[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 113 (Monday, July 13, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H4398-H4400]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ELO REALIGNMENT AND STRATEGIC ENGAGEMENT REFORM ACT OF 2026
Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 7574) to provide for the reorganization and realignment
of the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office of the Department of
Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
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The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 7574
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 ``ELO Realignment and
Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. PLAN FOR REORGANIZATION AND REALIGNMENT OF DHS
ENGAGEMENT, LIAISON, AND OUTREACH OFFICE.
(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, 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 comprehensive plan to
carry out the following:
(1) An identification of redundant or non-essential
positions, programs, or functions within the Engagement,
Liaison, and Outreach office, including how reorganization of
the Office will address such redundant or non-essential
positions, programs, or functions.
(2) Realign the essential functions and personnel of the
ELO Office within the Partner Engagement directorate of I&A.
(3) Improve the management and coordination of strategic
relationships with priority law enforcement agencies,
including by carrying out the following:
(A) Establishing clear communication protocols.
(B) Centralizing points of contact for law enforcement
engagement.
(C) Enhancing information-sharing mechanisms.
(D) Reducing duplication of outreach across Department of
Homeland Security components.
(E) Improving accountability and performance metrics
related to stakeholder engagement.
(b) Plan Requirements.--The plan required under subsection
(a) shall include the following:
(1) Organizational analysis justifying the reorganization
and realignment, including cost-benefit estimates, under
paragraph (1) of such subsection.
(2) Detailed staffing proposals, including reassignment
plans.
(3) A transition timeline for implementing the realignment
within the Partner Engagement directorate of I&A, in
accordance with paragraph (2) of such subsection.
(4) Internal oversight mechanisms to monitor implementation
of such plan.
(5) Recommendations for future engagement models that
reduce redundancy and improve efficiency in managing law
enforcement and homeland security partnerships with priority
law enforcement agencies.
(6) Assurance of continuity of intelligence support and
convenings currently being provided to SLTT entity partners
through the ELO office, including relevant HSIN-INTEL access.
(c) Certification.--The Secretary of Homeland Security
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
certification not later than 60 days after commencing
implementation of the plan required under subsection (a).
(d) Limitation on Expansion.--Until such time as the
Secretary of Homeland Security submits the plan required
under subsection (a) and certifies commencement of the
implementation of such plan under subsection (c), the
Secretary may not--
(1) expand the staffing, budget, or programmatic scope of
the ELO Office; or
(2) establish new offices in the Department duplicating the
mission of the ELO Office or the Partner Engagement
directorate of I&A without specific congressional
authorization.
(e) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Homeland Security.
(2) ELO office.--The term ``ELO Office'' means the
Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach office within the Office of
Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) of the Department of Homeland
Security.
(3) I&A.--The term ``I&A'' means the Office of Intelligence
and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Homeland Security.
(5) SLTT entity.--The term ``SLTT entity'' has the meaning
given such term in section 2200 of the Homeland Security Act
of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 650).
(6) Priority law enforcement agencies.--The term ``priority
law enforcement agencies'' means Federal, State, and local
law enforcement agencies identified by the Secretary as key
partners for national security, counterterrorism, emergency
response, or other mission-critical operations.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Garbarino) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Walkinshaw)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 7574.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 7574, the ELO Realignment and Strategic
Engagement Reform Act of 2026.
The Department of Homeland Security's Engagement, Liaison, and
Outreach, or ELO, Office operates as a separate office within the
Office of Intelligence and Analysis. Despite their similar functions,
ELO operates separately from I&A's Partner Engagement directorate,
which facilitates information flow and access for State, local, Tribal,
and territorial partners.
The ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act will require
the DHS Secretary to develop a comprehensive plan to reorganize the ELO
office and realign it with the work of I&A's Partner Engagement
directorate to streamline operations and eliminate redundancies. This
plan must specifically address ways to improve coordination with law
enforcement agencies, centralize points of contact, and enhance
information sharing.
Madam Speaker, I thank Representative Evans for his leadership. I
urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of
my time.
