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DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act

Floor Speech

Date: Jan. 29, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security

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Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 504, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act.

The Committee on Homeland Security has long supported the role and mission of locally owned fusion centers across the United States. These hubs for assessing and sharing threat information are important links for the Department of Homeland Security, the FBI, and other Federal, State, and local stakeholders.

The legislation before us today directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop a forward-looking strategy to improve engagement efforts with fusion centers and establish metrics for both DHS personnel and technology deployed to fusion centers.

Clear performance metrics for fusion center personnel are needed to ensure fusion center directors understand what to expect from DHS personnel detailed to their centers. This effort will also allow DHS to better track the value fusion centers are providing to the national information-sharing environment.

Lastly, the bill addresses a need for improvements to DHS information sharing utilized by fusion centers and other stakeholders by requiring training modules and feedback mechanisms.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Don Bacon for his work on this legislation and his overall commitment to Federal, State, and local information sharing.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from Louisiana closes.

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Mr. HIGGINS of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Rogers, and Congressman Bacon for bringing this bill to the floor.

I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 504, to improve DHS' coordination and information-sharing activities with State and local fusion centers across the country, thereby making the homeland security intelligence enterprise more robust.

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