DHS Headquarters Reform and Improvement Act of 2015
Latest action. Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-632.
DHS Headquarters Reform and Improvement Act of 2015
(Sec. 2) This section requires this Act to be carried out using available amounts, without the authorization of additional funds.
TITLE I--DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY HEADQUARTERS REAUTHORIZATION
((Sec. 102) This section amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to: (1) allow the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with governments of other countries and with nongovernmental organizations in order to achieve the missions of the Department; and (2) establish the components of the Department Headquarters of DHS and set forth its functions, including establishing DHS's overall strategy for successfully completing its mission.
This section abolishes the position of Director of Shared Services and the Office of Counternarcotics Enforcement.
(Sec. 103) This section designates the senior DHS privacy officer as the DHS Chief Privacy Officer and sets forth additional responsibilities for such Officer for developing privacy policies and practices and reporting requirements.
(Sec. 104) This section establishes in DHS an Office of Policy, to be headed by an Under Secretary for Policy. The mission of the Office is to lead, conduct, and coordinate DHS-wide policy, strategic planning, and relationships with organizations or persons that are not part of DHS. The duties of the Under Secretary include serving as the principal policy advisor to the DHS Secretary, overseeing and coordinating relationships with outside stakeholders, and managing and coordinating DHS's international engagement activities.
The Office of Policy includes an Office of Partnership and Engagement, an Office of International Affairs, an Office of Policy Implementation, and an Office of Strategy and Planning.
DHS must complete and report on a review of the international affairs offices, functions, and responsibilities of DHS components to identify and eliminate areas of unnecessary duplication.
(Sec. 105) DHS must conduct a quadrennial review of the homeland security of the United States. The first review must be completed by December 31, 2017, and subsequent reviews by December 31 of every fourth year thereafter.
The summary continues for 31 more paragraphs. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Passed House amended" stage on October 20, 2015. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on March 16, 2016: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-632.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 114th Congress (2015-16), 329 of the 10,233 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.2 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Michael McCaul (R-TX) introduced it on September 18, 2015, and 2 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 2 Democrats.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on September 18, 2015, 4010 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 3830 days ago, on March 16, 2016.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 114th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2017 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers