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US Congress · H.R. 2261 · Passed the House

Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act

Introduced
Moved
Reached a final decision
Introduced 2025-03-21
Derived from the official record below.

Officially: “Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act Read the full text

Armed Forces and National Security

What it does

Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act This bill increases privacy protections associated with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence information. Specifically, the bill requires designated DHS officials to ensure that certain intelligence information is shared, stored, and disseminated in a manner consistent with the protection of civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy rights. The bill also provides statutory authority for requirements for DHS to train intelligence personnel on civil rights, civil liberties, privacy rights, and privacy-related regulations and informat
Summary by the Congressional Research Service, from the official record. Plain-language version below. Not legal advice.

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1Short title

This section would let the Act be called the Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Strengthening Oversight of DHS Intelligence Act .

2Enhanced DHS oversight of certain intelligence matters

This section would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 in three places. In each place it would add a new final item to an existing numbered list of duties and make small punctuation changes to the two items already at the end of that list (removing a closing "and" from one item and changing a period to "; and" on the next) so the new item reads correctly as part of the list. First, it would add a new item to the list in section 201(d)(9) of the Homeland Security Act stating that any intelligence information under the Act must be shared, retained, and disseminated consistent with the protection of privacy rights, civil rights, and civil liberties, with the Chief Privacy Officer determining consistency with privacy rights and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties determining consistency with civil rights and civil liberties, respectively. Second, it would add a new duty to the list in section 222(a) of the Homeland Security Act: to coordinate with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to ensure that intelligence information under the Act is shared, retained, and disseminated in a manner consistent with the protection of privacy rights, and to provide training to intelligence personnel on privacy rights, regulations, and information practices under section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly called the Privacy Act of 1974) and other relevant laws, with a focus on personnel who have authority to disseminate information analyzed by the Department under section 201(d)(6) of the Act or the responsibility to review information before it is disseminated under that paragraph. Third, it would add a matching new duty to the list in section 705(a) of the Homeland Security Act: to coordinate with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to ensure that intelligence information under the Act is shared, retained, and disseminated in a manner consistent with the protection of civil rights and civil liberties, and to provide training to intelligence personnel on civil rights and civil liberties, with the same focus on personnel who have authority to disseminate information analyzed by the Department under section 201(d)(6) of the Act or the responsibility to review information before it is disseminated under that paragraph.

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Official text, verbatim from the record

2. Enhanced DHS oversight of certain intelligence matters The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended— (1) in paragraph (9) of section 201(d) ( 6 U.S.C. 121(d) )— (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking and after the semicolon; (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (C) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: (C) any intelligence information under this Act is shared, retained, and disseminated consistent with the protection of privacy rights, civil rights, and civil liberties, as determined, respectively, by the Chief Privacy Officer and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. ; (2) in subsection (a) of section 222 ( 6 U.S.C. 142 )— (A) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking and after the semicolon; (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and inserting ; and ; and (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (7) coordinating with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to— (A) ensure that any intelligence information under this Act is shared, retained, and disseminated in a manner consistent with the protection of the privacy rights; and (B) provide training to intelligence personnel on privacy rights, regulations, and information practices as specified in section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Privacy Act of 1974 ) and other relevant laws, with a focus on personnel who have authority to disseminate information analyzed by the Department pursuant to paragraph (6) of section 201(d) or the responsibility to review information to be disseminated pursuant to such paragraph. ; and (3) in subsection (a) of section 705 ( 6 U.S.C. 345 )— (A) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking and after the semicolon; (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and inserting ; and ; and (C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (7) coordinate with the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis to— (A) ensure that any intelligence information under this Act is shared, retained, and disseminated in a manner consistent with the protection of civil rights and civil liberties; and (B) provide training to intelligence personnel on civil rights and civil liberties, with a focus on personnel who have authority to disseminate information analyzed by the Department pursuant to paragraph (6) of section 201(d) or the responsibility to review information to be disseminated pursuant to such paragraph. .

AI plain languageRead the whole bill in plain language, 2 sections

Where it is

Introduced · 2025-03-21

In the House.

Passed the House · 2025-11-17
Senate floor vote · next · the next step

Official documents

The on-site text is shown verbatim from the GovInfo publication, captured 2026-07-23. The same version at GovInfo.

The numbers

29%
of bills that passed one chamber became law in the 118th Congress, 2023 to 2024 (n=939)
3
sponsors, out of 218 needed to pass
Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record. Last action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (2025-11-18).