
     2220E of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by 
     section 5003 of this division; and
       (4) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security.

     SEC. 5003. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST 
                   PRACTICES FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND 
                   HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title XXII of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 651 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 2220E. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY 
                   BEST PRACTICES FOR FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS 
                   AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP.

       ``(a) Definitions.--In this section--
       ``(1) the term `Clearinghouse' means the Clearinghouse on 
     Safety and Security Best Practices for Faith-Based 
     Organizations and Houses of Worship established under 
     subsection (b)(1);
       ``(2) the term `faith-based organization' means a group, 
     center, or nongovernmental organization with a religious, 
     ideological, or spiritual motivation, character, affiliation, 
     or purpose;
       ``(3) the term `house of worship' means a place or 
     building, including synagogues, mosques, temples, and 
     churches, in which congregants practice their religious or 
     spiritual beliefs; and
       ``(4) the term `safety and security', for the purpose of 
     the Clearinghouse, means prevention of, protection against, 
     or recovery from threats, including manmade disasters, 
     natural disasters, or violent attacks.
       ``(b) Establishment.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date 
     of enactment of the Pray Safe Act, the Secretary, in 
     consultation with the Attorney General, the Executive 
     Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and 
     Neighborhood Partnerships, and the head of any other agency 
     that the Secretary determines appropriate, shall establish a 
     Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices 
     for Faith-Based Organizations and Houses of Worship within 
     the Department.
       ``(2) Purpose.--The Clearinghouse shall be the primary 
     resource of the Federal Government--
       ``(A) to educate and publish online best practices and 
     recommendations for safety and security for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship; and
       ``(B) to provide information relating to Federal grant 
     programs available to faith-based organizations and houses of 
     worship.
       ``(3) Personnel.--
       ``(A) Assignments.--The Clearinghouse shall be assigned 
     such personnel and resources as the Secretary considers 
     appropriate to carry out this section.
       ``(B) Detailees.--The Secretary may coordinate detailees as 
     required for the Clearinghouse.
       ``(C) Designated point of contact.--There shall be not less 
     than 1 employee assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse who 
     shall be the designated point of contact to provide 
     information and assistance to faith-based organizations and 
     houses of worship, including assistance relating to the grant 
     program established under section 5005 of the Pray Safe Act. 
     The contact information of the designated point of contact 
     shall be made available on the website of the Clearinghouse.
       ``(D) Qualification.--To the maximum extent possible, any 
     personnel assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse under 
     this paragraph should be familiar with faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship and with physical and 
     online security measures to identify and prevent safety and 
     security risks.
       ``(c) Clearinghouse Contents.--
       ``(1) Evidence-based tiers.--
       ``(A) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
     Attorney General, the Executive Director of the White House 
     Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the 
     head of any other agency that the Secretary determines 
     appropriate, shall develop tiers for determining evidence-
     based practices that demonstrate a significant effect on 
     improving safety or security, or both, for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship.
       ``(B) Requirements.--The tiers required to be developed 
     under subparagraph (A) shall--
       ``(i) prioritize--

       ``(I) strong evidence from not less than 1 well-designed 
     and well-implemented experimental study; and
       ``(II) moderate evidence from not less than 1 well-designed 
     and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; and

