Bill H.R.4209 titled “DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. August Pfluger. This bill authorizes for FY2022 and FY2023 U. S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) activities to identify and remediate illicit cross-border tunnels. CBP shall also develop and report to Congress a strategic plan to improve such operations.
Bill H.R.4476 titled “DHS Trade and Economic Security Council Act of 2021” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Peter Meijer. This bill establishes the DHS Trade and Economic Security Council, which shall provide economic security advice and recommendations to the Department of Homeland Security. This includes identifying concentrated risks and setting priorities for protecting the nation's economic security.
Bill H.R.5633 titled “Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Transparency Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson. The bill requires the OIG's semiannual reports to include specified information regarding ongoing audits, inspections, and evaluations.
Bill H.R.5641 titled “SPEED Recovery Act Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster Recovery Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Sam Graves.
Bill H.R.5689 titled “Resilient AMERICA Act Resilient Assistance for Mitigation for Environmentally Resilient Infrastructure and Construction by Americans Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio.
Bill H.R.6387 titled “School and Daycare Protection Act” was received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs by the Senate. The bill is sponsored by Rep. Jr. Payne Donald. This bill establishes in the Department of Homeland Security a council to ensure the coordination of activities, plans, and policies to enhance the security of schools and preschools against acts of terrorism.
The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee moves forward in some way on one bill per day.
Most bills have a hearing where those involved explain why they are for or against the bill. Roughly 8,000 bills are addressed by committees each year but only about 800 make it to the floor of Congress, according to ushistory.org.
A 2019 report from the Brookings Institute argued committees aren’t capable of delving fully into the issues they address and are forced to rely on lobbyists.
| Bill Name | Sponsor | Action |
|---|---|---|
| DHS Illicit Cross-Border Tunnel Defense Act | Rep. Pfluger, August | Senate |
| DHS Trade and Economic Security Council Act of 2021 | Rep. Meijer, Peter | Senate |
| Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Transparency Act | Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. | Senate |
| SPEED Recovery Act Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster Recovery Act | Rep. Graves, Sam | Senate |
| Resilient AMERICA Act Resilient Assistance for Mitigation for Environmentally Resilient Infrastructure and Construction by Americans Act | Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. | Senate |
| School and Daycare Protection Act | Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. | Senate |
