[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2899 Reported in House (RH)]
<DOC>
Union Calendar No. 263
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2899
[Report No. 114-344]
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Office for
Countering Violent Extremism.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 25, 2015
Mr. McCaul introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security
November 19, 2015
Additional sponsors: Mr. Katko, Mr. Carter of Georgia, Mr. Walker, Mr.
Donovan, Ms. McSally, Mr. King of New York, and Mr. Marino
November 19, 2015
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed
in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June
25, 2015]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Office for
Countering Violent Extremism.
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 ``Countering Violent Extremism Act of
2015'' or the ``CVE Act''.
SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE OFFICE FOR COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM OF
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
(a) In General.--Title I of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
U.S.C. 101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
section:
``SEC. 104. OFFICE FOR COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM.
``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department an Office for
Countering Violent Extremism. The head of the Office shall be the
Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism, who shall be
appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall also appoint a career
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism.
``(b) Assignment of Personnel.--The Secretary shall assign or hire,
as appropriate, permanent staff to the Office for Countering Violent
Extremism. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, seek to assign to or hire for the Office an
individual who has a demonstrated background in technical matters, on
and offline media, communications, or marketing.
``(c) Support.--The Secretary shall appoint within each appropriate
component and office of the Department, including at a minimum, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, the
Office of Privacy, the National Protection and Programs Directorate,
the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Secret Service, and
the Science and Technology Directorate, an individual to serve as
liaison to the Office for Countering Violent Extremism.
``(d) Responsibilities.--The Assistant Secretary for Countering
Violent Extremism shall be responsible for the following:
``(1) Coordinating the Department's activities to counter
violent extremism across all the components and offices of the
Department that conduct strategic and supportive activities to
counter violent extremism. Such activities shall include the
following:
``(A) Identifying risk factors that contribute to
violent extremism in communities in the United States
and potential remedies for use by Government and non-
government institutions.
``(B) Identifying populations targeted by violent
extremist propaganda, messaging, or recruitment.
``(C) Managing the outreach and engagement
activities of the Department directed toward
communities at risk for radicalization and recruitment
for violent extremist activities.
``(D) Ensuring relevant information, empirically-
valid research, and products inform activities to
counter violent extremism.
``(E) Developing and maintaining a Department-wide
strategy guiding policies and programs to counter
violent extremism. Such strategy shall, at a minimum,
address each of the following:
``(i) The Department's counter-messaging
program pursuant to paragraph (2), including a
plan to leverage new and existing Internet,
digital, and other technologies and social
media platforms to counter violent extremism,
as well as the best practices and lessons
learned of other Federal, State, local, tribal,
territorial, nongovernmental, and foreign
partners engaged in similar counter-messaging
activities.
``(ii) The Department's countering violent
extremism-related engagement and outreach
activities.
``(iii) The use of cooperative agreements
with State, local, tribal, territorial, and
other Federal departments and agencies
responsible for activities relating to
countering violent extremism.
``(iv) Ensuring all activities related to
countering violent extremism fully respect the
privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of
all Americans.
``(v) The development of qualitative and
quantitative outcome-based metrics to evaluate
the Department's programs and policies to
counter violent extremism.
``(F) Identifying and recommending new research and
analysis requirements in consultation with the Under
Secretary for Science and Technology and the Under
Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and ensure the
dissemination of information and methods to Federal,
State, local, tribal, and territorial countering
violent extremism practitioners, officials, law
enforcement, and non-governmental partners to utilize
such research and analysis.
``(G) Assessing the methods used by violent
extremists to disseminate propaganda and messaging to
communities at risk for radicalization and recruitment.
``(2) Establishing a counter-messaging program to craft
strategic counter-messages to the propaganda and messaging
referred to in subparagraph (G) of paragraph (1) which shall--
``(A) explore ways to utilize relevant Internet and
other technologies and social media platforms; and
``(B) maximize other resources available to the
Department, including utilizing hiring authorities
available under law.
``(3) Serving as the primary representative of the
Department in coordinating countering violent extremism
activities with other Federal departments and agencies and non-
governmental organizations.
``(4) Serving as the primary Department-level
representative in coordinating with the Department of State on
international countering violent extremism issues.
