FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act advances House

The U.S. House of Representatives advanced Tuesday the FIRST State and Local Law Enforcement Act, which would require the Department of Homeland Security Office for State and Local Law Enforcement (OSLLE) to provide an annual report on its activities for the next five years.

The reports would be used to assess the effectiveness of OSLLE’s work and would provide information on existing programs.

The bill was originally introduced in the House in May 2017 but did not pass the Senate. It was reintroduced by its sponsor Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) in early January.

“A common issue when dealing with any threat assessment is information sharing,” Lee said. “Following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a critical failure of our national security apparatus was the inability to share information among jurisdictions and law enforcement personnel. In the seventeen years after that national tragedy, I am proud to note that there has been real progress in closing this once prominent information-sharing gap. It is now common practice within the federal government to support policies that educate and empower our state and local partners.”

Lee is a member of the House Committees on Judiciary, Homeland Security, and Budget.

The bill now moves to the Senate floor for further consideration.