Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act.

Today, the Nation is facing a complex and evolving threat. Terrorist attacks, like the New York City vehicle attack and the Pulse nightclub shooting, have been carried out by individuals inspired by ISIS and other terrorist organizations. These type of lone wolf attacks appear to be the new normal.

This means that now, more than ever, it is imperative that we have strong preventive activities in place, including intelligence and information sharing.

Since 9/11, States and major urban areas established fusion centers to build up the preventive activities by creating an avenue for greater collaboration between Federal, State, and local governments with regards to terrorism and information sharing.

These State and locally owned fusion centers have largely evolved from terrorist-focused centers to all-crimes, all-hazard centers working on a range of relevant Homeland Security issues, including cybersecurity.

I was able to see the work of one of these fusion centers firsthand when I visited my home State's fusion center, the Kansas Intelligence Fusion Center--KIFC--earlier this year. I was very impressed with their operation. I want to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is fully supporting this center and the other 78 fusion centers across the United States.

That is why I was troubled to hear about a key fusion center resource in the DHS not living up to its potential.

In 2009, the DHS created a fusion center technical assistance program to provide fusion centers with assistance on a range of topics, including suspicious activity reporting and other relevant trainings. However, based on the findings from the committee's recent fusion center report and my meetings with fusion center personnel, this program is not meeting the needs of the National Network of Fusion Centers.

This is why I introduced H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act. This bill provides formal authorization for the DHS fusion center technical assistance program and a clear set of directives on the services to be provided by the program, including assistance related to available grant funding and DHS terrorism prevention programs, as well as intelligence and information sharing.

The bill expands the role of the program to include being a repository of best practices relevant to fusion center activities, including cybersecurity. This is a commonsense bill that should help strengthen the Nation's ability to prevent and protect against terrorist attacks and other Homeland Security relevant events.

Earlier this month, this legislation was passed out of the Committee on Homeland Security by a voice vote. I would like to thank Chairman McCaul and Mr. Gallagher for cosponsoring this legislation. I urge all my colleagues to support this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the ranking member for his support on this legislation. I would once again urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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