Federal Information Resource to Strengthen Ties With State and Local Law Enforcement Act of 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 2442, the Federal Information Resource to Strengthen Ties with State and Local Law Enforcement Act of 2017, or the FIRST with State and Local Law Enforcement Act.

Mr. Speaker, today we consider H.R. 2442, a bill to require the DHS to submit an annual report to Congress on the activities of the Office for State and Local Law Enforcement.

This bill, authored by the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), seeks to highlight the activities of this important hub of outreach to State and local law enforcement within the DHS.

The report is to include detailed information on those efforts, including steps taken to improve them and performance metrics to evaluate the effectiveness, and feedback received from State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies.

Yesterday, the Committee on Homeland Security released a staff report that looked at the DHS' progress, over the past decade, at implementing the 9/11 Commission Act.

With respect to information sharing, it found that policies and procedures have been reformed, at all levels, to ensure that critical national security information is shared, and recommended that the DHS continue to refine its channels for sharing such information to ensure that they evolve to address the threat, landscape, and stakeholder needs. Constructive engagement, through the Office for State and Local Law Enforcement, is central to this effort.

Sixteen years after the September 11 attacks, it is important that we stand together and recommit ourselves to doing all we can to prevent future terrorist attacks. I urge my House colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, the FIRST with State and Local Law Enforcement Act seeks to ensure that, for years to come, State and local law enforcement know that the DHS is a full partner in their efforts to keep their communities secure.

As such, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, H.R. 2442, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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