Text of US HB 9579 (2026)

I 119TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 9579 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make certain improvements in the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JULY 2, 2026 Mr. GREEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. BELL, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, Ms. CHU, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. CROCKETT, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. FIGURES, Mr. GOLDMAN of New York, Mrs. GRI- JALVA, Mrs. MCIVER, Ms. MENG, Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. MOULTON, Ms. RANDALL, Mr. THANEDAR, Mr. THOMPSON of Mis- sissippi, Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, and Mr. WALKINSHAW) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Homeland Security A BILL To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make certain improvements in the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 9579 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 1 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Department of Home- 2 land Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties 3 Authorization Act’’. 4 SEC. 2. OFFICER FOR CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES. 5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 705 of the Homeland Se- 6 curity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 345) is amended— 7 (1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘ESTAB- 8 LISHMENT OF’’; and 9 (2) by striking subsections (a) and (b) and in- 10 serting the following new subsections: 11 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There is established within 13 the Department an Office for Civil Rights and Civil 14 Liberties (referred to in this section as the ‘Office’). 15 The head of the Office is the Officer for Civil Rights 16 and Civil Liberties (referred to in this section as the 17 ‘Officer’), who shall report directly to the Secretary. 18 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Secretary and the head of 19 each component shall— 20 ‘‘(A) ensure that the Officer for Civil 21 Rights and Civil Liberties of the Department 22 and the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Lib- 23 erties of such component— 24 ‘‘(i) have the information, materials, 25 and resources, including appropriate staff- 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 9579 IH ing, necessary to carry out the functions of 1 the Office; 2 ‘‘(ii) are consulted in advance of new 3 or proposed changes to policies, programs, 4 initiatives, or activities impacting civil 5 rights or civil liberties; and 6 ‘‘(iii) are given full and complete ac- 7 cess to all materials and personnel nec- 8 essary to carry out the functions of the Of- 9 fice; and 10 ‘‘(B) consider advice and recommendations 11 from the Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Lib- 12 erties of the Department in the development 13 and implementation of policies, programs, ini- 14 tiatives, and activities impacting civil rights or 15 civil liberties. 16 ‘‘(b) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The Officer shall carry out 17 the following responsibilities: 18 ‘‘(1) Oversee compliance with constitutional, 19 statutory, regulatory, policy, and other requirements 20 relating to the civil rights or civil liberties of individ- 21 uals affected by the policies, programs, initiatives, or 22 activities of the Department. 23 ‘‘(2) Review and assess information concerning 24 abuses of civil rights or civil liberties, and profiling 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 9579 IH on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, reli- 1 gion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, dis- 2 ability, or other characteristics, by employees or offi- 3 cials of the Department. 4 ‘‘(3) Integrate civil rights and civil liberties pro- 5 tections into all policies, programs, initiatives, and 6 activities of the Department. 7 ‘‘(4) Conduct civil rights and civil liberties as- 8 sessments, as appropriate, prior to the implementa- 9 tion of new Department regulations, policies, pro- 10 grams, initiatives, or activities. 11 ‘‘(5) Conduct periodic reviews and assessments 12 of policies, programs, initiatives, and activities of the 13 Department relating to civil rights and civil liberties, 14 including reviews and assessments. 15 ‘‘(6) Provide to the Secretary, the heads of 16 components, and other personnel within the Depart- 17 ment policy advice, recommendations, and other 18 technical assistance relating to civil rights and civil 19 liberties. 20 ‘‘(7) Investigate complaints and information in- 21 dicating possible abuses of civil rights or civil lib- 22 erties by employees or officials of the Department, 23 unless the Inspector General of the Department de- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 9579 IH termines that any such complaint should be inves- 1 tigated by the Inspector General. 2 ‘‘(8) Initiate reviews and assessments of the ad- 3 ministration of the policies, programs, initiatives, 4 and activities of the Department relating to civil 5 rights and civil liberties. 6 ‘‘(9) Coordinate with the Privacy Officer ap- 7 pointed under section 222 to ensure the following: 8 ‘‘(A) Policies, programs, initiatives, or ac- 9 tivities involving civil rights, civil liberties, or 10 privacy considerations are addressed in an inte- 11 grated and comprehensive manner. 12 ‘‘(B) Congress receives appropriate reports 13 regarding such policies, programs, initiatives, 14 and activities. 15 ‘‘(10) Lead the equal employment opportunity 16 programs of the Department, including complaint 17 management and adjudication, workforce diversity, 18 and promotion of merit system principles. 19 ‘‘(11) Make publicly available through acces- 20 sible communications channels, including the website 21 of the Department, the following: 22 ‘‘(A) Information on the responsibilities 23 and functions of, and how to contact, the Of- 24 fice. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 9579 IH ‘‘(B) Summaries of investigations carried 1 out pursuant to paragraph (7) that result in 2 recommendations. 3 ‘‘(C) Summaries of assessments and re- 4 views carried out pursuant to paragraphs (4), 5 (5), or (8), as the case may be. 6 ‘‘(12) Engage with individuals, stakeholders, 7 and communities the civil rights and civil liberties of 8 which may be affected by the policies, programs, ini- 9 tiatives, or activities of the Department, including by 10 carrying out the following: 11 ‘‘(A) Informing such individuals, stake- 12 holders, and communities concerning such poli- 13 cies, programs, initiatives, or activities, as the 14 case may be. 15 ‘‘(B) Providing information regarding how 16 to report and access redress processes. 17 ‘‘(C) Providing Department leadership and 18 other personnel within the Department feed- 19 back from such individuals, stakeholders, and 20 communities regarding the civil rights and civil 21 liberties impacts of such policies, programs, ini- 22 tiatives, or activities, and working with State, 23 local, Tribal, and territorial homeland security 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 9579 IH partners to enhance the Department’s policy- 1 making and program implementation. 2 ‘‘(13) Lead the Department’s language access 3 work to ensure the Department engages effectively 4 with individuals, stakeholders, and communities. 5 ‘‘(14) Participate in the hiring or designation of 6 a civil rights and civil liberties officer within each 7 component and participate in the performance re- 8 view process for each such officer. 9 ‘‘(c) AUTHORITY TO INVESTIGATE.— 10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of para- 11 graph (7) of subsection (b), the Officer shall— 12 ‘‘(A) have timely access to all materials 13 and personnel necessary to carry out the func- 14 tions of the Office; 15 ‘‘(B) issue such reports as are necessary or 16 appropriate in accordance with subsection (g); 17 ‘‘(C) conduct an investigation in such man- 18 ner as the Secretary directs; and 19 ‘‘(D) administer to or take from any per- 20 son an oath, affirmation, or affidavit, whenever 21 necessary to perform the responsibilities of the 22 Officer. 23 ‘‘(2) EFFECT OF OATHS.—Any oath, affirma- 24 tion, or affidavit administered or taken pursuant to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 9579 IH subparagraph (D) of paragraph (1) by or before an 1 employee of the Office designated for such purpose 2 by the Officer shall have the same force and effect 3 as if administered or taken by or before an officer 4 having a seal of office. 5 ‘‘(d) NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENT.—In the case of 6 a complaint made concerning allegations of an abuse of 7 civil rights or civil liberties under paragraph (7) of sub- 8 section (b), the Officer shall carry out the following: 9 ‘‘(1) Provide to the individual who made such 10 complaint notice of the receipt of such complaint 11 within 30 days of receiving such complaint. 12 ‘‘(2) Inform the individual of the determination 13 of the Office regarding the following: 14 ‘‘(A) The initiation of a review, investiga- 15 tion, or assessment, as the case may be, by the 16 Office. 17 ‘‘(B) A referral to the Inspector General of 18 the Department. 19 ‘‘(C) Any other action taken. 20 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH INSPECTOR GENERAL.— 21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 22 ‘‘(A) REFERRAL.—Before initiating an in- 23 vestigation initiated by the Officer pursuant to 24 paragraph (7) of subsection (b), the Officer 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 9579 IH shall refer the matter at issue to the Inspector 1 General of the Department. 2 ‘‘(B) DETERMINATIONS AND NOTIFICA- 3 TIONS BY INSPECTOR GENERAL.—Not later 4 than seven days after the receipt of a matter at 5 issue under subparagraph (A), the Inspector 6 General shall carry out the following: 7 ‘‘(i) Determine whether the Inspector 8 General intends to initiate an investigation 9 of such matter. 10 ‘‘(ii) Notify the Officer of such deter- 11 mination. 12 ‘‘(C) INVESTIGATIONS.—The Secretary 13 may authorize the Officer to conduct an inves- 14 tigation pursuant to paragraph (7) of sub- 15 section (b) if the Secretary determines that a 16 complaint warrants both the Officer and the In- 17 spector General conducting investigations con- 18 currently or in some other manner. 