Terrorism Prevention and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2017
Latest action (7 Feb 2017): Introduced
What this bill does
H.R. 945, the Terrorism Prevention and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2017, would formally write into law the goals of a 2013 presidential directive (Presidential Policy Directive 21) aimed at protecting the nation's critical infrastructure—such as energy, water, transportation, healthcare, food, financial, and telecommunications systems—from terrorist attacks. It directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to work with infrastructure owners, operators, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to identify vulnerabilities, share threat information, and coordinate response and recovery efforts. The bill establishes a 19-member research task force and other working groups to study infrastructure interdependencies and cybersecurity gaps, creates two national centers for situational awareness and threat analysis, and requires several reports to Congress and the President within set deadlines (120 to 180 days, and 18 months). It also elevates DHS's Privacy Officer to a Senate-confirmed position reporting directly to the Secretary.
The bill primarily affects the Department of Homeland Security, other federal agencies with infrastructure-related responsibilities, private-sector infrastructure owners and operators, and state and local governments, by creating new coordination structures, research requirements, and reporting obligations. It also touches privacy oversight within DHS by strengthening the independence of the Privacy Officer role.
The bill was introduced on February 7, 2017, by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. It did not receive a vote and did not advance further in the 115th Congress.
Plain-English summary generated by Bill100 AI from the official record. Always verify against the source below.
Official summary
Terrorism Prevention and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2017
This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to:
• work with critical infrastructure owners and operators and state, local, tribal, and territorial entities to manage risk and strengthen the security and resilience of the nation's critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks;
• establish terrorism prevention policy to engage with international partners to strengthen critical infrastructure located inside or outside of the United States;
• establish a task force to research the best means to address the security and resilience of critical infrastructure in an integrated, holistic manner;
• establish the Strategic Research Imperatives Program to lead DHS's federal civilian agency approach to strengthen critical infrastructure; and
• provide research findings to federal civilian agencies for the identification, prioritization, assessment, remediation, and security of their internal critical infrastructure.
DHS must: (1) appoint a research working group to study how to achieve national unity of effort to protect against terrorism threats and investigate the security and resilience of the nation's information assurance components that provide such protection; and (2) establish a research program to provide strategic guidance, promote a national unity of effort, and coordinate the overall federal effort.
Common questions
- What does H.R. 945 do?
- H.R. 945, the Terrorism Prevention and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2017, would formally write into law the goals of a 2013 presidential directive (Presidential Policy Directive 21) aimed at protecting the nation's critical infrastructure—such as energy, water, transportation, healthcare, food, financial, and telecommunications systems—from terrorist attacks. It directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to work with infrastructure owners, operators, and state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to identify vulnerabilities, share threat information, and coordinate response and recovery efforts. The bill establishes a 19-member research task force and other working groups to study infrastructure interdependencies and cybersecurity gaps, creates two national centers for situational awareness and threat analysis, and requires several reports to Congress and the President within set deadlines (120 to 180 days, and 18 months). It also elevates DHS's Privacy Officer to a Senate-confirmed position reporting directly to the Secretary. The bill primarily affects the Department of Homeland Security, other federal agencies with infrastructure-related responsibilities, private-sector infrastructure owners and operators, and state and local governments, by creating new coordination structures, research requirements, and reporting obligations. It also touches privacy oversight within DHS by strengthening the independence of the Privacy Officer role. The bill was introduced on February 7, 2017, by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. It did not receive a vote and did not advance further in the 115th Congress.
- Has H.R. 945 become law?
- Not yet. As of 7 Feb 2017, H.R. 945 is introduced.
- Who sponsored H.R. 945?
- H.R. 945 was sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee [D-TX18, 1995-2024] (Democrat-TX), with 0 cosponsors.
- What's the latest action on H.R. 945?
- Introduced (7 Feb 2017).
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