Renewed Hope Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6998 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 6998

 To enhance hiring authorities at the Department of Homeland Security,
                        and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 9, 2026

 Ms. Lee of Florida (for herself and Ms. Wasserman Schultz) introduced
    the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the
                               Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To enhance hiring authorities at the Department of Homeland Security,
                        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 ``Renewed Hope Act''.

SEC. 2. IMAGE AUDIO FORENSICS HIRING AND TRAINING PROGRAMS AT THE
              DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

    (a) Additional Personnel.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
hire, train, and assign not fewer than--
            (1) 40 forensics analysts to the Victim Identification
        Laboratory of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of
        Homeland Security Investigations;
            (2) 30 child exploitation investigators to the Victim
        Identification Laboratory of the Child Exploitation
        Investigations Unit of Homeland Security Investigations; and
            (3) 130 additional forensics analysts and child
        exploitation investigators to support identification and rescue
        of victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse at Homeland
        Security Investigations offices of the Special Agent in Charge.
    (b) Prohibition on Reassignment of Positions.--
            (1) In general.--A position created under subsection (a)
        may not be reassigned to another component of the Department of
        Homeland Security that is outside of the Child Exploitation
        Investigations Unit of Homeland Security Investigations or the
        offices of the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security
        Investigations, as applicable.
            (2) Reassignment of employees.--An employee serving in a
        position created under subsection (a) may be reassigned to
        another component of the Department of Homeland Security that
        is outside of the Child Exploitation Investigations Unit of
        Homeland Security Investigations or the offices of the Special
        Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations only if the
        employee elects to be so reassigned.
    (c) Employment of Experts and Consultants.--Section 890A of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 473) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection (i); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (f) the following:
    ``(g) Employment of Experts and Consultants.--
            ``(1) In general.--In accordance with section 3109 of title
        5, United States Code, at daily rates not to exceed the
        equivalent rate prescribed for grade GS-15 of the General
        Schedule under section 5332 of such title, the Secretary may
        procure by contract the temporary (not in excess of 1 year) or
        intermittent services of experts or consultants to provide
        image and audio forensic analysis related to victim
        identification to support efforts to identify, locate, and
        rescue children seen in videos images and videos of sexual
        exploitation and abuse.
            ``(2) Placement.--The Secretary shall promulgate guidelines
        for assigning or detailing participants to positions at the
        Center, offices of the Special Agent in Charge, offices of the
        Resident Agent in Charge, and Attache offices.''.

SEC. 3. DECONFLICTION OF CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND ABUSE
              INVESTIGATIONS WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
              SECURITY.

    Section 890A(a) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C.
473(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Coordination.--The Secretary shall, with the
        concurrence of the directors of affected agencies within the
        Department, establish joint procedures to deconflict,
        coordinate, and synchronize child sexual exploitation
        investigations with the Center.
            ``(4) NCMEC coordination.--The Center may establish joint
        procedures with the National Center for Missing and Exploited
        Children to deconflict, coordinate, and synchronize child
        sexual exploitation investigations with the Child Victim
        Identification Program of the National Center for Missing and
        Exploited Children.''.

SEC. 4. VICTIM IDENTIFICATION TRAINING PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish
a Victim Identification Training Program (referred to in this section
as the ``Program'') in the Cyber Crimes Center.
    (b) Program.--The Program shall provide training used to identify
victims of sexual exploitation and abuse to--
            (1) Homeland Security Investigations personnel;
            (2) Federal, State, local, Tribal, and foreign law
        enforcement agency personnel engaged in the investigation of
        crimes of child sexual exploitation and abuse within their
        respective jurisdictions;
            (3) Civil service organizations engaged in the prevention
        of child sexual exploitation and the identification of abuse
        victims; and
            (4) The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
    (c) Functions.--The functions of the Program shall include--
            (1) annual training for participants focused on--
                    (A) training on the most current tools and
                techniques used in victim identification; and
                    (B) training on the capabilities of the Victim
                Identification Laboratory; and
            (2) increasing personnel knowledge on how to conduct image,
        audio, and video enhancements.

SEC. 5. DIRECT HIRE AUTHORITY FOR HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS.

    (a) Direct Hire.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
        head of Homeland Security Investigations may appoint, without
        regard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 (other
        than sections 3303 and 3328 of such chapter) of title 5, United
        States Code, qualified candidates to the positions described in
        section 2(a).
            (2) Limitation.--The authority under paragraph (1) shall
        not be available to the head if, during any period, at least 97
        percent of such positions are occupied.
    (b) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment
of this Act and for each of the 4 following years, the head of Homeland
Security Investigations shall submit a report to the Committee on the
Judiciary and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability of the
House of Representatives, the Committee on the Judiciary and the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of the Senate,
and any other relevant congressional committee of jurisdiction. Each
such report shall include the following:
            (1) The total number of individuals appointed by the head
        under this section during the preceding year.
            (2) How the direct hiring authority under this section is
        being used by the head.

SEC. 6. APPLICATION.

    The requirements of each of sections 2 through 4 of this Act, and
any amendment made by such sections, shall be carried out not later
than the date that is 3 years after the date of the enactment of this
Act.

SEC. 7. PRIVACY PROTECTIONS FOR VICTIMS.

    (a) In General.--A covered person shall--
            (1) keep all identifying information and documents
        concerning a victim of child sexual exploitation or abuse in a
        secure place to which only individuals working to identify and
        rescue victims of child sexual exploitation or abuse have
        access; and
            (2) not disclose or use any information or documents
        concerning a victim of child sexual exploitation or abuse other
        than for the purposes of--
                    (A) investigating or prosecuting individuals for
                crimes of child sexual exploitation or abuse;
                    (B) connecting victims--
                            (i) to licensed and trained trauma informed
                        medical professions; or
                            (ii) with Federal resources available
                        through the Office of Victims of Crime at the
                        Department of Justice;
                    (C) complying with any mandatory victim reporting
                requirements; or
                    (D) sharing information with other law enforcement
                personnel for the purpose of investigating or
                prosecuting individuals for crimes of child sexual
                exploitation or abuse.
    (b) Covered Person Defined.--In this section, the term ``covered
person'' means--
            (1) any Federal, State, or local law enforcement officer;
        or
            (2) any other personnel of the Department of Homeland
        Security,
working in, employed by, or detailed to the Child Exploitation
Investigations Unit of Homeland Security Investigations or to the
offices of the Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security
Investigations.
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