Legislation proposed by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) to enhance collaboration between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Network of Fusion Centers in their work to detect, prevent and respond to criminal and terrorist activity gained approval in the U.S. House of Representatives on March 19.
“In recent years, the Department of Homeland Security has made it a priority to provide more support and resources to fusion centers. I am glad to see this bill pass as it will build upon and reinforce these efforts,” said Rep. Bacon.
The DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act, H.R. 5079, would require DHS to draft a department-wide engagement strategy for the 79 fusion centers operating across the United States. Fusion centers, which are owned and maintained by state and local authorities with support from federal partners, analyze and share homeland security intelligence with law enforcement agencies and other homeland security stakeholders.
“When I toured the Nebraska Information Analysis Center (NIAC), the sole fusion center in the state, I saw firsthand the critical role fusion centers play in the sharing of intelligence and counterterrorism information with local law enforcement agencies,” Bacon said. “This bill will serve to strengthen the partnership between DHS and with those on the ground at fusion centers like the NIAC.”
Introduced by Bacon on Feb. 23 and approved by the House on a voice vote in less than a month, the bipartisan H.R. 5079 would require DHS to establish performance metrics to enhance accountability of DHS field personnel, as well as overall transparency, according to a summary provided by Bacon’s office. That provision came in response to a House Homeland Security Committee report that found the number of intelligence officers deployed by the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) to fusion centers had been capped in recent years, leading to the erosion of relationships between I&A and individual fusion centers, as well as gaps in information sharing.
Speaking in support of the bill, U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called fusion centers a “key element” of the country’s homeland security efforts because they strengthen partnerships at the local, state and federal levels.
“Rep. Bacon’s legislation will promote greater engagement between DHS components and fusion centers to ensure better coordination of vital counterterrorism information,” added McCaul, who signed on as an original cosponsor of H.R. 5079 along with U.S. Reps. John Katko (R-NY), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and William Keating (D-MA).
H.R. 5079 also would support improved training and information-sharing systems in response to the committee’s findings that I&A doesn’t offer standardized, in-person training on the Homeland Security Data Network (HSDN), the DHS’ document-sharing system for unclassified intelligence. The lack of standardized HSDN training has resulted in proficiency gaps among fusion center personnel, according to the committee report.
The bill has been referred to the U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.