``(5) In coordination with the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency and the Officer for Civil Rights
and Civil Liberties of the Department, providing guidance
regarding the use of grants made to State, local, and tribal
governments under sections 2003 and 2004 under the allowable
uses guidelines related to countering violent extremism.
``(6) Coordinating with the Administrator of the Federal
Emergency Management Agency to administer the grant program
under subsection (f).
``(e) Memorandum of Understanding.--The Assistant Secretary for
Countering Violent Extremism shall enter into a memorandum of
understanding with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency outlining the roles of the Assistant Secretary and
the Administrator with respect to the administration of grants under
sections 2003 and 2004 related to countering violent extremism.
``(f) Grant Program.--
``(1) Establishment.--The Assistant Secretary for
Countering Violent Extremism, in coordination with the
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and
the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the
Department, shall establish a grant program for eligible
community groups and organizations to assist such groups and
organizations in establishing counter-messaging campaigns
targeting violent extremism.
``(2) Implementation plan.--Not later than 90 days after
the date of the enactment of this section, the Assistant
Secretary for Countering Violent Extremism, in coordination
with the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management
Agency and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of
the Department, shall provide to the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an
implementation plan for the grant program under this
subsection, including eligibility criteria, application
criteria, methodology for awarding grants, and a plan for
monitoring and evaluating grant applications and awards.
``(3) Prohibition.--A community group or organization is
not eligible for a grant under this subsection if such group or
organization has knowingly funded violent extremist activities
or organizations known to engage in such activities, as
determined by the Assistant Secretary for Countering Violent
Extremism, in coordination with the heads of other relevant
Federal departments and agencies.
``(g) Annual Report.--The Assistant Secretary for Countering
Violent Extremism shall submit to Congress an annual report for each of
the next five fiscal years (beginning in the fiscal year that begins
after the date of the enactment of this section) on the Office for
Countering Violent Extremism. Each such report shall include the
following:
``(1) A description of the status of the programs and
policies of the Department for countering violent extremism in
the United States, including the budget of the Department for
countering violent extremism and the number of full-time
employees dedicated to countering violent extremism programs,
as well as the number of part-time employees supporting
countering violent extremism programs. Each such budget shall
include an accounting of all funding amounts for all
departmental programs, initiatives, and personnel related to
countering violent extremism.
``(2) A description of the activities of the Office to
cooperate with and provide assistance to other departments and
agencies.
``(3) The qualitative and quantitative outcome-based
metrics under clause (v) of subsection (d)(1)(E) used for
evaluating the success of such programs and policies and the
steps taken to evaluate the success of such programs and
policies.
``(4) A detailed summary of the organizations with which
the Department conducted outreach to discuss countering violent
extremism, an accounting of grants awarded by the Department to
counter violent extremism, and an accounting of all training
specifically aimed at countering violent extremism sponsored by
the Department.
``(5) Details of the optimal level of personnel and funding
for the Office.
``(6) An analysis of how the Department's activities to
counter violent extremism correspond and adapt to the threat
environment.
``(7) A summary of how civil rights and civil liberties are
protected in the Department's activities to counter violent
extremism.
``(8) An evaluation of the grant program under subsection
(f), including information on the effectiveness of such grants
in countering violent extremism.
``(9) A description of how the Office incorporated lessons
learned from the countering violent extremism programs and
policies of other Foreign departments and agencies, as well as
foreign, State, local, tribal, and territorial governments and
stakeholder communities.
``(h) Violent Extremism Defined.--In this section, the term
`violent extremism' means ideologically motivated terrorist activities.
``(i) Authorization of Funding.--Out of funds made available to the
Office of the Secretary, $10,000,000 is authorized to be used for the
Office for Countering Violent Extremism for each of fiscal years 2016
through 2020, of which $6,000,000 shall be used to carry out the grant
program under subsection (f).
``(j) Sunset.--This section shall terminate on the date that is
five years after the date of the enactment of this section.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
such Act is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 103
the following new item:
``Sec. 104. Office for Countering Violent Extremism.''.
Union Calendar No. 263
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2899
[Report No. 114-344]
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Office for
Countering Violent Extremism.
_______________________________________________________________________
November 19, 2015
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed