Department of Homeland Security Policy Issuance Review Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. IVEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak on behalf of my bill, the Department of Homeland Security Policy Issuance Review Act, H.R. 6231.

DHS has over 800 Departmentwide policies. While many of these policies relate to internal management functions of the Department, others provide critical guidance for employees on issues such as use of force by law enforcement officers, the personal and professional use of social media, and the ethical code of conduct.

The Department has a requirement that all policies be reviewed every 2 years. However, a recent review by the Committee on Homeland Security found that DHS rarely met this deadline, and some foundational policies had not received meaningful review since their issuance.

My bill addresses this shortcoming by making the Department's policy issuance and review process a formal responsibility of the DHS Under Secretary for management.

My bill also provides Congress with greater transparency into how and when DHS updates policies by requiring the Department to provide Congress an annual briefing on policies issued, reviewed, and canceled. My bill also requires DHS to inform Congress on its staffing needs to help ensure the Department has the resources needed to review and revise its policies in a timely manner.

H.R. 6231 is necessary to ensure that Congress has greater visibility into how the Department is managing its policy issuance program and to prevent any lengthy delays in the review and revision of critical departmental documents.

In closing, I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for cosponsoring this bill, Representatives Clarke, Bishop of North Carolina, and Ezell. I would also like to thank my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee for passing this legislation out of committee unanimously. Finally, I thank DHS staff, who provided valuable insight and feedback on the Department's policy review process.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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