Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1955 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1955

        To prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 19, 2007

  Ms. Harman (for herself and Mr. Reichert) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in
    addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
  of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
                               concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

        To prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
of 2007''.

SEC. 2. PREVENTION OF HOMEGROWN TERRORISM.

    (a) In General.--Title VIII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6
U.S.C. 361 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new
subtitle:

            ``Subtitle J--Prevention of Homegrown Terrorism

``SEC. 899A. DEFINITIONS.

    ``For purposes of this subtitle:
            ``(1) Homegrown terrorism.--The term `homegrown terrorism'
        means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or
        violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and
        operating primarily within the United States or any possession
        of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States
        government, the civilian population of the United States, or
        any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social
        objectives.
            ``(2) Radicalization.--The term `radicalization' means the
        process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for
        the purpose of facilitating ideologically-based violence to
        advance political, religious, or social change.
            ``(3) Ideologically-based violence.--The term
        `ideologically-based violence' means the use, planned use, or
        threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to
        promote the group or individual's political, religious, or
        social beliefs.

``SEC. 899B. FINDINGS.

    ``The Congress finds the following:
            ``(1) The development and implementation of methods and
        processes that can be utilized to prevent homegrown terrorism
        in the United States is critical to combating domestic
        terrorism.
            ``(2) The promotion of ideologically-based violence and
        homegrown terrorism exists in the United States and poses a
        threat to homeland security.
            ``(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating ideologically-
        based violence and the homegrown terrorism process in the
        United States by providing access to broad and constant streams
        of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.
            ``(4) While the United States must continue its vigilant
        efforts to combat international terrorism, it must also
        strengthen efforts to combat the threat posed by homegrown
        terrorists based and operating within the United States.
            ``(5) Understanding the motivational factors that lead to
        homegrown terrorism is a vital step toward eradicating these
        threats in the United States.
            ``(6) The potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated
        terrorists domestically cannot be easily prevented through
        traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts,
        and requires the incorporation of State and local solutions.
            ``(7) Individuals prone to ideologically-based violence
        span all races, ethnicities, and religious beliefs, and
        individuals should not be targeted based solely on race,
        ethnicity, or religion.
            ``(8) Any measure taken to prevent ideologically-based
        violence and homegrown terrorism in the United States should
        not violate the constitutional rights, civil rights and civil
        liberties of United States citizens and lawful permanent
        residents.
            ``(9) Certain governments, including the United Kingdom,
        Canada, and Australia have significant experience with
        homegrown terrorism and the United States can benefit from
        lessons learned by those nations.

``SEC. 899C. GRANT PROGRAM TO PREVENT IDEOLOGICALLY-BASED VIOLENCE AND
              HOMEGROWN TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES.

