The House on Tuesday approved by voice vote 17 bills that previously passed out of the Homeland Security Committee and touch on a range of issues including cyber, border and transportation security.
“These bills improve our border security, transportation security and cyber security defenses, enhance our first responder capabilities and streamline the management efficiency of the Department of Homeland Security,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said in a statement on Tuesday.
Some of the bills that passed the House include:
The Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2017 (H.R. 505), introduced by Rep. Martha McScally (R-Ariz.), requires major border security technology programs at the Department of Homeland Security to have approved acquisition program baselines and documentation that they are meeting cost, schedule and performance thresholds;
The DHS Acquisition Documentation Integrity Act of 2017 (H.R. 347), introduced by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), requires the DHS management office to maintain accurate and up to date acquisition documentation that includes validated operational requirements, lifecycle cost estimates that are verified against independent cost estimates, a cost-benefit analysis and an integrated master schedule;
The United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act of 2017 (H.R. 612), introduced by Rep. James Langevin (D-R.I.), establishes a grant program at DHS to promote cooperative research and development between the U.S. and Israel in cyber security;
The Securing the Cities Act of 2017 (H.R. 655), introduced by Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.), authorizes the Securing the Cities program DHS uses to help major urban areas around the U.S. detect illicit nuclear and radiological materials;
The Cyber Preparedness Act (H.R. 584), also introduced by Donovan, is aimed at enhancing preparedness and response capabilities for cyber attacks and strengthens the sharing of cyber threat information with state, local and regional fusion centers;
The Airport Perimeter and Access Control Security Act (H.R. 665), introduced by Rep. William Keating (D-Mass.), requires the Transportation Security Administration to update risk assessments at airports, specifically long airport perimeters and points of access to secure areas, and report to Congress strategic plans to increase security measures; and
The Gains in Global Nuclear Detection Architecture Act (H.R. 690), introduced by Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.), directs the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to develop a technology roadmap and strategy that includes how research investments address gaps in the Global Nuclear Detection Architecture, identifies research challenges and how these challenges will be addressed.