Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5822) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish an acquisition professional career program, and for other purposes, as amended.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 5822

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 ``Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act''. SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION OF THE ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL CAREER PROGRAM.

(a) In General.--Title VII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 341 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: ``SEC. 711. ACQUISITION PROFESSIONAL CAREER PROGRAM.

``(a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department an acquisition professional career program to develop a cadre of acquisition professionals within the Department.

``(b) Administration.--The Under Secretary for Management shall administer the acquisition professional career program established pursuant to subsection (a).

``(c) Program Requirements.--The Under Secretary for Management shall carry out the following with respect to the acquisition professional career program.

``(1) Designate the occupational series, grades, and number of acquisition positions throughout the Department to be included in the program and manage centrally such positions.

``(2) Establish and publish on the Department's website eligibility criteria for candidates to participate in the program.

``(3) Carry out recruitment efforts to attract candidates--

``(A) from institutions of higher education, including such institutions with established acquisition specialties and courses of study, historically Black colleges and universities, and Hispanic-serving institutions;

``(B) with diverse work experience outside of the Federal Government; or

``(C) with military service.

``(4) Hire eligible candidates for designated positions under the program.

``(5) Develop a structured program comprised of acquisition training, on-the-job experience, Department-wide rotations, mentorship, shadowing, and other career development opportunities for program participants.

``(6) Provide, beyond required training established for program participants, additional specialized acquisition training, including small business contracting and innovative acquisition techniques training.

``(d) Reports.--Not later than December 31, 2020, and annually thereafter through 2026, the Secretary 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 acquisition professional career program. Each such report shall include the following information:

``(1) The number of candidates approved for the program.

``(2) The number of candidates who commenced participation in the program, including generalized information on such candidates' backgrounds with respect to education and prior work experience, but not including personally identifiable information.

``(3) A breakdown of the number of participants hired under the program by type of acquisition position.

``(4) A list of Department components and offices that participated in the program and information regarding length of time of each program participant in each rotation at such components or offices.

``(5) Program attrition rates and post-program graduation retention data, including information on how such data compare to the prior year's data, as available.

``(6) The Department's recruiting efforts for the program.

``(7) The Department's efforts to promote retention of program participants.

``(e) Definitions.--In this section:

``(1) Hispanic-serving institution.--The term `Hispanic- serving institution' has the meaning given such term in section 502 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1101a).

``(2) Historically black colleges and universities.--The term `historically Black colleges and universities' has the meaning given the term `part B institution' in section 322(2) of Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)).

``(3) Institution of higher education.--The term `institution of higher education' has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).''.

(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 710 the following new item: ``Sec. 711. Acquisition professional career program.''.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5822, the Homeland Security Acquisition Professional Career Program Act.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5822 authorizes an existing program within the Department of Homeland Security focused on strengthening its acquisition workforce. DHS established the Acquisition Professional Career Program in 2008 to create a pipeline for hard-to-fill acquisition workforce positions, such as contract specialists.

Since its inception, the program has had over 300 program graduates join the ranks of DHS' acquisition workforce, which oversees billions of dollars of transactions to procure what DHS needs to carry out its diverse missions.

They are charged with purchasing everything from cybersecurity software for protecting Federal networks, to disaster response supplies, to sophisticated security screening equipment. And when it comes to COVID-19, they have been responsible for spending over $1.7 billion on a wide range of response activities.

Unfortunately, the Government Accountability Office has highlighted workforce shortages as a persistent challenge for DHS acquisition programs--one that can negatively affect their ability to deliver vital capabilities on time and on budget.

H.R. 5822 will help address this challenge by authorizing DHS' rigorous development program, which provides participants with acquisition training, mentorship, department-wide rotations, and other career development opportunities.

H.R. 5822, if enacted, will help DHS maintain a pipeline for its acquisition workforce that directly supports the Department's frontline officers with the tools that they need to perform their jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentlewoman from Nevada, Representative Titus, for introducing this measure, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. UNDERWOOD. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, enactment of H.R. 5822 would help ensure that DHS maintains a pipeline for hard-to-fill acquisition positions throughout the Department. Given the critical nature of DHS' mission, it is essential that it have a robust acquisition workforce in place.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5822, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source