SAFE VISITS Act
Officially: “SAFE VISITS Act” Read the full text
What it does
Read it in plain language
1Short title
This section gives the Act two short titles: the Securing Access from Foreign Entities Visiting Internal Sites in the States Act, or the SAFE VISITS Act.
Show official text
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Securing Access from Foreign Entities Visiting Internal Sites in the States Act or the SAFE VISITS Act .
2DHS threat analyses and guidance related to visiting foreign nationals to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments
This section would add a new section 210H to the Homeland Security Act of 2002. Under the new section, no later than 180 days after enactment and then every year after, the Secretary of Homeland Security would have to send the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs a threat analysis, including analysis of potential terrorism threats, based on reports the Department receives from State, local, Tribal, or territorial government officials or employees about known visits by foreign nationals who seek to meet with those officials or employees or who seek access to State, local, Tribal, or territorial government information, facilities, programs, or systems. The Secretary would also have to share guidance based on that threat analysis with State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments. The threat analysis and guidance would have to include descriptions of high-risk State, local, Tribal, and territorial government targets; an analysis of trends in these foreign national visits, based on vetting request information submitted to, by, or through fusion centers by State, local, Tribal, or territorial governments; and descriptions of actions that could be taken to mitigate homeland security threats, including potential terrorism threats, and protect officials, employees, information, facilities, programs, or systems. If the Secretary's threat analysis identifies a specific State, local, Tribal, or territorial government official, employee, or piece of information, facility, program, or system as a high-risk potential target of a visiting foreign national seeking access, the Secretary would have to reach out to that government and share information about the potential target, unclassified or classified at the lowest possible level; give that government assistance vetting the foreign national; and provide additional guidance on specific actions that could be taken to mitigate the threat connected with the visit. No later than 30 days after a government that received this assistance hosts the visiting foreign national, the Secretary would have to ask that government for a debriefing, to stay aware of any attempt by the visiting foreign national to gain access to officials, employees, information, facilities, programs, or systems, and of the techniques the foreign national used. The Secretary would also have to submit an annual report to the same two committees describing the outreach and vetting assistance provided over the preceding six months, submitted together with each threat-analysis report starting with the second one. For purposes of the new section, information means data or materials collected, possessed, or prepared by a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government that is not intended for public disclosure or general use. Separately, this section would require the Secretary of Homeland Security, to the extent practicable, to coordinate with the Department's Under Secretary for Science and Technology to research and develop technology that improves the sharing of information needed to carry out the new section 210H. This section would also add a corresponding entry to the Homeland Security Act's table of contents for the new section.
Show official text
2. DHS threat analyses and guidance related to visiting foreign nationals to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments (a) In general Subtitle A of title II of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 121 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following new section: 210H. Threat analyses and guidance related to visiting foreign nationals to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments (a) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this section and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a threat analysis, including relating to potential terrorism threats, reported to the Department by State, local, Tribal, or territorial government officials or employees, regarding any known visits by foreign nationals who— (1) seek to meet with such officials or employees, or (2) seek access to State, local, Tribal, or territorial government information, facilities, programs, or systems, and disseminate to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments guidance based on such threat analysis. (b) Content of threat analysis and guidance The threat analysis, including relating to potential terrorism threats, and guidance under subsection (a) shall contain the following: (1) Descriptions of high-risk State, local, Tribal, and territorial government targets. (2) An analysis of trends related to visits by foreign nationals who seek access to State, local, Tribal, or territorial officials or employees, information, facilities, programs, or systems based on vetting request information submitted to, by, or through fusion centers (as such term is defined in section 210A) by State, local, Tribal, or territorial governments. (3) Descriptions of actions that may be taken to mitigate homeland security threats, including potential terrorism threats, and protect State, local, Tribal, and territorial officials or employees, information, facilities, programs, or systems. (c) Tailored outreach and vetting assistance (1) In general If the Secretary, based on the threat analysis under subsection (a), identifies a particular State, local, Tribal, or territorial government official or employee or information, facility, program, or system as a high-risk potential target of a visiting foreign national who seeks access to such official or employee, information, facility, program, or system, the Secretary shall carry out the following: (A) Conduct outreach to the identified State, local, Tribal, or territorial government and provide information, unclassified or classified at the lowest possible level, regarding such potential target. (B) Provide the identified State, local, Tribal, or Territorial government with assistance vetting such a foreign national. (C) Provide the identified State, local, Tribal, or Territorial government with additional guidance on specific actions that may be taken to mitigate homeland security threats, including potential terrorism threats, in connection with such visit. (2) Debriefings Not later than 30 days after an identified State, local, Tribal, or Territorial government hosts a visiting foreign national for which the Department provided assistance in accordance with paragraph (1), the Secretary shall request a debriefing from such host State, local, Tribal, or territorial government to maintain awareness of any attempt by visiting foreign nationals to obtain access to officials or employees, information, facilities, programs, or systems of such host State, local, Tribal, or Territorial government, and the techniques used by such visiting foreign nationals. (d) Report The Secretary shall annually submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate a description of the outreach and vetting assistance by the Secretary under subsection (c) during the immediately preceding six month period. Each report under this subsection shall be submitted together with each corresponding report required under subsection (a), beginning with the second such report under such subsection. (e) Information defined In this section, the term information means data or materials collected, possessed, or prepared by a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government that is not intended for public disclosure or general use. . (b) Research and development The Secretary of Homeland Security shall, to the extent practicable, coordinate with the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security to carry out research and development of a technology to enhance sharing of information to carry out section 210H of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as added by subsection (a). (c) Clerical amendment The table of contents in section (b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 210G the following new item: Sec. 210H. Threat analyses and guidance related to visiting foreign nationals to State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments. .
Where it is
In the House.