[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 147 (Tuesday, September 12, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H7246-H7247]
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY CLASSIFIED FACILITY INVENTORY ACT
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 2443) to require an inventory of all facilities certified by
the Department of Homeland Security to host infrastructure or systems
classified above the Secret level, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 2443
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 ``Department of Homeland
Security Classified Facility Inventory Act''.
SEC. 2. INVENTORY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall,
to the extent practicable--
(1) maintain an inventory of those Department of Homeland
Security facilities that the Department certifies to house
classified infrastructure or systems at the secret level and
above;
(2) update such inventory on a regular basis; and
(3) share part or all of such inventory with--
(A) Department personnel who have been granted the
appropriate security clearance;
(B) non-Federal governmental personnel who have been
granted a Top Secret security clearance; and
(C) other personnel as determined appropriate by the
Secretary.
(b) Inventory.--The inventory of facilities described in
subsection (a) may include--
(1) the location of such facilities;
(2) the attributes of such facilities (including the square
footage of, the total capacity of, the number of workstations
in, and the number of conference rooms in, such facilities);
(3) the entities that operate such facilities; and
(4) the date of establishment of such facilities.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) and the gentlewoman from New York (Miss
Rice) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.
General Leave
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Pennsylvania?
There was no objection.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today we are advancing another bill to support the men
and women who answer the call to keep their neighbors safe.
Yesterday we honored the first responders and countless other
Americans who were murdered in the September 11 terrorist attacks. We
will never forget them, nor their great sacrifices of their families
and loved ones.
I come from Pennsylvania, which has a proud history of service, from
the National Guard to police, to fire houses, to EMTs. Even one of our
former Governors, Tom Ridge, was a key player in setting up the
Department of Homeland Security.
Today, we, in Congress, continue to work to reduce the blind spots
that led to 9/11, and ensure our Nation's newest Department is able to
get local law enforcement officers the resources that they need to keep
our communities safe.
Having served as mayor of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, I have long known
that it will be the police officer on the streets of Hazleton, Shamokin
or Shippensburg, not some analyst in Washington, who will recognize
when a member of our community has radicalized or been recruited by a
gang or terrorist sect.
That is one of the reasons why I worked with the committee to
introduce H.R. 2443, the Department of Homeland Security Classified
Facility Inventory Act.
My bill strengthens information sharing between local, State, and
Federal law enforcement by requiring the DHS to maintain an inventory
of facilities certified to store information classified above the
secret level.
This is a follow-up to the Fusion Center Enhancement Act of 2017,
which I first introduced last Congress and has successfully passed the
committee in the House.
I come from a State with three fusion centers: the Pennsylvania
Criminal Intelligence Center, known as PaCIC, in Harrisburg; Delaware
Valley Intelligence Center in Philadelphia; and Southwestern PA Region
13 Fusion Center in Pittsburgh.
This bill is part of my efforts to make the DHS share information
with its State and local partners.
[[Page H7247]]
{time} 1315
More and more, State and local officials are now getting the security
clearances they need to get important national security information
that will help them; however, gaps remain.
This bill will ensure that DHS is tracking the specific location of
all the Department's secure facilities and make this information
available to the appropriate State and local personnel as well as
Department employees.
To be honest, it is frustrating that this legislation is even needed.
Congress and DHS share the same goal of keeping our communities safe.
We must make it clear that information needs to be shared to allow for
proper oversight both now and in the future. Our State and local law
enforcement officials are professionals and leaders of our communities.
However, far too often, I have heard complaints that Federal officials
do not take local information seriously simply because someone has not
been able to obtain a certain security clearance. My legislation will
help address this concern.
Specifically, this bill requires greater transparency and information
sharing on the locations of all facilities certified by DHS to store
classified infrastructure or systems above the secret level, commonly
known as SCIFs. This will give local law enforcement the tools that
they need to protect their communities and our Nation as a whole.
Additionally, by requiring DHS to maintain an updated list of all of
these facilities, this bill will ensure that the Department does not
invest in new facilities in areas already covered, in turn, reducing
the chances of wasteful spending.
I urge my colleagues to support this measure, which passed the House
once already as part of the larger DHS authorization bill in July. I
hope that my colleagues in the Senate will realize the critical need
for my bill and will act quickly so President Trump can sign it into
law.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2443, the Department of
Homeland Security Classified Facility Inventory Act of 2017.
This measure addresses a concern to many of us in the
counterterrorism arena--the absence of a centralized inventory of
classified systems within DHS.
DHS is the third largest Federal agency and has a vast footprint, yet
DHS does not maintain a centralized list of all the spaces around the
country where individuals with clearances can access classified
information.
H.R. 2443 tackles this issue by requiring DHS to maintain an
inventory of all DHS certified facilities that house classified systems
above the secret level on a regular basis. It requires DHS to share
part or all of the inventory, in accordance with standard information-
sharing procedures and policies. This legislation will enhance
Congress' ability to assist DHS with protecting classified facilities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2443 is an important piece of legislation. It has
strong support on both sides of the aisle.
Extensive efforts have been made to enhance information sharing,
establish the DHS intelligence enterprise, and support the National
Network of Fusion Centers. It is important that DHS' partners at all
levels know where to go to access classified information, particularly
when a terrorist or other national security incident occurs.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 2443, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BARLETTA. Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to support
H.R. 2443, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Barletta) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 2443, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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