19 ‘‘(D) NOTIFICATION BY THE OFFICER.—If 20 the Officer does not receive notification of a de- 21 termination pursuant to subparagraph (B)(ii), 22 the Officer shall notify the Inspector General of 23 whether the Officer intends to initiate an inves- 24 tigation into the matter at issue. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 9579 IH ‘‘(f) RECOMMENDATIONS; RESPONSE.— 1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an investiga- 2 tion initiated by the Officer pursuant to paragraph 3 (7) of subsection (b), if such an investigation results 4 in the issuance of recommendations, the Officer shall 5 produce a report that— 6 ‘‘(A) includes the final findings and rec- 7 ommendations of the Officer; 8 ‘‘(B) is made publicly available in sum- 9 mary form; 10 ‘‘(C) does not include any personally iden- 11 tifiable information; and 12 ‘‘(D) may include a classified annex. 13 ‘‘(2) TRANSMISSION.—The Officer shall trans- 14 mit to the Secretary and the head of the relevant 15 component a copy of each report under paragraph 16 (1). 17 ‘‘(3) RESPONSE.— 18 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 45 19 days after the date on which the Officer trans- 20 mits to the head of a component a copy of a re- 21 port pursuant to paragraph (2), such head shall 22 submit to the Secretary and the Officer a re- 23 sponse to such report. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 9579 IH ‘‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—In the re- 1 sponse submitted pursuant to subparagraph 2 (A), each recommendation contained in the re- 3 port transmitted pursuant to paragraph (2) 4 with which the head of the component at issue 5 concurs shall be deemed an accepted rec- 6 ommendation of the Department. 7 ‘‘(C) NONCONCURRENCE; APPEAL.—If the 8 head of a component does not concur with a 9 recommendation contained in the report trans- 10 mitted pursuant to paragraph (2), or if such 11 head does not respond to a recommendation 12 within 60 days in accordance with subpara- 13 graph (A), the Officer may appeal to the Sec- 14 retary. 15 ‘‘(D) RESULT.—If the Officer appeals to 16 the Secretary pursuant to subparagraph (C), 17 the Secretary shall, not later than 60 days after 18 the date on which the Officer appeals— 19 ‘‘(i) accept the Officer’s recommenda- 20 tion, which recommendation shall be 21 deemed the accepted recommendation of 22 the Department; or 23 ‘‘(ii) accept the nonconcurrence of the 24 head of the component at issue if trans- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 9579 IH mitted in accordance with subparagraph 1 (A). 2 ‘‘(g) REPORTING.— 3 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of an investiga- 4 tion initiated by the Officer pursuant to paragraph 5 (7) subsection (b), if such an investigation resulted 6 in the issuance of recommendations, the Officer 7 shall, on an annual basis, make publicly available 8 through accessible communications channels, includ- 9 ing the website of the Department, the following: 10 ‘‘(A) The accepted recommendations of the 11 Department, if any. 12 ‘‘(B) A summary of investigations that re- 13 sult in final recommendations that are issued 14 by the Officer. 15 ‘‘(2) PROHIBITION.—Materials made publicly 16 available pursuant to paragraph (1) may not include 17 any personally identifiable information related to any 18 individual involved in the investigation at issue. 19 ‘‘(h) COMPONENT CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIB- 20 ERTIES OFFICERS.— 21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any component that has an 22 Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of such 23 component shall ensure that such Officer for Civil 24 Rights and Civil Liberties of such component shall 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 9579 IH coordinate with and provide information to the Offi- 1 cer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the De- 2 partment on matters related to civil rights or civil 3 liberties within each such component. 4 ‘‘(2) OFFICERS OF OPERATIONAL COMPO- 5 NENTS.—The head of each operational component, 6 in consultation with the Officer for Civil Rights and 7 Civil Liberties of the Department, shall hire or des- 8 ignate a career appointee (as such term is defined 9 in section 3132 of title 5, United States Code) from 10 such component as the Officer for Civil Rights and 11 Civil Liberties of such operational component. 