Homeland Security for Children Act

IIB 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 2932 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES FEBRUARY 11, 2020 Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs AN ACT To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to ensure that the needs of children are considered in homeland security planning, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Feb 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2932.RFS H2932 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 HR 2932 RFS SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homeland Security 2 for Children Act’’. 3 SEC. 2. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE UNDER SECRETARY FOR 4 STRATEGY, POLICY, AND PLANS. 5 Paragraph (6) of section 709(c) of the Homeland Se- 6 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 349(c)) is amended by insert- 7 ing ‘‘, including feedback from organizations representing 8 the needs of children,’’ after ‘‘stakeholder feedback’’. 9 SEC. 3. TECHNICAL EXPERT AUTHORIZED. 10 Paragraph (2) of section 503(b) of the Homeland Se- 11 curity Act (6 U.S.C. 313(b)) is amended— 12 (1) in subparagraph (G), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 13 the end; 14 (2) in subparagraph (H), by striking the period 15 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 16 (3) by adding at the end the following new sub- 17 paragraph: 18 ‘‘(I) identify and integrate the needs of 19 children into activities to prepare for, protect 20 against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate 21 against the risk of natural disasters, acts of ter- 22 rorism, and other manmade disasters, including 23 catastrophic incidents, including by appointing 24 a technical expert, who may consult with rel- 25 evant outside organizations and experts, as nec- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Feb 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2932.RFS H2932 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 HR 2932 RFS essary, to coordinate such integration, as nec- 1 essary.’’. 2 SEC. 4. REPORT. 3 Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 4 of this Act and annually thereafter for 5 years, the Under 5 Secretary for Strategy, Policy, and Plans of the Depart- 6 ment of Homeland Security shall submit to the Committee 7 on Homeland Security and the Committee on Transpor- 8 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 9 and the Committee on Homeland Security and Govern- 10 mental Affairs of the Senate a report describing the ef- 11 forts the Department has undertaken to review and incor- 12 porate feedback from organizations representing the needs 13 of children into Department policy in accordance with 14 paragraph (6) of section 709(c) of the Homeland Security 15 Act of 2002 (as amended by section 2 of this Act), includ- 16 ing information on the following: 17 (1) The designation of any individual respon- 18 sible for carrying out such paragraph (6). 19 (2) Any review, formal or informal, of Depart- 20 ment policies, programs, or activities to assess the 21 suitability of such policies, programs, or activities 22 for children and where feedback from organizations 23 representing the needs of children should be re- 24 viewed and incorporated. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Feb 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2932.RFS H2932 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 HR 2932 RFS (3) Any review, change, modification, or pro- 1 mulgation of Department policies, programs, or ac- 2 tivities to ensure that such policies, programs, or ac- 3 tivities are appropriate for children. 4 (4) Coordination with organizations or experts 5 outside the Department pursuant to such paragraph 6 (6) conducted to inform any such review, change, 7 modification, or promulgation of such policies, pro- 8 grams, or activities. 9 Passed the House of Representatives February 10, 2020. Attest: CHERYL L. JOHNSON, Clerk. By ROBERT F. REEVES, Deputy Clerk. VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:22 Feb 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2932.RFS H2932 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS