[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3410-S3412]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 6248. Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. Johnson) submitted an
amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to
authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 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 appropriate place, insert the following:
SEC. __. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST
PRACTICES FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, FAITH-
BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
(a) Federal Clearinghouse.--
(1) Establishment.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of
enactment of this 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 the Secretary determines
appropriate, shall establish within the Department a Federal
Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for
Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and
Houses of Worship.
(B) Purpose.--The Clearinghouse shall be the primary
resource of the Federal Government to--
(i) educate and publish online best practices and
recommendations for safety and security for nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship; and
(ii) provide information relating to Federal grant programs
available to nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship.
(C) Personnel.--
(i) Assignments.--The Clearinghouse shall be assigned such
personnel and resources as the Secretary considers
appropriate to carry out this subsection.
(ii) Detailees.--The Secretary may coordinate detailees on
a reimbursable or a nonreimbursable basis as required for the
Clearinghouse.
(iii) Designated point of contact.--
(I) In general.--There shall be not fewer than 1 employee
assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse who shall be the
designated point of contact to provide information and
assistance to nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship, including assistance
relating to the grant program established under subsection
(c).
(II) Contact information.--The contact information of the
designated point of contact under subclause (I) shall be made
available on the website of the Clearinghouse.
(iv) Qualification.--To the maximum extent possible, any
personnel assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse under
this subparagraph should be familiar with nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship and with physical and online security
measures to identify and prevent safety and security risks.
(2) Clearinghouse contents.--
(A) Evidence-based tiers.--
(i) 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 the Secretary determines
appropriate, shall develop tiers for determining evidence-
based best practices and recommendations that demonstrate a
significant effect on improving safety and security of
nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations,
and houses of worship.
(ii) Requirements.--The tiers required to be developed
under clause (i) shall--
(I) prioritize--
(aa) strong evidence from not fewer than 1 well-designed
and well-implemented experimental study; and
(bb) moderate evidence from not fewer 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 the activity, strategy, or intervention is
likely to improve and promote safety and security of
nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations,
and houses of worship.
(B) Criteria for best practices and recommendations.--The
best practices and recommendations referred to in paragraph
(1)(B)(i) of the Clearinghouse shall, at a minimum--
(i) identify areas of concern for nonprofit organizations,
including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship,
including event planning recommendations, checklists,
facility hardening, tabletop exercise resources, and other
resilience measures;
(ii) involve comprehensive safety and security measures,
including threat prevention, preparedness, protection,
mitigation, incident response, and recovery to improve the
safety and security posture of nonprofit organizations,
including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship
upon implementation;
(iii) involve comprehensive safety and security measures,
including preparedness, protection, mitigation, incident
response, and recovery to improve the resiliency of nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship
[[Page S3411]]
from threats and incidents, including natural disasters,
manmade disasters, or terrorist attacks or other threats;
(iv) include any evidence or research rationale supporting
the determination of the Clearinghouse that the comprehensive
safety and security measures under clauses (ii) and (iii)
have been shown to have a significant effect on improving the
safety and security of individuals who, at the time of any
such threat or incident, are physically located in the place
or building of a nonprofit organization, including a faith-
based organization, or a house of worship, including--
(I) findings and data from previous Federal, State, local,
Tribal, territorial, private sector, and nongovernmental
organization research centers relating to the safety and
security of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship, including from targeted
violence; 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
nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations,
and houses of worship upon implementation; and
(v) include an overview of the available resources the
Clearinghouse can provide to nonprofit organizations and
houses of worship.
(C) Additional information.--The Clearinghouse shall
maintain and make available a comprehensive index of all
Federal grant programs for which nonprofit organizations,
including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship
are eligible, which shall include the performance metrics the
recipient will be required to provide for each grant.
(D) 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 nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship.
(E) Existing platform.--The Secretary may establish and
maintain the Clearinghouse on an online platform or a website
that is in existence as of the date of enactment of this Act.
(3) Assistance and training.--The Secretary may produce and
publish materials on the Clearinghouse to assist and train
nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations,
and houses of worship regarding the implementation of the
best practices and recommendations under this subsection.
(4) Continuous improvement.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(i) 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 regarding implementation of
such best practices and recommendations;
(ii) 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 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 such best
practices and recommendations; and
(III) propose additional best practices and recommendations
for inclusion in the Clearinghouse; and
(iii) not less frequently than annually, examine and update
the Clearinghouse in accordance with--
(I) the information collected under clause (i); and
(II) the best practices and recommendations proposed under
clause (ii)(III).
(B) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter
during the period in which the Clearinghouse is in existence,
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
updates under subparagraph (A)(iii) made to the Clearinghouse
during the preceding 3-year period, which shall include a
description of any changes made pursuant thereto to the
Clearinghouse.
