House advances three bills to modernize DHS

The U.S. House of Representatives advanced three different bills that are designed to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

“DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said. “It’s past time to modernize DHS so that it is prepared for the new challenges and emerging threats never dreamed of during the department’s inception.”

One of the bills is the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act of 2019 (H.R. 1158), introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), which authorizes cyber incident response teams to help private and public sector organizations with cyberattack response and recovery.

“When cyber-attacks occur, immediate expertise is needed to mitigate damage and ensure organizations are restored,” McCaul said. “Cyber Incident Response Teams provide that expertise and function as our cyber first responders. This legislation ensures that the Department of Homeland Security can foster collaboration between the public and private sector to ensure our nation can continue to adapt to the constant changes in the cyber landscape. I want to thank my colleagues for their support on passage today, and I hope to see this legislation get signed into law and codify these essential efforts at the Department.”

Another is the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019 (H.R. 2590), introduced by Rep. John Katko (R-NY), which directs the DHS Secretary to brief Congressional committees about DHS personnel with primary duties outside of the United States.

“The Department of Homeland Security was created following the tragic events that took place across our nation on September 11, 2001. It is crucial DHS modernizes as it continues to carry out important security operations,” Katko said. “My legislation enables Congress to evaluate the primary functions of DHS employees located throughout the world and to assess overseas strategy. I am confident this policy will improve the ability of DHS to mitigate foreign terror threats to our nation and keep Americans safe.”

The final bill is the DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2019 (H.R. 2609), introduced by Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), which establishes a DHS acquisition review board to provide accountability in its acquisition programs and ensure that problems are identified and addressed early.

“At a time when Congress can’t agree on much when it comes to DHS, this was a rare bright spot,” Crenshaw said. “Bringing more oversight, strengthened accountability, and better management to a process that handles billions of dollars each year is a win for Congress and our taxpayers. I look forward to seeing this move through the Senate soon.”