    ``(a) Establishment.--Subject to the requirements of this section,
the Secretary shall establish a grant program to prevent radicalization
and homegrown terrorism in the United States.
    ``(b) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary may award grants to States
to enhance homeland security by preventing radicalization and homegrown
terrorism in at-risk populations, as determined by the Secretary.
    ``(c) Purpose.--The purpose of the grant program is to prevent,
disrupt, and mitigate the effects of radicalization and prevent
ideologically-based violence and homegrown terrorism in the United
States.
    ``(d) Grant Eligibility.--Any State shall be eligible to apply for
a grant under the program referred to in paragraph (a).
    ``(e) Use of Funds.--Grants awarded under this section shall be
used by the States to award to agencies and organizations, including
but not limited to, social services agencies, community-based groups,
educational institutions and non-governmental organizations as sub-
grantees to address radicalization and homegrown terrorism by--
            ``(1) developing best practices, standards and protocols to
        conduct outreach to various populations that are at-risk for
        radicalization and homegrown terrorism;
            ``(2) assisting with educational outreach, social services,
        and integration into society;
            ``(3) program planning and management and strategy
        formulation and strategic planning;
            ``(4) promote civic engagement and community outreach
        programs;
            ``(5) any other uses determined by the Secretary to be
        necessary to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
    ``(f) Prohibited Uses.--Funds provided as a grant may not be used--
            ``(1) for law enforcement activities, except for programs
        that include outreach activities;
            ``(2) to supplant State or local funds;
            ``(3) to construct buildings or other physical facilities;
            ``(4) to acquire land; or
            ``(5) for any State or local government cost-sharing
        contribution.
    ``(g) Application for Grant.--
            ``(1) In general.--A State may apply for a grant under this
        subsection by submitting to the Secretary an application
        detailing how requested funds would be used to achieve the
        purpose stated herein and containing such other information the
        Secretary may reasonably require.
            ``(2) Deadlines for applications and awards.--All
        applications for grants must be submitted at such time as the
        Secretary may reasonably require for the fiscal year for which
        they are submitted. The Secretary shall award grants pursuant
        to all approved applications for such fiscal year as soon as
        practicable, but not later than March 1 of such year.
            ``(3) Availability of funds.--All funds awarded by the
        Secretary in a fiscal year shall be available for obligation
        through the end of the subsequent fiscal year.
            ``(4) Minimum contents of application.--The Secretary shall
        require that each State include in its application, at a
        minimum-
                    ``(A) the purpose for which the applicant seeks
                grant funds and the reason why the applicant needs the
                grant to meet the capabilities for preventing
                radicalization and homegrown terrorism within the
                State;
                    ``(B) a description of how the allocation of grant
                funding proposed in the application would assist in
                fulfilling the capabilities for preventing
                radicalization and homegrown terrorism;
                    ``(C) a description of how the State plans to
                allocate the grant funds to local governments and
                Indian tribes;
                    ``(D) identification of the subgrantees that will
                expend grant funds; and
                    ``(E) a capital budget showing how the applicant
                intends to allocate and expend the covered grant funds.
    ``(h) Prioritization of Grant Applications.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall evaluate and
        annually prioritize all pending applications for grants based
        upon the risk and degree to which they would, by achieving,
        maintaining, or enhancing the capabilities of the applicants on
        a nationwide basis, mitigate the threat of radicalization and
        homegrown terrorism.
            ``(2) Basis.--Such evaluation and prioritization shall be
        based upon-
                    ``(A) the most current relevant information
                available, including, but not limited to threat
                assessments generated by the Department of Homeland
                Security Office of Intelligence Analysis, the
                Department of Homeland Security Office of Strategic
                Plans Radicalization and Engagement Working Group, and
                products generated by the Center for Excellence for the
                Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism
                established under section 899C;
                    ``(B) criteria, which shall be made publicly
                available and reported to Congress, that identifies the
                characteristics, qualities, and standards that groups
                or organizations should meet in order to serve as
                partners with the United States Government in
                fulfilling the purpose of the grant program; and
                    ``(C) information contained within State
                applications for grants, including sub-grantees
                identified in such applications.
            ``(3) Requirement for sub-grantees to meet criteria.--The
        Secretary may deny a grant under this section to any State that
        submits a grant application that identifies a sub-grantee that
        does not meet the criteria referred to in paragraph (2)(B).
            ``(4) Penalties for using non-approved or non-disclosed
        sub-grantees.--Any State that allows grant funds to be used by
        a subgrantee that has not been disclosed to and previously
        approved by the Secretary, shall be ineligible for any further
        grant funds under this section for two fiscal years.
    ``(i) Certifications Regarding Distribution of Grant Funds to Local
Governments.--Any State that receives a grant shall certify to the
Secretary, that the State has made grant funds available for
expenditure by local governments and other local groups.
    ``(j) Report on Spending.--Each recipient of a grant under this
section shall annually submit a report to the Secretary not later than
60 days after the end of each Federal fiscal year that contains--
            ``(1) an accounting of the amount of State and local
        government funds spent on activities aimed at preventing
        radicalization and homegrown terrorism;
            ``(2) an accounting of the administrative costs incurred by
        sub-grantees;
            ``(3) information regarding the use of grant funds by the
        sub-grantees as required by the Secretary; and
            ``(4) progress of the recipient and sub-grantees in
        achieving the purpose of the grant program.
    ``(k) Government Accountability Office Access to Information.--Each
recipient of grant funds under this section and the Department shall
provide the Government Accountability Office with full access to
information regarding the activities carried out under this section.
    ``(l) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit an annual
report to Congress that provides--
            ``(1) an evaluation of how states and local governments are
        making progress in achieving the purpose of the grant program;
            ``(2) the total amount of funds provided to the States as
        grants under this section during the preceding year; and
            ``(3) an accounting of how such amounts were expended.

