Federal Information Resource to Strengthen Ties with State and Local Law Enforcement Act of 2017

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 495, the Office of State and Local Law Enforcement Information Sharing Review Act, introduced by my friend and colleague, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

The Office for State and Local Law Enforcement is part of the Department of Homeland Security and currently resides in the Office of Partnership and Engagement. The Office provides information on DHS' resources that are available to State and local law enforcement agency partners and a point of contact for questions regarding DHS' policies and programs.

This bill requires the Office for State and Local Law Enforcement to provide a report on the efforts of the Office to improve information sharing between DHS and law enforcement agencies, an overview of the performance metrics used to measure success and any feedback provided by the State and local stakeholders, and an overview of ongoing activities of the Office.

This reporting requirement is intended to assist the Office in identifying areas of improvement in the Department's information- sharing efforts and coordinating with the relevant DHS components to close any identified gaps.

I am pleased the bill includes a sunset on the reporting requirement after 5 years. While the information gathered through the report will be valuable for congressional oversight, it is important that we do not overburden the Department with never-ending reporting requirements.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, I reiterate, this is good government policy, and I fully support and urge its passage.

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