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Public Safety & Homeland Security

I was an intern on Capitol Hill on September 11, 2001, and am mindful of the threats we face here at home. It is also a key job of the federal government to protect our homeland from terrorism and be prepared to respond in the unlikely event of an attack. As a member of the Intelligence, Judiciary, and Homeland Security committees, I believe protecting Americans is Congress' most solemn duty.

As threats to our homeland become more diverse and the threat actors more dispersed, I believe we must enhance our security in two key areas. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security both make it clear - the greatest threat posed to our homeland is domestic violent extremism. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, I am committed to addressing the problem of domestic terrorism, violent white supremacy, and anti-government movements.

Cybersecurity is another relatively new threat to our homeland security. The threat actors in cyberspace range from sophisticated state actors like Russia and China to terrorist groups that are increasingly funded by ransomware and cryptocurrency, to malicious non-state actors seeking to disrupt our modern economy. In Congress, I try to educate my colleagues on the cybersecurity threats to our security and enhance our policies to better protect our critical infrastructure. Unfortunately, cybersecurity vulnerabilities are pervasive across our power grids, water and sanitation systems, oil and gas pipelines, transportation networks, and the ever-expanding internet infrastructure that we all rely on to stay connected.

What I am Doing for You:

I introduced H.R. 7777, the Industrial Control Systems Cybersecurity Training Act, a bill to establish, within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an initiative to provide the cybersecurity workforce with no-cost training related to securing industrial control systems. Industrial Control Systems are used in critical infrastructure and manufacturing processes vital to the American economy and homeland Security. This bill was included in the Omnibus appropriations package that passed the House and was signed into law by President Biden.

I introduced H.R. 8403, the Proactive Cybersecurity Initiatives Act of 2022, a bill to mandate proactive cybersecurity measures like penetration testing, continuous monitoring and deceptive environments on government information networks. This bill would enhance the cybersecurity of all government systems and also compel CISA to report to Congress on efforts to secure government networks against cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This bill was included in the Omnibus appropriations package that passed the House and was signed into law by President Biden.

I cosponsored H.R. 6825, the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill to improve the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and raise the authorized funding level to $500 million for each fiscal year through 2028.

I introduced H.R. 4491, the National Security Council Modernization Act of 2021 to give the Secretary of Health and Human Services, whose department oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other disease surveillance agencies, a seat on the NSC. This would ensure that emerging public health threats are evaluated as potential national security threats, and would provide a readily-available forum for the Secretary to share information on such diseases with national security-oriented departments such as the Department of Defense. The bill also strengthens the NSC by permanently seating the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Director of National Intelligence, and by allowing only Senate-confirmed officers of the United States to serve as full members – thus limiting the president's ability to politicize the NSC.

I'm an original cosponsor of H.R. 3243, the Pipeline Security Act, a bipartisan bill to explicitly codify the roles of the Transportation Security Administration and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in securing critical infrastructure pipelines.

I cosponsored H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA) of 2021, a bipartisan bill to strengthen the federal government's efforts to prevent, report on, respond to, and investigate acts of domestic terrorism by authorizing offices dedicated to combating this threat; requiring these offices to regularly assess this threat; and providing training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement in addressing it. DTPA would authorize three offices, one each within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to monitor, investigate, and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism. The bill also requires these offices to provide Congress with joint biannual reports assessing the state of domestic terrorism threats, with a specific focus on white supremacists.

I cosponsored H.R. 2119, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021, a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and increase funding for the Family Violence Prevention Services program, and to update the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Other legislative highlights in the 117th Congress:

  • I joined a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, requesting support for programs to combat violence and sexual assault.
  • I joined a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, supporting at least $49 million for the Department of Justice's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to address the rape kit backlog.
  • I joined a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, supporting multiple juvenile justice programs, including $80 million for the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) State Formula Grants Program and $96 million for the JJDPA Title V Delinquency Prevention Program.
  • I joined a letter to the House Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, and Science, supporting $151 million for the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Reduction Grant Program and language to ensure its funds are only used for DNA backlog reduction.
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Alameda County Fire 25, July 2016

Rep. Swalwell visits Alameda County Fire Station 25 in Castro Valley, July 2016.