June 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 96 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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DHS OVERSEAS PERSONNEL ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2019; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 96
(House of Representatives - June 10, 2019)
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[Pages H4373-H4375] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] DHS OVERSEAS PERSONNEL ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2019 Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2590) to require a Department of Homeland Security overseas personnel enhancement plan, and for other purposes, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2590 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, [[Page H4374]] SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019''. SEC. 2. OVERSEAS PERSONNEL BRIEFING. (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after submission of the comprehensive 3-year strategy required under section 1910 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public Law 114-328) and every 180 days thereafter, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall brief the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate regarding Department of Homeland Security personnel with primary duties that take place outside of the United States. (b) Requirements.--The briefings required under subsection (a) shall include the following: (1) A detailed summary of, and deployment schedule for, each type of personnel position with primary duties that take place outside of the United States and how each such position contributes to the Department of Homeland Security's counterterrorism mission. (2) Information related to how the geographic and regional placement of such positions contributes to the Department's counterterrorism mission. (3) Information related to any risk mitigation plans for each geographic and regional placement, including to address counter-intelligence risks. (4) Information regarding the costs of deploying or maintaining personnel at each geographic and regional placement, including information on any cost-sharing agreement with foreign partners to cover a portion or all the costs relating to such deployment or maintenance. (5) Maintain and enhance practices to guard against counter-espionage and counter-intelligence threats, including cyber threats, associated with Department personnel. (6) Information regarding trends in foreign efforts to influence such personnel while deployed overseas to contribute to the Department's counterterrorism mission. (7) Information related to the position-specific training received by such personnel before and during placement at a foreign location. (8) Challenges that may impede the communication of counterterrorism information between Department personnel at foreign locations and Department entities in the United States, including technical, resource, and administrative challenges. (9) The status of efforts to implement the strategy referred to in subsection (a). (10) The status of efforts (beginning with the second briefing required under this section) to implement the enhancement plan under section 3. SEC. 3. OVERSEAS PERSONNEL ENHANCEMENT PLAN. (a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the first briefing required under section 2, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a plan to enhance the effectiveness of Department of Homeland Security personnel at foreign locations. (b) Plan Requirements.--The plan required under subsection (a) shall include proposals to-- (1) improve efforts of Department of Homeland Security personnel at foreign locations, as necessary, for purposes of providing foreign partner capacity development and furthering the Department's counterterrorism mission; (2) as appropriate, redeploy Department personnel to respond to changing threats to the United States; (3) enhance collaboration among Department personnel at foreign locations, other Federal personnel at foreign locations, and foreign partners; (4) improve the communication of counterterrorism information between Department personnel at foreign locations and Department entities in the United States, including to address technical, resource, and administrative challenges; and (5) maintain practices to guard against counter-espionage threats associated with Department personnel. SEC. 4. TERMINATION. The briefing requirement under section 2 shall terminate on the date that is four years after the submission of the strategy referred to in such section. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko) each will control 20 minutes. =========================== NOTE =========================== June 10, 2019, on page H4374, the following appeared: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw) each will control 20 minutes. The online version has been corrected to read: The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko) each will control 20 minutes. ========================= END NOTE ========================= The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California. General Leave Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from California? There was no objection. Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2590, the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019. A key feature of how the Department of Homeland Security carries out its border security mission is the deployment of personnel abroad to help ensure that threats are identified and addressed before they ever reach our borders. For our part, Congress has a role to play to ensure the Department has the right policies and resources to keep Americans safe, both at home and abroad. H.R. 2590 builds on the existing Federal mandate that requires DHS to have a 3-year strategic plan for overseas deployment of DHS personnel. The mandate enacted in 2017 was authored by the chairman of the Committee of Homeland Security, Representative Thompson. H.R. 2590 would strengthen the strategic plan by requiring DHS to provide regular congressional briefings about overseas personnel. Following the first briefings, DHS would be required to submit a strategic plan to enhance the effectiveness of its overseas personnel deployments to Congress. Subsequent briefings would track DHS efforts to enhance the effectiveness of its personnel in foreign locations. {time} 1600 During committee markup of this bill, Democrats offered amendments to ensure that DHS prioritizes efforts to mitigate the risks and counterintelligence threats facing DHS personnel living overseas. As amended, it requires DHS to report on foreign efforts to influence our personnel and maintain practices to guard against these threats, including counterintelligence and cyber threats. Pushing our borders out to mitigate threats to the homeland before they ever reach our shores is an important endeavor and one we should all support. Providing the basic information in H.R. 2590 will help Congress better understand who DHS is deploying overseas and to what end and how we can best support components with overseas missions. I would note that DHS has yet to provide Congress with a 3-year strategy required by statute and requested by Chairman Thompson years ago. I hope that we do not have to wait much longer before receiving this strategy and additional information about how DHS is using its workforce overseas. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 2590, the Department of Homeland Security Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019. This bipartisan legislation will ensure the Department of Homeland Security develops personnel overseas in a strategic, effective, and efficient manner that will address threats before they reach the United States shores, while improving our relationships with foreign partners. The United States Government positions many personnel from across the Federal Government overseas to liaise with their foreign counterparts, strengthen relationships, and build capacity with them. The Department of Homeland Security does this to support its critical counterterrorism mission. H.R. 2590 will ensure that personnel deployed by Homeland Security overseas receive adequate training and mission support, while having their important perspectives heard by their colleagues back in the United States. Moreover, this bill addresses the importance of foreign-based Homeland Security personnel to effectively coordinate with other Federal partners, such as the FBI, in support of the Department's counterterror missions. We face an ever-changing threat landscape which presents new challenges to securing air travel, public spaces, surface transportation, and critical infrastructure from terror attacks. It is imperative that we work together with foreign partners to share information, build capacity, and learn from each other to respond to a dynamic threat environment, much the same as I did for many years on State, local, and Federal gang task forces. I thank Representative Watson Coleman for cosponsoring this important legislation, as well as Ranking Member Rogers and Chairman Thompson for their support of this measure. I also want to thank my good friend from California (Mr. Correa), who is handling the bill on the Democratic side. [[Page H4375]] Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, first of all, I want to thank my colleague from New York (Mr. Katko) for this fine piece of legislation. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. I am prepared to close after the gentleman from New York closes as well, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, this important bill seeks to ensure our overseas efforts to protect the homeland are as effective and strategic as possible. I again urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, by passing H.R. 2590 today, Congress can ensure that our borders are being pushed out to mitigate threats to the homeland and that DHS overseas personnel are being deployed effectively and efficiently. I would also add that this measure was passed by the House in the 115th Congress by a vote of 415-0. I hope that my colleagues will lend their support and join me in passing this legislation again today. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2590, as amended. 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. CORREA. 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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