DHS bills markupHouse committee to markup eleven Homeland Security bills

The House Committee on Homeland Security will today (Wednesday, 20 May, 11:00 a.m.) markup eleven Homeland Security bills. The committee will consider the legislation passed last week from a Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency markup, a Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications markup, and other homeland security related bills.

The bills to be marked up today: 

• H.R. 1300, the First Responder Anthrax Preparedness Act, introduced by Representative Peter King (R-New York), directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to make anthrax vaccines and antimicrobials available to emergency response providers.
• H.R. 1615, the DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Buddy Carter (R-Georgia), directs DHS’s Chief FOIA Officer to make certain improvements in the implementation the Freedom of Information Act. 
• H.R. 1626, the DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Will Hurd (R-Texas), seeks to reduce duplication of information technology at the department.
• H.R. 1633, the DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Barry Loudermilk R-Georgia), requires improvements to the tracking and reporting of DHS employees placed on administrative leave, or any other type of paid non-duty status, for personnel matters.
• H.R. 1637, the Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015, introduced by Representative John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), requires the Department of Homeland Security to produce annual reports on the activities and accomplishments of their federally funded research and development centers.
• H.R. 1640, the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters Consolidation Accountability Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Mark Walker (R-North Carolina), directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit to Congress a report on DHS’s headquarters consolidation project at St. Elizabeth’s.
• H.R. 1646, the Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act, introduced by Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey), requires the Secretary of DHS to research how small and medium sized unmanned aerial systems could be used in an attack and how to prevent or mitigate the effects of such an attack.  
• H.R. 1738, the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System Modernization Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-Florida), directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to modernize and implement an effective public alert and warning system to relay important security information.
• H.R. 2200, the CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015, introduced by Representative Martha McSally (R-Arizona), establishes a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear intelligence and information sharing function within DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis and requires that information to be distributed by the Department to the appropriate homeland security related entities.
• H.R. 2206, the State Wide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act, introduced by Representative Donald Payne (D-New Jersey), requires recipients of State Homeland Security Grant Program funding to preserve and strengthen interoperable emergency communications capabilities.
• H.R. 2390, the Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act, requires a review of university-based centers for homeland security.

The markup will be streamed live here.