Mr. WALKINSHAW. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, engagement with State, local, Tribal, and territorial
law enforcement is essential to the Department of Homeland Security's
mission to secure the homeland. State and local law enforcement
partners must have clear points of contact within DHS to maximize
information sharing and collaboration on issues like emergency and
cybersecurity incident response.
H.R. 7574 aims to ensure this by directing the Secretary of Homeland
Security to realign the functions and personnel within the Office of
Intelligence and Analysis' Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach office.
Madam Speaker, while it is important for State and local officials to
have clear points of contact at DHS for information sharing and
collaboration, H.R. 7574's requirement to identify redundancies at the
Office of Intelligence and Analysis should not, I hope, be viewed as a
pretext to reduce I&A's workforce.
{time} 1700
I&A is charged with delivering timely and actionable intelligence to
our law enforcement on the front lines and unnecessarily slashing their
capacity could unintentionally create security gaps and make our
communities more vulnerable to cyber terror attacks and other threats.
While I understand that H.R. 7574 seeks to improve DHS relationships
with law enforcement agencies by establishing clear communication
protocols and centralizing points of contact for law enforcement
engagement, I urge DHS to consult with Congress on the implementation
of this bill and before any staffing changes or reductions are made. We
need to strengthen, not undermine I&A's ability to protect the
homeland.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans).
Mr. EVANS of Colorado. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for
yielding me time. I also thank my bipartisan partner on this,
Representative Goldman, for his efforts on this bill.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to support the
bipartisan bill, the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform
Act.
This bill consolidates the functions of two existing Department of
Homeland Security offices tasked with public safety coordination into
one centralized point of contact. DHS' Office of Intelligence and
Analysis, also known as I&A, is the only entity in the U.S.
intelligence community responsible for delivering intelligence directly
to State and local law enforcement agencies.
[[Page H4400]]
As a former cop for over a decade in the Denver metro area, I know
there is nothing more critical to law enforcement operations than open
communication between local, State, and Federal agencies. Information
sharing between the men and women on the front lines and Federal
intelligence counterparts ensures that bad actors, often tied to
international criminal organizations like cartels and terrorist groups,
are removed from our streets as quickly as possible.
From my own experience, I know that State and local law enforcement
often face national and international threats: terrorists, cartels,
cyberattacks, and foreign enemy regimes. This bill supports State and
local law enforcement when they encounter those national or those
international threats.
Unfortunately, in my home State of Colorado, Denver Democrats are
often more concerned about finding ways to weaken law enforcement
operations and attacking our brave officers rather than prioritizing
public safety. Defund-the-police antics create public safety conflicts
and confusion for law enforcement officers who are trying to serve and
protect their communities.
This bill ensures that State and local agencies can easily and
frequently access the resources they require from their Federal
partners when they are facing threats that require Federal backing.
By reorganizing the ELO Office and realigning its essential functions
within I&A's partner engagement directorate, this bill streamlines
coordination between law enforcement agencies, enhances information-
sharing mechanisms, and reduces duplicative actions.
This ensures responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars, and it
makes sure that State and local law enforcement agencies have the
information that they need when they are facing those national or
international threats.
Time and again, we wait for tragedies to remind us that we have to
incentivize interagency collaboration. This bill takes the fight to the
streets, and it makes sure that we are preventively getting these
resources to our State and local law enforcement agencies, because no
single law enforcement agency can effectively address the full spectrum
of threats without that combined resource.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge support for this bipartisan piece of
legislation and support for the millions of State and local law
enforcement officers across our country.
Mr. WALKINSHAW. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I appreciate the gentleman's and the committee's work
on H.R. 7574, and it sounds like, I think, that we are in alignment. I
just want to be sure that the language in the bill referring to
redundancies isn't used to defund the I&A at the Department of Homeland
Security. It sounds like the gentleman and I are on the same page.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GARBARINO. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7574. I
congratulate Mr. Evans on this fine piece of legislation, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Garbarino) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 7574.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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