September 19, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 151 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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ADVANCING INNOVATION TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 151
(House of Representatives - September 19, 2019)
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[Pages H7810-H7812] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] ADVANCING INNOVATION TO ASSIST LAW ENFORCEMENT ACT Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2613) to require the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to carry out a study on the use of emerging technologies within the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2613 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 ``Advancing Innovation to Assist Law Enforcement Act''. SEC. 2. FINCEN STUDY ON USE OF EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. (a) Study.-- (1) In general.--The Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (``FinCEN'') shall carry out a study on-- (A) the status of implementation and internal use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (``AI''), digital identity technologies, blockchain technologies, and other innovative technologies within FinCEN; [[Page H7811]] (B) whether AI, digital identity technologies, blockchain technologies, and other innovative technologies can be further leveraged to make FinCEN's data analysis more efficient and effective; and (C) how FinCEN could better utilize AI, digital identity technologies, blockchain technologies, and other innovative technologies to more actively analyze and disseminate the information it collects and stores to provide investigative leads to Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement, and other Federal agencies (collective, ``Agencies''), and better support its ongoing investigations when referring a case to the Agencies. (2) Inclusion of gto data.--The study required under this subsection shall include data collected through the Geographic Targeting Orders (``GTO'') program. (b) Report.--Not later than the end of the 6-month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director shall issue a report to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives containing-- (1) all findings and determinations made in carrying out the study required under subsection (a); (2) with respect to each of subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of subsection (a)(1), any best practices or significant concerns identified by the Director, and their applicability to AI, digital identity technologies, blockchain technologies, and other innovative technologies with respect to U.S. efforts to combat money laundering and other forms of illicit finance; and (3) any policy recommendations that could facilitate and improve communication and coordination between the private sector, FinCEN, and Agencies through the implementation of innovative approaches, in order to meet their Bank Secrecy Act (as defined under section 5312 of title 31, United States Code) and anti-money laundering compliance obligations. (c) Bank Secrecy Act Defined.--For purposes of this section, the term ``Bank Secrecy Act'' means-- (1) subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 31, United States Code; (2) section 21 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act; and (3) chapter 2 of title I of Public Law 91-508. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Guam. General Leave Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Guam? There was no objection. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2613, the Advancing Innovation to Assist Law Enforcement Act, and I urge all Members to support it. The financial services industry spends quite a bit of time considering how it can use new technologies to improve its data collection and analysis to detect and report suspected financial crime. This bill turns the lens onto the Financial Crime Enforcement Network, FinCen, to look at its use of artificial intelligence, digital identity technologies, blockchain, and other innovative technologies. The study required by H.R. 2613 will examine how this essential regulatory and data-driven agency could itself better utilize these technologies to more actively analyze and disseminate the information FinCen collects and stores to provide investigative leads to its law enforcement partners. The result of this study will help the agency and us in Congress to identify gaps that need to be filled with the same advanced tools that are being adapted by the industry. I applaud the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez) for his work on this bill and recommend its passage. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2613, the Advancing Innovation to Assist Law Enforcement Act. I commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez), my colleague, for his work on this important bipartisan legislation. This--if I am not mistaken--is the gentleman's first piece of legislation coming out of the Committee on Financial Services here on the House floor, and it is quite a good thing. His constituents should know, Madam Speaker, about the type of legislating that he is trying to achieve. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, what we commonly call FinCen, is tasked with receiving and maintaining financial transaction data. This includes analyzing and disseminating data for law enforcement purposes to safeguard the financial system from illicit use, to combat money laundering, and promote national security. If you think terrorism financing, if you think about laundering drug money, this is the agency that does it. In short, FinCen is in the data business. This bill directs FinCen to carry out a study on the implementation of artificial intelligence and digital identity technology to ensure that FinCen is equipped with all the tools it needs to thwart bad actors and protect the financial system. And so this takes, in many respects, Congressman Gonzalez' broad background and brings that experience here to the legislative body and to this important law enforcement agency. This legislation takes the first step to revolutionize the way law enforcement works to locate and stop criminal activity in the financial services industry, including potential terrorist threats using artificial intelligence, blockchain, and other emerging technologies. This a FinTech bill. This is a technology bill. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. This bill ensures that FinCen is innovating alongside industry and alongside other Federal agencies and law enforcement agencies. And it drives them to utilize the most advanced computing and advanced technology available anywhere in the world in the best practices when it comes to data analysis and use. The use of new technologies will always help streamline government operations, allowing FinCen to move quicker in the face of emerging threats. Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I want to commend the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez), my colleague, for his hard work on this bipartisan bill, and I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, we have no additional speakers on this legislation. I reserve the balance of my time. Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez), my colleague and author of the bill. Mr. GONZALEZ of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, and I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), chairwoman of the Committee on Financial Services, and the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. McHenry), my friend and ranking member, for his kind words and all his work to bring this legislation to the floor today. The Advancing Innovation to Assist Law Enforcement Act is a bipartisan bill that I introduced along with the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Emmer), my friend, and it is supported by the gentleman from Utah (Mr. McAdams), my friend from across the aisle. This bill takes a stand to block a major tool used by cartels, terrorist organizations, traffickers and the like, to finance their illegal activities and put our Nation and the people living in it at risk. Money laundering enables the shipment of deadly drugs like opioids and fentanyl into communities like mine in Ohio that has been disseminated by the opioid crisis. Money laundering finances cartels who wreak havoc on our southern border and the communities that surround it, as I saw on my recent bipartisan trip to the border. And money laundering proliferates the horrors of human trafficking, which continues to exist across our country, despite government and private industry attempts to better identify victims and cut off trafficking routes. My bill makes sure that we are using the best technology we have available to find and stop the money laundering that makes all these crimes not only possible, but financially profitable for cartels, traffickers, and terrorists. My bill requires the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCen, to [[Page H7812]] study the implementation and internal use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital identity technologies, blockchain, and other new and innovative technologies to better identify and prevent money laundering in our financial services industry. Additionally, this bill would require the study of how FinCen could better utilize these technologies to more quickly disseminate the information it collects to Federal, State, Tribal, and local law enforcement. It is my firm belief that we must leverage the use of emerging technologies in order to make our government operations more efficient and upgrade the toolkit that enables our law enforcement to effectively go after bad actors. Finally, H.R. 2613 would require that the Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Service Network report to the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Banking Committee on policy recommendations. The recommendations would allow the private sector, FinCen, and other Federal agencies to improve coordination and communication through advance technologies. This will help Congress ensure that we are providing the necessary support for our law enforcement community to effectively fight illicit activity based on these recommendations. Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I thank those who have helped push it forward. Mr. McHENRY. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close if the majority has no more speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time. Mr. SAN NICOLAS. Madam Speaker, we are prepared to close. I yield myself the balance of my time. Madam Speaker, I once again thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Gonzalez) for bringing this bill before the House. Improving the use of technologies can only improve our response to the wide range of crimes that FinCen combats. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important piece of 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 Guam (Mr. San Nicolas) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2613. The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed. A motion to reconsider was laid on the table. ____________________
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