Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007
Latest action. House Committee on Energy and Commerce Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 8, 2006.
Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 - Title I: Authorization of Appropriations - (Sec. 101) Authorizes appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for FY2007.
Title II: Improving Management, Integration, and Oversight - Subtitle A: Management Reform - (Sec. 201) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (HSA) to replace the Under Secretary for Management with a Deputy Secretary position.
(Sec. 202) Includes among DHS's chief operating officers the Chief Financial Officer, Chief Procurement Officer, Chief Information Officer, Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and Chief Security Officer. Directs: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security (the Secretary) to delegate to such officers direct authority over their respective counterparts in component agencies; and (2) the chief operating officers in component agencies to coordinate activities with the heads of their respective agencies.
(Sec. 203) Requires: (1) the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties to serve as the Secretary's coordinator for issues relating to individuals with disabilities and mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery by assisting in the development, implementation, and review of policies and procedures; (2) the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to appoint an individual to serve as the Director's coordinator for issues relating to individuals with disabilities; and (3) the Under Secretary for Preparedness to appoint a coordinator for issues relating to individuals with disabilities.
(Sec. 204) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report on the accessibility to individuals with disabilities of emergency shelters for use in response to a major disaster.
(Sec. 205) Directs the Secretary to establish a graduate-level Homeland Security Education Program in the National Capital Region for federal, state, and local officials with homeland security and emergency management responsibilities.
Subtitle B: Integration and Organizational Improvements - (Sec. 221) Establishes in DHS a Directorate for Policy, Planning, and International Affairs, headed by an Under Secretary for Policy.
Establishes within the Directorate an Office of International Affairs, headed by an Assistant Secretary, to promote the exchange of information and education with friendly nations and the sharing of best practices and technologies relating to homeland security.
The summary continues for 110 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 "Reported to House with amendment(s)" stage on November 9, 2006. 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 November 17, 2006: House Committee on Energy and Commerce Granted an extension for further consideration ending not later than Dec. 8, 2006.
- 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 109th Congress (2005-06), 482 of the 10,701 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 4.5 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?
PETER KING (R-NY) introduced it on July 17, 2006, and 3 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 1 Republican.
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 July 17, 2006, 7360 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 7237 days ago, on November 17, 2006.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 109th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2007 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