| WASHINGTON – The House cleared three Republican-led bills to modernize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): Rep. Michael McCaul’s (R-Texas) H.R. 1158, the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act of 2019, Rep. John Katko’s (R-N.Y.) H.R. 2590, the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019, and Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s (R-Texas) H.R. 2609, the DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2019.
“DHS was created in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), 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. I appreciate Reps. McCaul, Katko, and Crenshaw for being leaders in the effort to equip DHS with the tools it needs to protect Americans.”
“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.”
“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.”
“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.”
H.R. 1158, the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act of 2019 authorizes cyber incident response teams to help private and public sector organizations with cyberattack response and recovery. It the House yesterday by voice vote.
H.R. 2590, the DHS Overseas Personnel Enhancement Act of 2019 directs the DHS Secretary to brief relevant Congressional committees about DHS personal with primary duties outside of the United States and requires the secretary to submit a plan to enhance the effectiveness of personnel at foreign locations. It passed the House yesterday by a vote of 394-2.
H.R. 2609, the DHS Acquisition Review Board Act of 2019 establishes a DHS acquisition review board to provide accountability in its major acquisition programs and to ensure that problems are identified and addressed early. It passed the House today by a vote of 419-0.
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