``SEC. 899D. CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR THE STUDY OF RADICALIZATION AND
              HOMEGROWN TERRORISM IN THE UNITED STATES.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
establish or designate a university-based Center of Excellence for the
Study of Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism in the United States
(hereinafter referred to as `Center') following the merit-review
processes and procedures and other limitations that have been
previously established for selecting and supporting University Programs
Centers of Excellence. The Center shall assist Federal, State, local
and tribal homeland security officials through training, education, and
research in preventing radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the
United States. In carrying out this section, the Secretary may choose
to either create a new Center designed exclusively for the purpose
stated herein or identify and expand an existing Department of Homeland
Security Center of Excellence so that a working group is exclusively
designated within the existing Center of Excellence to achieve the
purpose set forth in subsection (b).
    ``(b) Purpose.--It shall be the purpose of the Center to study the
social, criminal, political, psychological, and economic roots of
radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States and methods
that can be utilized by Federal, State, local, and tribal homeland
security officials to mitigate radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
    ``(c) Activities.--In carrying out this section, the Center shall--
            ``(1) contribute to the establishment of training, written
        materials, information, analytical assistance and professional
        resources to aid in combating radicalization and homegrown
        terrorism;
            ``(2) utilize theories, methods and data from the social
        and behavioral sciences to better understand the origins,
        dynamics, and social and psychological aspects of
        radicalization and homegrown terrorism;
            ``(3) conduct research on the motivational factors that
        lead to radicalization and homegrown terrorism; and
            ``(4) coordinate with other academic institutions studying
        the effects of radicalization and homegrown terrorism where
        appropriate.

``SEC. 899E. PREVENTING RADICALIZATION AND HOMEGROWN TERRORISM THROUGH
              INTERNATIONAL COOPERATIVE EFFORTS.

    ``(a) International Effort.--The Secretary shall, in cooperation
with the Department of State and other Federal Government entities, as
appropriate, conduct a survey of methodologies implemented by foreign
nations to prevent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in their
respective nations.
    ``(b) Implementation.--To the extent that methodologies are not
impermissible under the Constitution, the Secretary shall use the
results of the survey as an aid in developing a national policy in the
United States on addressing radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
    ``(c) Reports to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit a report to
Congress that provides--
            ``(1) a brief description of the foreign partners
        participating in the survey; and
            ``(2) a description of lessons learned from the results of
        the survey and recommendations implemented through this
        international outreach.

``SEC. 899F. PROTECTING CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES WHILE
              PREVENTING IDEOLOGICALLY-BASED VIOLENCE AND HOMEGROWN
              TERRORISM.

    ``(a) In General.--The Department of Homeland Security's efforts to
prevent ideologically-based violence and homegrown terrorism as
described herein shall not violate the constitutional rights, civil
rights, and civil liberties of United States citizens and lawful
permanent residents.
    ``(b) Commitment to Racial Neutrality.--The Secretary shall ensure
that the activities and operations of the entities created by this
subtitle are in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security's
commitment to racial neutrality issued in an Department-wide Memorandum
on June 1, 2004.
    ``(c) Auditing Mechanism.--The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
Officer of the Department of Homeland Security will develop and
implement an auditing mechanism to ensure that compliance with this
subtitle does not result in a disproportionate impact, without a
rational basis, on any particular race, ethnicity, or religion and
include within its annual report to Congress required under section
705.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of
such Act is amended by inserting at the end of the items relating to
title VIII the following:

            ``Subtitle J--Prevention of Homegrown Terrorism

``Sec. 899A. Definitions.
``Sec. 899B. Findings.
``Sec. 899C. Grant program to prevent ideologically-based violence and
                            homegrown terrorism in the United States.
``Sec. 899D. Center of Excellence for the Study of Radicalization and
                            Homegrown Terrorism in the United States.
``Sec. 899E. Preventing radicalization and homegrown terrorism through
                            international cooperative efforts.
``Sec. 899F. Protecting civil rights and civil liberties while
                            preventing ideologically-based violence and
                            homegrown terrorism.''.
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