(b) Notification of the Clearinghouse.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide to the
individuals, Federal agencies, and committees specified in
paragraph (2) written notification of the establishment of
the Clearinghouse, including updates pertaining to grant
programs identified under subsection (a)(2)(C).
(2) Individuals, federal agencies, and committees
specified.--The individuals, Federal entities, and committees
specified in this paragraph are the following:
(A) Every State homeland security advisor.
(B) Every State department of homeland security.
(C) Other Federal agencies with grant programs or
initiatives that aid in the safety and security of nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship, as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
(D) Every Cyber Security Advisor.
(E) Every Protective Security Advisor.
(F) Every Federal Bureau of Investigation Joint Terrorism
Task Force.
(G) Every Homeland Security Fusion Center.
(H) Every State or territorial Governor or other chief
executive.
(I) The Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs and the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate.
(J) The Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on
the Judiciary of the House of Representatives.
(c) Federal Grants and Resources Overview.--
(1) In general.--To the extent practicable, the Secretary,
when carrying out subsection (a)(2)(C), shall include a
grants program overview on the website of the Clearinghouse
that shall--
(A) be a location for all information regarding Federal
grant programs that are open to nonprofit organizations,
including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship
for the purposes of safety and security;
(B) directly link to each grant application and any
applicable user guides;
(C) identify all safety and security homeland security
assistance programs managed by the Department that may be
used to implement best practices and recommendations of the
Clearinghouse;
(D) concurrent with the application period for any grant
identified under subsection (a)(2)(C), provide information
related to the required elements of grant applications to aid
nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations,
and houses of worship in meeting the eligibility criteria for
Federal grants; and
(E) provide answers to frequently asked questions regarding
the implementation of best practices and recommendations of
the Clearinghouse and best practices for applying for a grant
identified under subsection (a)(2)(C).
(2) Provision of information relating to federal grants and
resources.--Each Federal agency notified under subsection (b)
shall provide to the Secretary or other appropriate point of
contact for the Clearinghouse for inclusion in the
Clearinghouse necessary information regarding any Federal
grant programs or resources of the Federal agency that are
available for nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship.
(3) State grants and resources.--
(A) In general.--Any State notified under subsection (b)
may provide to the Secretary or other appropriate point of
contact for the Clearinghouse for inclusion in the
Clearinghouse necessary information regarding any grant
programs or resources of the State available for nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship for the purposes of safety and security.
(B) Identification of resources.--The Clearinghouse shall,
to the extent practicable, identify for each State the
following:
(i) Each State agency responsible for safety and security
of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based
organizations, and houses of worship in the State, or any
State that does not have such an agency designated.
(ii) Any grant program that may be used for the purposes of
implementing best practices and recommendations of the
Clearinghouse.
(iii) Any resources or programs, including community
prevention or intervention efforts, that may be used to
assist in targeted violence and terrorism prevention.
(d) 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 from which a nonprofit
organization, including a faith-based organization, or a
house of worship may seek assistance in grant applications
and in carrying out the best practices and recommendations of
the Clearinghouse, including the following:
(1) A list of contact information to reach Department
personnel to assist with grant-related questions.
(2) The applicable 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.
(5) Any other appropriate contacts.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may 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.).
(f) GAO Report.--The Comptroller General of the United
States shall submit to Congress a report on the state of
Federal grants devoted to safety and security for nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship, and an evaluation of the relevant programs
and resources devoted to the safety and security of nonprofit
organizations, including faith-based organizations, and
houses of worship as of the date of the report.
(g) Sunset.--This Act shall cease to be effective on the
date that is 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act.
(h) Definitions.--In this section:
[[Page S3412]]
(1) Clearinghouse.--The term ``Clearinghouse'' means the
Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices
for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and
Houses of Worship established under section 3(a).
(2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Homeland Security.
(3) Faith-based organization.--The term ``faith-based
organization'' means a group, center, or nongovernmental
organization with a religious, ideological, or spiritual
motivation, character, affiliation, or purpose that meets the
definition of nonprofit organization.
(4) House of worship.--The term ``house of worship'' means
a place or building, including a synagogue, mosque, temple,
and church, in which congregants practice their religious or
spiritual beliefs.
(5) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit
organization'' means an organization--
(A) of the type described in subsection (c)(3) of section
501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from
taxation under subsection (a) of such section; and
(B) determined to be at risk of a terrorist attack or other
threat by the Secretary.
(6) Safety and security.--The term ``safety and security''
means prevention of, protection against, or recovery from
threats and incidents, including natural disasters, manmade
disasters, or terrorist attacks.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Homeland Security.
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