118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 6229
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize a program
to assess the threat, vulnerability, and consequences of terrorism or
other security threats, as appropriate, to certain events, and for other
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
NOVEMBER 3, 2023
Ms. TITUS (for herself and Mr. HUDSON) introduced the following bill; which
was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to
the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize
a program to assess the threat, vulnerability, and consequences of terrorism or other security threats, as appropriate, to certain events, and for other purposes.
1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘DHS Special Events
5 Program and Support Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. DHS SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAM.
2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle H of title VIII of the
3 Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.)
4 is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
5 ‘‘SEC. 890E. SPECIAL EVENTS PROGRAM.
6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized within the
7 Department a program to assess the threat, vulnerability,
8 and consequences of terrorism or other security threats,
9 as appropriate, at certain special events in accordance
10 with subsection (b).
11 ‘‘(b) REQUIREMENTS.—The program authorized
12 under subsection (a) shall—
13 ‘‘(1) apply to special events that are pre14 planned and not designated as National Special Se15 curity Events by the Secretary;
16 ‘‘(2) include a standard process for Federal,
17 State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials to volun18 tarily submit to the Secretary requests for a special
19 event rating that could result in direct support for
20 security and situational awareness for such special
21 event;
22 ‘‘(3) maintain a risk-based methodology to as23 sess ratings requests, including requests submitted
24 pursuant to paragraph (2), that considers the antici25 pated attendance by United States officials or for26 eign dignitaries, the size and venue of the special
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1 event, credible threats of terrorism or other security
2 threats, and other homeland security information, as
3 appropriate; and
4 ‘‘(4) include a process for expedited consider5 ation and, where appropriate, a process for the reas6 sessment, of a special event rating.
7 ‘‘(c) SUPPORT TO SPECIAL EVENTS.—For purposes
8 of protecting a special event described in subsection (b),
9 the Secretary may provide security and situational aware10 ness support to a Federal, State, local, Tribal, or terri11 torial official at the request of an appropriate Federal,
12 State, local, Tribal, or territorial official.
13 ‘‘(d) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than one year
14 after the date of the enactment of this section and annu15 ally thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Com16 mittee on Homeland Security of the House of Representa17 tives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Gov18 ernmental Affairs of the Senate a report on the program
19 authorized under subsection (a). Each such report shall
20 include information relating to the following:
21 ‘‘(1) The total number of special events sub22 mitted to the program authorized under subsection
23 (a) in the prior year, including the number of special
24 events at each rating level.
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1 ‘‘(2) The total number of events in the prior
2 year for which the Secretary designated a Federal
3 coordinator or coordinated security and situational
4 awareness support, including a summary of Federal
5 support provided.
6 ‘‘(3) The total number of requests for special
7 event rating reassessment under subsection (b)(4),
8 including the following:
9 ‘‘(A) The identification of the requesting
10 entity.
11 ‘‘(B) The special event name, date, and lo12 cation.
13 ‘‘(C) The initial and final rating deter14 mination.
15 ‘‘(D) The justification for such final rating
16 determination.
17 ‘‘(e) PERIODIC ASSESSMENTS.—Not later than one
18 year after the date of the enactment of this section and
19 every five years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to
20 the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
21 Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security
22 and Governmental Affairs of the Senate an assessment of
23 the program authorized under subsection (a).
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1 ‘‘(f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘home2 land security information’ has the meaning given such
3 term in section 892.’’.
4 (b) MASS GATHERING RESEARCH.—Not later than
5 one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
6 Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the
7 Undersecretary for Science and Technology of the Depart8 ment of Homeland Security and the official responsible for
9 carrying out section 890E of the Homeland Security Act
10 of 2002, as added by subsection (a), shall, to the extent
11 practicable, carry out research and development, including
12 operational testing, of technologies and techniques for en13 hancing the Department’s security and situational aware14 ness support to Federal, State, local, Tribal, and terri15 torial officials relating to mass gatherings consistent with
16 applicable constitutional, privacy, civil rights, and civil lib17 erties protections.
18 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents
19 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is
20 amended by inserting after the item relating to section
21 890D the following new item:
‘‘Sec. 890E. Special events program.’’.