12 ‘‘(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—Each Officer for Civil 13 Rights and Civil Liberties of each operational com- 14 ponent— 15 ‘‘(A) shall have access in a timely manner 16 to the information, materials, and information 17 necessary to carry out the functions of such of- 18 ficer; 19 ‘‘(B) shall be consulted in advance of new 20 or proposed changes to component policies, pro- 21 grams, initiatives, or activities impacting civil 22 rights or civil liberties; 23 ‘‘(C) shall be given full and complete ac- 24 cess to all component materials and component 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 14 •HR 9579 IH personnel necessary to carry out the functions 1 of such officer; 2 ‘‘(D) may, to the extent the Officer for 3 Civil Rights and Civil Liberties of the Depart- 4 ment determines necessary, and subject to the 5 approval of the Secretary, administer to or take 6 from any person an oath, affirmation, or affi- 7 davit, whenever necessary in the performance of 8 the responsibilities of each such component Of- 9 ficer under this section; and 10 ‘‘(E) may administer any oath, affirma- 11 tion, or affidavit, and such oath, affirmation, 12 shall have the same force and effect as if ad- 13 ministered or taken by or before an officer hav- 14 ing a seal of office. 15 ‘‘(i) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than June 30 of 16 each year, the Officer shall submit to the Committee on 17 Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the 18 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af- 19 fairs of the Senate, and any other committee of the House 20 of Representatives or the Senate, as the case may be, the 21 Officer determines relevant, a report on the implementa- 22 tion of this section during the immediately preceding fiscal 23 year. Each such annual report shall be prepared and sub- 24 mitted for supervisory review and appropriate comment or 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00014 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 15 •HR 9579 IH amendment by the Secretary prior to submission to such 1 committees, and the Officer shall consider and incorporate 2 any comments or amendments as a result of such review. 3 Each such report shall include, for the year covered by 4 such report, the following: 5 ‘‘(1) A list of Department regulations, policies, 6 programs, initiatives, and activities for which civil 7 rights or civil liberties assessments were conducted, 8 or policy advice, recommendations, or other technical 9 assistance was provided. 10 ‘‘(2) An assessment of the efforts of the De- 11 partment to effectively communicate with individ- 12 uals, stakeholders, or communities impacted by poli- 13 cies, programs, initiatives, or activities of the De- 14 partment, including the individuals, stakeholders, 15 and communities referred to in subsection (b)(12). 16 ‘‘(3) A summary of recommendations issued 17 pursuant to subsection (f) regarding investigations 18 under paragraph (7) of subsection (b), together with 19 information on the status of the implementation of 20 such recommendations by the component at issue. 21 ‘‘(4) Information on the diversity and equal em- 22 ployment opportunity activities of the Department, 23 including information on complaint management and 24 adjudication of equal employment opportunity com- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 16 •HR 9579 IH plaints, and efforts to ensure compliance throughout 1 the Department with equal employment opportunity 2 requirements. 3 ‘‘(5) A description of any efforts, including pub- 4 lic meetings, to engage with individuals, stake- 5 holders, and communities the civil rights and civil 6 liberties of which may be affected by policies, pro- 7 grams, initiatives, or activities of the Department. 8 ‘‘(6) Information regarding total staffing for 9 the Office, including regarding the following: 10 ‘‘(A) The number of full-time, part-time, 11 and contract support personnel. 12 ‘‘(B) Information on the number of em- 13 ployees whose primary responsibilities include 14 supporting the Officer in carrying out para- 15 graph (10) of subsection (b). 16 ‘‘(7) If required, a classified annex. 17 ‘‘(j) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘compo- 18 nent’ means any operational component, non-operational 19 component, directorate, or office of the Department.’’. 20 (b) REPORTING TO CONGRESS.—Section 21 1062(f)(1)(A)(i) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism 22 Prevention Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 2000ee–1(f)(1)(A)(i)) 23 is amended by striking ‘‘the Committee on Oversight and 24 Government Reform of the House of Representatives’’ and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:16 Jul 02, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS 17 •HR 9579 IH inserting ‘‘the Committee on Homeland Security of the 1 House of Representatives, the Committee on Oversight 2 and Government Reform of the House of Representa- 3 tives’’. 4 (c) COMPTROLLER GENERAL REVIEW.—Not later 5 than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, 6 the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit 7 to Congress a report on the implementation of subsection 8 (b)(12) of section 705 of the Homeland Security Act of 9 2002 (6 U.S.C. 345), as amended by subsection (a). 10 (d) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 11 in section 1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is 12 amended by amending the item relating to section 705 to 13 read as follows: 14 ‘‘Sec. 705. Officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.’’. Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 23:52 Jul 06, 2026 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\H9579.IH H9579 ssavage on LAPJG3WLY3PROD with BILLS