[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 391 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 391
To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the
National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland
Security.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 23, 2021
Mr. Grassley (for himself, Mr. Rubio, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr. Scott of
Florida, Mr. Manchin, Ms. Collins, and Ms. Hassan) introduced the
following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the
National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland
Security.
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 ``EAGLES Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals lost their lives
in a senseless and violent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School in Parkland Florida, a school whose mascot is the
eagle.
(2) These individuals lived lives of warmth, joy,
determination, service, and love, and their loss is mourned by
the Nation.
(3) The shooter in that attack exhibited patterns of
behavior that were alarming and that should have alerted law
enforcement and other Federal, State, and local officials.
(4) The attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was
preventable.
(5) Lives were saved because of the brave and exemplary
conduct of many students, teachers, and staff at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High School, including several of the victims
of the attack.
(6) The National Threat Assessment Center (referred to in
this Act as the ``Center'') was established in 1998 to conduct
research on various types of targeted violence.
(7) Studies conducted by the Center on targeted school
violence, in particular, have shown that--
(A) most incidents were planned in advance;
(B) the attackers' behavior gave some indication
that the individual was planning, or at least
contemplating, an attack;
(C) most attackers had already exhibited a pattern
of behavior that was of concern to other people in
their lives; and
(D) prior to the attack, someone associated with
the attacker, such as a family member or peer, knew the
attack was to likely to occur.
(8) Through their research, the Center developed the threat
assessment model for responding to indicators of targeted
violence, which includes a 3-step process--
(A) identifying individuals who are exhibiting
behaviors that indicate they are planning an attack on
a school;
(B) assessing whether the individual poses a threat
to the school, based on articulable facts; and
(C) managing the threat the individual may pose to
the school.
(9) The threat assessment model works most effectively when
all the relevant parties, including school officials, local law
enforcement, and members of the community, are part of a
comprehensive protocol to identify, assess, and manage a
potential threat to the school.
(10) The primary goal of threat assessment programs in
schools should be to prevent violent conduct, with an emphasis
on early intervention, treatment, and care of individuals
exhibiting behaviors associated with targeted violence.
(11) Early intervention, treatment, and prevention of
violent behavior is an effective way to prevent violent conduct
that would harm others and necessitate disciplinary action,
including criminal penalties.
(12) The parties involved need the appropriate training and
tools to establish the appropriate mechanisms for implementing
this type of approach.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a fact-
based threat assessment approach, involving school officials, local law
enforcement, and members of the community, is one of the most effective
ways to prevent targeted violence in schools, and is a fitting memorial
to those who lost their lives in the February 14, 2018, attack on
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and those who heroically acted to
preserve the lives of their friends, students, and colleagues.
SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF THE NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT
CENTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
(a) In General.--Chapter 203 of title 18, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after section 3056A the following:
``Sec. 3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the
United States Secret Service
``(a) In General.--There is established a National Threat
Assessment Center (in this section referred to as the `Center'), to be
operated by the United States Secret Service, at the direction of the
Secretary of Homeland Security.
``(b) Functions.--The functions of the Center shall include the
following:
``(1) Training in the area of best practices on threat
assessment.
``(2) Consultation on complex threat assessment cases or
programs.
``(3) Research on threat assessment and the prevention of
targeted violence, consistent with evidence-based standards and
existing laws and regulations.
``(4) Facilitation of information sharing on threat
assessment and the prevention of targeted violence among
agencies with protective or public safety responsibilities, as
well as other public or private entities.
``(5) Development of evidence-based programs to promote the
standardization of Federal, State, and local threat
assessments, best practices in investigations involving
threats, and the prevention of targeted violence.
``(c) Safe School Initiative.--In carrying out the functions
described in subsection (b), the Center shall establish a national
program on targeted school violence prevention, focusing on the
following activities:
``(1) Research.--The Center shall--
``(A) conduct research into targeted school
violence and evidence-based practices in targeted
school violence prevention, including school threat
assessment; and
``(B) publish the findings of the Center on the
public website of the United States Secret Service.
``(2) Training.--
``(A) In general.--The Center shall develop and
offer training courses on targeted school violence
prevention to agencies with protective or public safety
responsibilities and other public or private entities,
including local educational agencies.
``(B) Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date
of enactment of this section, the Center shall
establish a plan to offer its training and other
educational resources to public or private entities
within each State.
``(3) Coordination with other federal agencies.--The Center
shall develop research and training programs under this section
in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Department
of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
``(4) Consultation with entities outside the federal
government.--The Center is authorized to consult with State and
local educational, law enforcement, and mental health officials
and private entities in the development of research and
training programs under this section.
``(5) Interactive website.--The Center may create an
interactive website to disseminate information and data on
evidence-based practices in targeted school violence
prevention.
``(d) Hiring of Additional Personnel.--The Director of the United
States Secret Service may hire additional personnel to comply with the
requirements of this section, which, if the Director exercises that
authority, shall include--
``(1) at least 1 employee with expertise in child
psychological development; and
``(2) at least 1 employee with expertise in school threat
assessment.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out the functions of the Center $10,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025.
``(f) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this section, the Director of the Secret Service shall
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary and the Committee on Health,
Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on the
Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of
Representatives a report on actions taken by the United States Secret
Service to implement provisions of this section, which shall include--
``(1) the number of employees hired (on a full-time
equivalent basis);
``(2) the number of individuals in each State trained in
threat assessment;
``(3) the number of school districts in each State trained
in school threat assessment or targeted school violence
prevention;
``(4) information on Federal, State, and local agencies
trained or otherwise assisted by the Center;
``(5) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training
and other assistance provided by the Center is effective;
``(6) a formal evaluation indicating whether the training
and other assistance provided by the Center was implemented by
the school;
``(7) a summary of the Center's research activities and
findings; and
``(8) a strategic plan for disseminating the Center's
educational and training resources to each State.
``(g) Definitions.--In this section--
``(1) the term `evidence-based' means--
``(A) strong evidence from at least 1 well-designed
and well-implemented experimental study;
``(B) moderate evidence from at least 1 well-
designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study;
or
``(C) promising evidence from at least 1 well-
designed and well-implemented correlational study with
statistical controls for selection bias;
``(2) the term `local educational agency' has the meaning
given that term under section 8101 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
``(3) the term `State' means any State of the United
States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto
Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
``(h) No Funds To Provide Firearms Training.--None of the funds
authorized to be appropriated under this section may be used to train
any person in the use of a firearm.
``(i) No Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section may be
construed to preclude or contradict any other provision of law
authorizing training in the use of firearms.''.
(b) Technical and Conforming Amendments.--
(1) Section 4 of the Presidential Threat Protection Act of
2000 (18 U.S.C. 3056 note) is repealed.
(2) The table of sections for chapter 203 of title 18,
United States Code, is amended by inserting after the item
relating to section 3056A the following:
``3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the
United States Secret Service.''.
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