Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5471) to combat terrorist recruitment in the United States, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5471
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I--AMPLIFYING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT TERROR Sec. 101. Countering violent extremism training. Sec. 102. Countering violent extremism assessment. Sec. 103. Department-sponsored clearances. Sec. 104. Definitions. TITLE II--COUNTERMESSAGING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS Sec. 201. Directive. TITLE III--COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISORY BOARD Sec. 301. Department of Homeland Security Counterterrorism Advisory Board. TITLE IV--PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING Sec. 401. Prohibition on new funding. TITLE I--AMPLIFYING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT TERROR SEC. 101. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM TRAINING.
(a) Authorization of Training.--The Secretary of Homeland Security is authorized to provide training for personnel, including Department of Homeland Security personnel, State, local, tribal, and territorial representatives at State and major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of administering community awareness briefings and related activities in furtherance of the Department's efforts to counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted travel of individuals from the United States to support a foreign terrorist organization (as such term is described in section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1189)) abroad.
(b) Coordination.--To the extent practicable, in providing the training under subsection (a), the Secretary shall coordinate with the heads of other Federal agencies engaged in community outreach related to countering violent extremism and shall also coordinate with such agencies in the administration of related activities, including community awareness briefings. SEC. 102. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM ASSESSMENT.
(a) Assessment Required.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with appropriate State, local, tribal, and territorial representatives, shall assess the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to support countering violent extremism at the State, local, tribal, and territorial levels. Such assessment shall include each of the following:
(1) A cataloging of departmental efforts to assist State, local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering violent extremism.
(2) A review of cooperative agreements between the Department and such governments relating to countering violent extremism.
(3) An evaluation of departmental plans and any potential opportunities to better support such governments that are in furtherance of the Department's countering violent extremism objectives and are consistent with all relevant constitutional, legal, and privacy protections.
(b) Submission to Congress.--Not later than 150 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and consistent with the protection of classified information, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees the findings of the assessment required under subsection (a) together with any related information regarding best practices for countering violent extremism at the State, local, tribal, and territorial levels. SEC. 103. DEPARTMENT-SPONSORED CLEARANCES.
Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify the appropriate congressional committees of the number of employees of State, local, tribal, and territorial governments with security clearances sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security. Such notification shall include a detailed list of the agencies that employ such employees, the level of clearance held by such employees, and whether such employees are assigned as representatives to State and major urban area fusion centers. SEC. 104. DEFINITIONS.
In this title:
(1) The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
(A) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives; and
(B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
(2) The term ``violent extremism'' means ideologically motivated international terrorism or domestic terrorism, as such terms are defined in section 2331 of title 18, United States Code. TITLE II--COUNTERMESSAGING TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS SEC. 201. DIRECTIVE.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall incorporate, to the extent practicable, into Department of Homeland Security efforts to combat terrorist recruitment and communications the public testimonials of former violent extremists or their associates, including friends and family. Such efforts may include the following:
(1) Countermessaging of foreign terrorist organization communications and narratives.
(2) Related community engagement and public education efforts.
(b) Coordination.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, where appropriate, coordinate the efforts described in subsection (a) with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies, as appropriate, and, to the extent practicable, engage nongovernmental and international partners in the identification and use of testimonials described in such subsection.
(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to collect testimonials directly from former violent extremists or their associates, including friends and family. TITLE III--COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISORY BOARD SEC. 301. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY COUNTERTERRORISM ADVISORY BOARD.
(a) In General.--At the end of subtitle A of title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 121 et seq.) insert the following new section: ``SEC. 210G. DEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION ON COUNTERTERRORISM.
``(a) Establishment.--There is in the Department a board to be composed of senior representatives of departmental operational components and headquarters elements. The purpose of the board shall be to coordinate and integrate departmental intelligence, activities, and policy related to the counterterrorism mission and functions of the Department.
``(b) Charter.--There shall be a charter to govern the structure and mission of the board. Such charter shall direct the board to focus on the current threat environment and the importance of aligning departmental counterterrorism activities under the Secretary's guidance. The charter shall be reviewed and updated every four years, as appropriate.
``(c) Members.--
``(1) Chair.--The Secretary shall appoint a Coordinator for Counterterrorism within the Department who will serve as the chair of the board.
``(2) Additional members.--The Secretary shall appoint additional members of the board from among the following:
``(A) The Transportation Security Administration.
``(B) United States Customs and Border Protection.
``(C) United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
``(D) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.
``(E) The Coast Guard.
``(F) United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
``(G) The United States Secret Service.
``(H) The National Protection and Programs Directorate.
``(I) The Office of Operations Coordination.
``(J) The Office of the General Counsel.
``(K) The Office of Intelligence and Analysis.