       ``(ii) consider promising evidence that demonstrates a 
     rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive 
     evaluations that such activity, strategy, or intervention is 
     likely to improve security and promote safety for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship.
       ``(2) Criteria for best practices and recommendations.--The 
     best practices and recommendations of the Clearinghouse 
     shall, at a minimum--
       ``(A) identify areas of concern for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship, including event planning 
     recommendations, checklists, facility hardening, tabletop 
     exercise resources, and other resilience measures;
       ``(B) involve comprehensive safety measures, including 
     threat prevention, preparedness, protection, mitigation, 
     incident response, and recovery to improve the safety posture 
     of faith-based organizations and houses of worship upon 
     implementation;
       ``(C) involve comprehensive safety measures, including 
     preparedness, protection, mitigation, incident response, and 
     recovery to improve the resiliency of faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship from manmade and natural 
     disasters;
       ``(D) include any evidence or research rationale supporting 
     the determination of the Clearinghouse that the best 
     practices or recommendations under subparagraph (B) have been 
     shown to have a significant effect on improving the safety 
     and security of individuals in faith-based organizations and 
     houses of worship, including--
       ``(i) findings and data from previous Federal, State, 
     local, Tribal, territorial, private sector, and 
     nongovernmental organization research centers relating to 
     safety, security, and targeted violence at faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship; and
       ``(ii) other supportive evidence or findings relied upon by 
     the Clearinghouse in determining best practices and 
     recommendations to improve the safety and security posture of 
     a faith-based organization or house of worship upon 
     implementation; and
       ``(E) include an overview of the available resources the 
     Clearinghouse can provide for faith-based organizations and 
     houses of worship.
       ``(3) Additional information.--The Clearinghouse shall 
     maintain and make available a comprehensive index of all 
     Federal grant programs for which faith-based organizations 
     and houses of worship are eligible, which shall include the 
     performance metrics for each grant management that the 
     recipient will be required to provide.
       ``(4) Past recommendations.--To the greatest extent 
     practicable, the Clearinghouse shall identify and present, as 
     appropriate, best practices and recommendations issued by 
     Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, private sector, 
     and nongovernmental organizations relevant to the safety and 
     security of faith-based organizations and houses of worship.
       ``(d) Assistance and Training.--The Secretary may produce 
     and publish materials on the Clearinghouse to assist and 
     train faith-based organizations, houses of worship, and law 
     enforcement agencies on the implementation of the best 
     practices and recommendations.
       ``(e) Continuous Improvement.--
       ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
       ``(A) collect for the purpose of continuous improvement of 
     the Clearinghouse--
       ``(i) Clearinghouse data analytics;
       ``(ii) user feedback on the implementation of resources, 
     best practices, and recommendations identified by the 
     Clearinghouse; and
       ``(iii) any evaluations conducted on implementation of the 
     best practices and recommendations of the Clearinghouse; and
       ``(B) in coordination with the Faith-Based Security 
     Advisory Council of the Department, the Department of 
     Justice, the Executive Director of the White House Office of 
     Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and any other 
     agency that the Secretary determines appropriate--
       ``(i) assess and identify Clearinghouse best practices and 
     recommendations for which there are no resources available 
     through Federal Government programs for implementation;
       ``(ii) provide feedback on the implementation of best 
     practices and recommendations of the Clearinghouse; and
       ``(iii) propose additional recommendations for best 
     practices for inclusion in the Clearinghouse; and
       ``(C) not less frequently than annually, examine and update 
     the Clearinghouse in accordance with--
       ``(i) the information collected under subparagraph (A); and
       ``(ii) the recommendations proposed under subparagraph 
     (B)(iii).
       ``(2) Annual report to congress.--The Secretary shall 
     submit to Congress, on an annual basis, a report on the 
     updates made to the Clearinghouse during the preceding 1-year 
     period under paragraph (1)(C), which shall include a 
     description of any changes made to the Clearinghouse.''.
       (b) Technical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-
     296; 116 Stat. 2135) is amended--
       (1) by moving the item relating to section 2220D to appear 
     after the item relating to section 2220C; and

[[Page S5249]]

       (2) by inserting after the item relating to section 2220D 
     the following:

``Sec. 2220E. Federal Clearinghouse on Safety Best Practices for Faith-
              Based Organizations and Houses of Worship.''.

     SEC. 5004. NOTIFICATION OF CLEARINGHOUSE.

       The Secretary shall provide written notification of the 
     establishment of the Clearinghouse, with an overview of the 
     resources required as described in section 2220E of the 
     Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by section 5003 of 
     this division, and section 5005 of this division, to--
       (1) every State homeland security advisor;
       (2) every State department of homeland security;
       (3) other Federal agencies with grant programs or 
     initiatives that aid in the safety and security of faith-
     based organizations and houses of worship, as determined 
     appropriate by the Secretary;
       (4) every Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism 
     Task Force;
       (5) every Homeland Security Fusion Center;
       (6) every State or territorial Governor or other chief 
     executive;
       (7) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
       (8) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on 
     the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.

