[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[House]
[Pages 11985-11987]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          WMD INTELLIGENCE AND INFORMATION SHARING ACT OF 2013

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1542) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to 
establish weapons of mass destruction intelligence and information 
sharing functions of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the 
Department of Homeland Security and to require dissemination of 
information analyzed by the Department to entities with 
responsibilities relating to homeland security, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1542

       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 ``WMD Intelligence and 
     Information Sharing Act of 2013''.

     SEC. 2. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION INTELLIGENCE AND 
                   INFORMATION SHARING.

       (a) In General.--Subtitle A of title II of the Homeland 
     Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 121 et seq.) is amended by 
     adding at the end the following:

     ``SEC. 210G. WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION INTELLIGENCE AND 
                   INFORMATION SHARING.

       ``(a) In General.--The Office of Intelligence and Analysis 
     of the Department of Homeland Security shall--
       ``(1) support homeland security-focused intelligence 
     analysis of terrorist actors, their claims, and their plans 
     to conduct attacks involving chemical, biological, 
     radiological, and nuclear materials against the Nation;
       ``(2) support homeland security-focused intelligence 
     analysis of global infectious disease, public health, food, 
     agricultural, and veterinary issues;
       ``(3) support homeland security-focused risk analysis and 
     risk assessments of the homeland security hazards described 
     in paragraphs (1) and (2) by providing relevant quantitative 
     and nonquantitative threat information;
       ``(4) leverage existing and emerging homeland security 
     intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance 
     prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts with 
     respect to a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear 
     attack;
       ``(5) share information and provide tailored analytical 
     support on these threats to State, local, and tribal 
     authorities as well as other national biosecurity and 
     biodefense stakeholders; and
       ``(6) perform other responsibilities, as assigned by the 
     Secretary.
       ``(b) Coordination.--Where appropriate, the Office of 
     Intelligence and Analysis shall coordinate with other 
     relevant Department components, others in the Intelligence 
     Community, including the National Counter Proliferation 
     Center, and other Federal, State,

[[Page 11986]]

     local, and tribal authorities, including officials from high-
     threat areas, and enable such entities to provide 
     recommendations on optimal information sharing mechanisms, 
     including expeditious sharing of classified information, and 
     on how they can provide information to the Department.
       ``(c) Report.--
       ``(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the 
     Secretary shall report to the appropriate congressional 
     committees on--
       ``(A) the intelligence and information sharing activities 
     under subsection (a) and of all relevant entities within the 
     Department to counter the threat from weapons of mass 
     destruction; and
       ``(B) the Department's activities in accordance with 
     relevant intelligence strategies.
       ``(2) Assessment of implementation.--The report shall 
     include--
       ``(A) a description of methods established to assess 
     progress of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis in 
     implementing this section; and
       ``(B) such assessment.
       ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
       ``(1) The term `appropriate congressional committees' means 
     the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
     Representatives and any committee of the House of 
     Representatives or the Senate having legislative jurisdiction 
     under the rules of the House of Representatives or Senate, 
     respectively, over the matter concerned.
       ``(2) The term `Intelligence Community' has the meaning 
     given that term in section 3(4) of the National Security Act 
     of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 401a(4)).
       ``(3) The term `national biosecurity and biodefense 
     stakeholders' means officials from the Federal, State, local, 
     and tribal authorities and individuals from the private 
     sector who are involved in efforts to prevent, protect 
     against, respond to, and recover from a biological attack or 
     other phenomena that may have serious health consequences for 
     the United States, including wide-scale fatalities or 
     infectious disease outbreaks.''.
       (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 
     1(b) of such Act is amended by adding at the end of the items 
     relating to such subtitle the following:
       ``Sec. 210G. Weapons of mass destruction intelligence and 
           information sharing.''.

     SEC. 3. DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION ANALYZED BY THE 
                   DEPARTMENT TO STATE, LOCAL, TRIBAL, AND PRIVATE 
                   ENTITIES WITH RESPONSIBILITIES RELATING TO 
                   HOMELAND SECURITY.

       Section 201(d)(8) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
     U.S.C. 121(d)(8)) is amended by striking ``and to agencies of 
     State'' and all that follows and inserting ``to State, local, 
     tribal, and private entities with such responsibilities, and, 
     as appropriate, to the public, in order to assist in 
     preventing, deterring, or responding to acts of terrorism 
     against the United States.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. 
Thompson) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I want to thank Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul 
and former Chairman Peter King, as well as Ranking Member Higgins and 
Congresswoman Jackie Speier, for joining me in introducing this 
bipartisan legislation.
  I urge the support for H.R. 1542, the Weapons of Mass Destruction 
Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2013.
  The legislation provides important guidance for disseminating WMD--
that's weapons of mass destruction--intelligence information at the 
Department of Homeland Security. Weapons of mass destruction are 
considered for the purposes of this act to be chemical, biological, 
radiological, and nuclear weapons.
  Mr. Speaker, in 2010, the Congress established the Commission on the 
Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. 
The Commission was chaired by former Senators Bob Graham and Jim 
Talent. A principal but, as of yet, unfilled recommendation from the 
Graham-Talent Commission was to assure that critical collaboration take 
place--collaboration among Homeland Security intelligence assets and 
other Federal, State and local partners--in protecting the homeland. 
It's time for Congress to do its part right now to ensure that the 
Nation is meeting its WMD detection and prevention responsibilities in 
a meaningful way.
  Mr. Speaker, when I stood before this body on this bill last year, I 
had recently returned from the Middle East, and one of the takeaways 
from the trip was the number of chemical weapons stockpiled in Syria.