``(L) The Office of Policy.
``(M) The Science and Technology Directorate.
``(N) Other Departmental offices and programs as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
``(d) Meetings.--The board shall meet on a regular basis to discuss intelligence and coordinate ongoing threat mitigation efforts and departmental activities, including coordination with other Federal, State, local, tribal, territorial, and private sector partners, and shall make recommendations to the Secretary.
``(e) Terrorism Alerts.--The board shall advise the Secretary on the issuance of terrorism alerts pursuant to section 203 of this Act.
``(f) Prohibition on Additional Funds.--No additional funds are authorized to carry out 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 210F the following new item: ``Sec. 210G. Departmental coordination on counterterrorism.''.
(c) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary, acting through the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the status and activities of the board established under section 210G of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a). TITLE IV--PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING SEC. 401. PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act or the amendments made by this Act.
Mr. Speaker, we are a nation at war, and our own city streets have once again become the front lines. The tragedy in Orlando is the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil in the homeland since 9/11. It reminds us that nearly 15 years after that fateful day, our enemies are still dead set on attacking us from outside and from within.
To defend our Nation, we need to take decisive action, and that is why we are here today. We will not stand on the sidelines while fanatics try to brainwash Americans. We will not allow Islamist radicals to bring terror to our cities. We will not wait patiently and hope the threat goes away.
To honor the memory of the victims in Orlando, we must dedicate ourselves to preventing terrorists from gaining a foothold in our communities. That is why, today, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 5471, the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act. The bill is an important step toward stopping acts of terror in our homeland, and I only wish it had been sent to the President's desk sooner.
We have combined three counterterrorism bills into one. All of the bills were voted out of the House earlier this year with strong, bipartisan majorities. Together, these measures ramp up our efforts to keep violent extremists from luring Americans down the path to violence.
This bill will put into place measures to help communities spot signs of violent radicalization and to actively combat the propaganda of terrorist groups like ISIS. For instance, it requires the Department of Homeland Security to use the testimonials of former extremists to dissuade others from making the wrong choice. Such individuals know the brutality of terrorist groups firsthand, and they can be powerful messengers for shutting down radical recruitment.
Overall, this bill implements several important recommendations from a bipartisan task force we created last year to look at the threat and vulnerabilities to the homeland. Task force members found glaring gaps in our security and declared that we were not doing enough here at home to fight terror and terrorist radicalization--and they were right.
Islamist terrorists were working to infiltrate our country online and across borders, and we have failed to keep up with the pace. In just the past 2 years, ISIS alone has been linked to nearly 100 plots against the West, and the United States was the top target.
Sadly, the violence has become so frequent that we have begun referring to attacks by their location: Boston, Chattanooga, Paris, San Bernardino, Brussels, and now Orlando. We must resolve to do everything in our power to keep our cities from being added to this deadly list, and today we can make a difference.
I would like to thank Representatives John Katko, Barry Loudermilk, and Chuck Fleischmann for their leadership on these bills that were incorporated into this piece of legislation. I would also like to thank the committee's ranking member, Bennie Thompson, for his leadership and the other Democrats on our committee for their bipartisan work on this task force and on these measures.
While radicalism may be resurgent worldwide, I want to remind my colleagues that we still have the upper hand. Our resilient response to the Orlando tragedy has sent a message to America's enemies that we will not be intimidated, we will not allow fanatics to attack our freedoms, and that resolve will allow us to prevail over anyone who seeks to do this country harm.
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Mr. McCAUL.
What happened in Orlando was a terrorist attack, an attack by ISIS in the homeland. The Orlando shooter said as much in his 911 call. The Islamic State took credit for it, saying he was a soldier of the caliphate.
What keeps me up at night, Boston, Chattanooga, San Bernardino, and now Orlando all perpetrated--all perpetrated--by Islamist terrorists. We have to define the enemy to defeat it. That is a basic military strategy.
The 9/11 Commission, bipartisan, in its wisdom, so many years ago, said: ``The enemy is not just `terrorism,' some generic evil. This vagueness blurs the strategy. The catastrophic threat at this moment in history is more specific. It is a threat posed by Islamist terrorism-- especially the al Qaeda network, its affiliates, and its ideology.''
The 9/11 Commission, Mr. Speaker, not the Republican Party, the 9/11 Commission.
Winston Churchill didn't dance around the Nazis on fascism. We defeated fascism by calling it what it was and going to war with it.
President Kennedy and President Reagan didn't dance around communism. They defeated communism by defining the enemy.
Today, the enemy, in a generational, ideological struggle is radical Islamist extremism, and if this President, this administration, will not recognize that, this body needs to. This Congress understands what the threat is, and when we define it, we will defeat it, Mr. Speaker.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
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