     SEC. 5005. GRANT PROGRAM OVERVIEW.

       (a) DHS Grants and Resources.--The Secretary shall include 
     a grants program overview on the website of the Clearinghouse 
     that shall--
       (1) be the primary location for all information regarding 
     Department grant programs that are open to faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship;
       (2) directly link to each grant application and any 
     applicable user guides;
       (3) identify all safety and security homeland security 
     assistance programs managed by the Department that may be 
     used to implement best practices and recommendation of the 
     Clearinghouse;
       (4) annually, and concurrent with the application period 
     for any grant identified under paragraph (1), provide 
     information related to the required elements of grant 
     applications to aid smaller faith based organizations and 
     houses of worship in earning access to Federal grants; and
       (5) provide frequently asked questions and answers for the 
     implementation of best practices and recommendations of the 
     Clearinghouse and best practices for applying for a grant 
     identified under paragraph (1).
       (b) Other Federal Grants and Resources.--Each Federal 
     agency notified under section 5004(3) shall provide necessary 
     information on any Federal grant programs or resources of the 
     Federal agency that are available for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship to the Secretary or the 
     appropriate point of contact for the Clearinghouse.
       (c) State Grants and Resources.--
       (1) In general.--Any State notified under paragraph (1), 
     (2), or (6) of section 5004 may provide necessary information 
     on any grant programs or resources of the State available for 
     faith-based organizations and houses of worship to the 
     Secretary or the appropriate point of contact for the 
     Clearinghouse.
       (2) Identification of resources.--The Clearinghouse shall, 
     to the extent practicable, identify, for each State--
       (A) each agency responsible for safety for faith-based 
     organizations and houses of worship in the State, or any 
     State that does not have such an agency designated;
       (B) any grant program that may be used for the purposes of 
     implementing best practices and recommendations of the 
     Clearinghouse; and
       (C) any resources or programs, including community 
     prevention or intervention efforts, that may be used to 
     assist in targeted violence and terrorism prevention.

     SEC. 5006. OTHER RESOURCES.

       The Secretary shall, on the website of the Clearinghouse, 
     include a separate section for other resources that shall 
     provide a centralized list of all available points of contact 
     to seek assistance in grant applications and in carrying out 
     the best practices and recommendations of the Clearinghouse, 
     including--
       (1) a list of contact information to reach Department 
     personnel to assist with grant-related questions;
       (2) the applicable Cybersecurity and Infrastructure 
     Security Agency contact information to connect houses of 
     worship with Protective Security Advisors;
       (3) contact information for all Department Fusion Centers, 
     listed by State;
       (4) information on the If you See Something Say Something 
     Campaign of the Department; and
       (5) any other appropriate contacts.

     SEC. 5007. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

       Nothing in this division or the amendments made by this 
     division shall be construed to create, satisfy, or waive any 
     requirement under Federal civil rights laws, including--
       (1) title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 
     (42 U.S.C. 12131 et seq.); or
       (2) title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 
     2000d et seq.).

     SEC. 5008. EXEMPTION.

       Chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known 
     as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act'') shall not apply to any 
     rulemaking or information collection required under this 
     division or under section 2220E of the Homeland Security Act 
     of 2002, as added by section 5003 of this division.

     SEC. 5009. ADDITIONAL TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.

       (a) Amendment.--Section 904(b)(1) of the DOTGOV Act of 2020 
     (title IX of division U of Public Law 116-260) is amended, in 
     the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ``Homeland 
     Security Act'' and inserting ``Homeland Security Act of 
     2002''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by paragraph (1) 
     shall take effect as if enacted as part of the DOTGOV Act of 
     2020 (title IX of division U of Public Law 116-260).
                                 ______