                              {time}  1715

  I raised the concern that during this extraordinary time of 
insecurity in the region, these weapons could wind up in the hands of 
al Qaeda or other terrorists. Since that time, we've tragically learned 
that Bashar al-Assad has indeed used chemical weapons on his own 
people, and we have the fear and concern of the threat of those who 
have expressed a desire in Iran to use weapons of mass destruction to 
assure that Israel does not exist.
  Chemical weapons have completely changed the way our military 
prepares for operations. Just last week, the Chairman of the Joint 
Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey told the Senate Armed Services Committee 
that the military is preparing for the possibility of encountering 
chemical weapons in Syria. The risk of these weapons getting into the 
hands of terrorists continues to grow, and our military continues to 
become more vigilant. These risks and the current nature of the threat 
makes this legislation all the more relevant.
  We must be doing more to assure that local and State law enforcement 
are privy to intelligence that could stop an attack. In fact, the 
potential for homegrown radicalization has increased, and therefore the 
need for law enforcement and Federal authorities to work together has 
increased all the more. I think we're all aware of the tragic 
circumstances of the attack in Boston that occurred all too recently. 
Although the FBI closed its case on Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a Treasury 
Enforcement Communications System, or TECS, alert was placed on him. It 
should have immediately pinged Homeland Security and Customs and Border 
Patrol. Therefore, when Tamerlan traveled to Russia in 2012 and 
subsequently returned to the U.S. only to set up a jihadist YouTube 
account, a red flag should have been raised, and Federal, State, and 
local officials should have been notified.
  One of the purposes of this bill is to enhance the communication and 
collaboration between our Federal intelligence assets, particularly 
those of Homeland Security, and our Federal, State, and local partners.
  Chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear materials can be 
quite difficult to detect and to prevent. However, the danger they pose 
is unimaginable. My legislation is with recommendation from the 
Commission, and it will ensure sustained Department of Homeland 
Security commitment to facilitate the partnership across the 
intelligence community and the first responder community.
  I urge support for this bill, and reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1542, the WMD Intelligence and 
Information Sharing Act of 2013.
  This bill would strengthen information-sharing at all levels of 
government regarding chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear 
terrorist threats.
  Since the attacks of September 11, 2011, concerns about an attack on 
U.S. soil with a weapon of mass destruction or dirty bomb has come into 
sharp focus. The Director of National Intelligence has stated that the 
intelligence community remains concerned about the prospect that a 
terrorist organization or non-state actor could exploit a weapon of 
mass destruction and, with little or no warning, inflict significant 
damage to our Nation's citizens and economy.
  The potentially devastating nature of WMD attacks has come into 
greater

[[Page 11987]]

focus in recent months. In particular, there's evidence that chemical 
weapons were used in the Syrian civil war. Worries persist that in the 
chaos of this war, dangerous chemical agents could fall into the hands 
of terrorists or other rogue operators. The prospect that biological 
and nuclear weapons could fall into the wrong hands is also very 
concerning.
  Recognizing that effective information-sharing is essential to 
preventing a WMD attack, H.R. 1542 requires the Department of Homeland 
Security to support homeland security-focused analysis of terrorist 
actors and their plans to conduct attacks involving chemical, 
biological, and nuclear materials against the Nation.
  This bill requires DHS to coordinate with other components and the 
intelligence community and other Federal, State, local, and tribal 
authorities to provide recommendations on information-sharing 
mechanisms.
  Robust partnership between DHS and local law enforcement is critical 
to enhancing situational awareness with respect to terrorism 
prevention, including prevention of a WMD attack.
  I'm pleased to support this bipartisan bill and would like to 
acknowledge that the language under consideration today originated in 
comprehensive WMD legislation authored by my former committee 
colleague, Representative Bill Pascrell of New Jersey.
  While I support this measure, I would hope that this Congress could 
move forward on more comprehensive WMD prevention legislation in the 
very near future.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank the gentleman from Mississippi for his comments, and I also 
want to recognize, as he does, the great work that was done by 
Congressman Pascrell on this issue, as well, here in this House. And 
when I had the good fortune to begin to do work on the House Homeland 
Security Committee, it was Congressman Pascrell who was among those who 
brought this issue to our attention and the failure or the lack of the 
ability to see the issues that the Commission put forward be put into 
place. So I want to thank him for his good work on this issue, as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this point. So if the 
gentleman from Mississippi has no further speakers, I'm certainly 
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, as I have no further 
speakers and I am prepared to close, I yield myself the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1542 today. Enactment of this 
measure will strengthen the partnership between the Department of 
Homeland Security and our Nation's first preventers against one of the 
most vexing homeland security threats, weapons of mass destruction.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I thank the gentleman from Mississippi, and I want to thank my 
colleagues for their support of H.R. 1542. This is a vitally important 
piece of legislation, as has been identified in the earlier comments of 
the gentleman from Mississippi, and I echo them myself, particularly 
this concern, as we engage in a world in which the proliferation of 
weapons of mass destruction, particularly those which are chemical 
weapons, which we do not know whether they may have fallen into the 
hands of not only Syria, but Libya, as well, creates a heightened sense 
of need and awareness on the part of those in our intelligence 
committees to do all to assure there is collaboration on intelligence 
that they derive in these areas with the partners on the Federal, 
State, and local levels.
  So I urge Members to support this 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 Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1542.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. MEEHAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.

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