[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1608 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1608
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to produce a report on
emerging threats and countermeasures related to vehicular terrorism,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 26, 2025
Mr. Gimenez (for himself and Mr. Green of Tennessee) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland
Security
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to produce a report on
emerging threats and countermeasures related to vehicular terrorism,
and for other purposes.
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 ``Department of Homeland Security
Vehicular Terrorism Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) On January 1, 2025, a devastating vehicular terrorist
attack occurred on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana,
when an assailant inspired by the Islamic State drove a vehicle
into a crowd and engaged in a shootout with law enforcement.
This tragic incident resulted in the loss of fifteen lives and
injuries to at least thirty-five others, including two police
officers.
(2) Vehicle-ramming attacks and other vehicular terrorist
incidents represent an enduring and evolving threat to public
safety in the United States and around the world, targeting
innocent civilians and first responders.
(3) These attacks, carried out by both organized terrorist
groups and individual actors, often aim to exploit high-density
public gatherings, critical infrastructure, and key
transportation hubs, causing mass casualties and widespread
disruption.
(4) Emerging automotive technologies, such as autonomous
vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)
capabilities, and ride-sharing platforms, create new
vulnerabilities that could be leveraged by malicious actors to
conduct sophisticated vehicle-based attacks.
(5) The Department of Homeland Security, through agencies
like the Transportation Security Administration and the
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, plays a vital
role in detecting, assessing, and mitigating the risks
associated with vehicle-based threats.
(6) Strengthened coordination between Federal, State,
local, Tribal, territorial, and private sector stakeholders is
essential to enhance prevention, preparedness, and response
efforts, ensuring the safety of communities across the nation.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON EMERGING THREATS AND COUNTERMEASURES RELATED TO
VEHICULAR TERRORISM.
(a) Report.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security,
in coordination with the Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration and the Director of the Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency, shall submit to the
appropriate congressional committees a report on the Department
of Homeland Security's efforts to prevent, deter, and respond
to vehicular terrorism.
(2) Elements.--The report under paragraph (1) shall include
the following:
(A) An assessment of the current and emerging
threats posed by vehicular terrorism, as well as the
following:
(i) An analysis of the methods, tactics,
and motivations used by perpetrators of
vehicular terrorism.
(ii) An evaluation of domestic and
international trends in vehicular terrorism.
(iii) An identification of potential future
threats related to the misuse of connected or
autonomous vehicles, Advanced Driver Assistance
System (ADAS) -equipped vehicles, ride-sharing
services, and advancements in automotive
technologies, including cybersecurity threats
to underlying software technologies (including
artificial intelligence-enabled technologies)
powering autonomous vehicles.
(B) A review of higher-risk locations and events
that may be vulnerable to vehicular terrorism,
including the following:
(i) Critical infrastructure sites such as
the following:
(I) Airports.
(II) Seaports.
(III) Federal, State, local,
Tribal, and territorial government
facilities.
(IV) Power plants.
(V) Substations.
(VI) Oil refineries.
(VII) Public transportation hubs.
(VIII) Healthcare facilities.
(ii) Soft-targets and crowded spaces,
including mass gatherings and widely attended
events such as parades, concerts, sporting
events, political rallies, holiday markets,
places of worship, authorized protests, and
ceremonial events.
(iii) High-density urban areas with limited
physical security measures such as
pedestrianized city centers, commercial
districts, residential neighborhoods, public
parks, recreational areas, educational
institutions, and tourist destinations.
(C) A comprehensive summary of actions taken by the
Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation
Security Administration, and the Cybersecurity and
Infrastructure Security Agency to research measures
that prevent, deter, and respond to vehicular
terrorism, including the following:
(i) The identification and coordination
with State, local, Tribal, and territorial
governments and industry partners for the
strategic placement of physical barriers,
bollards, and other protective infrastructure
at higher-risk locations.
(ii) The research, testing, and deployment
of geofencing, surveillance systems,
cybersecurity measures, and other technologies
designed to monitor, restrict, and manage
vehicle access to such higher-risk locations.
(iii) The creation of real-time response
strategies and operational plans to neutralize
vehicular terrorism, including ongoing research
into best practices for threat detection,
incident management, and threat containment.
(D) An evaluation of the Department's engagement
with private and public sector stakeholders to address
risks of vehicular terrorism, including the following:
(i) Collaboration with vehicle rental
companies, ride-sharing platforms, vendors of
connected, autonomous, and ADAS technologies,
freight operators, and automotive
manufacturers.
(ii) Development of industry-specific best
practices to prevent the misuse of vehicles.
(iii) Protocols for sharing threat
intelligence and security guidance with private
sector partners.
(E) A description of the Department's coordination
efforts with Federal, State, local, Tribal, and
territorial law enforcement agencies to prevent
vehicular terrorism, including the following:
(i) Mechanisms for sharing threat
intelligence and situational awareness.
(ii) Guidance provided to such law
enforcement agencies regarding implementing
countermeasures, such as traffic control
measures and rapid vehicle containment
protocols.
(iii) Joint exercises and training programs
to enhance interagency preparedness and
response.
(iv) Efforts to equip law enforcement,
first responders, and private sector partners
with the knowledge and skills to recognize and
respond to vehicular terrorism, including the
development of specialized curricula addressing
emerging threats, such as connected or
autonomous vehicles and other advanced
technologies.
(v) Outreach efforts to ensure that smaller
jurisdictions have access to necessary training
resources and public safety awareness tools.
(F) Recommendations for the research, development,
and deployment of technologies to detect, deter, and
mitigate vehicular terrorism, including the following:
(i) Vehicle immobilization systems and
remote disablement technologies.
(ii) Predictive analytics and threat
detection software that incorporate artificial
intelligence and machine learning algorithms to
identify and flag in real time anomalous or
suspicious vehicle behavior, as well as
associated technologies to disable or divert a
vehicle before it becomes a threat.
(iii) Innovations in cybersecurity to
prevent the hacking or misuse of connected,
autonomous, or ADAS-equipped vehicles.
(G) A description of the Department's engagement
with privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties
stakeholders to ensure all countermeasures and
technologies, including artificial-intelligence and
machine learning algorithms, deployed to prevent
vehicular terrorism are implemented in a manner that
respects individual rights and freedoms.
(H) A review of the Department's public awareness
initiatives focused on the following:
(i) Educating the public on recognizing
suspicious vehicle-related behavior and
reporting potential threats.
(ii) Building trust and fostering
collaboration between communities and law
enforcement agencies.
(iii) Enhancing resilience by encouraging
community-based security measures.
(I) Such other elements as the Secretary of
Homeland Security considers appropriate.
(3) Form.--The report under paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in classified form, but may include an unclassified
executive summary.
(4) Publication.--The unclassified executive summary of the
report required under paragraph (1) shall be published on a
publicly accessible website of the Department of Homeland
Security.
(b) Annual Briefings.--Not later than 30 days after the submission
of the report under subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security
shall provide to the appropriate congressional committees a briefing on
the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of such report.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term
``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security of the House
of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation and the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate.
(2) Vehicular terrorism.--The term ``vehicular terrorism''
means an action that utilizes automotive transportation to
commit terrorism (as such term is defined in section 2(18) of
the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101(18))).
<all>