Bill Sponsor
House Bill 655
115th Congress(2017-2018)
Securing the Cities Act of 2017
Active
Active
Passed House on Jan 31, 2017
Overview
Text
Introduced
Jan 24, 2017
Latest Action
Feb 1, 2017
Origin Chamber
House
Type
Bill
Bill
The primary form of legislative measure used to propose law. Depending on the chamber of origin, bills begin with a designation of either H.R. or S. Joint resolution is another form of legislative measure used to propose law.
Bill Number
655
Congress
115
Policy Area
Emergency Management
Emergency Management
Primary focus of measure is emergency planning; response to civil disturbances, natural and other disasters, including fires; emergency communications; security preparedness.
Sponsorship by Party
Republican
New York
Republican
New York
House Votes (1)
Senate Votes (0)
checkPassed on January 31, 2017
Status
Passed
Type
Voice Vote
Voice Vote
A vote in which the presiding officer states the question, then asks those in favor and against to say "Yea" or "Nay," respectively, and announces the result according to his or her judgment. The names or numbers of senators voting on each side are not recorded.
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H796)
Summary

(Securing the Cities Act of 2017

This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) to establish the Securing the Cities program to enhance the ability of the United States to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other high consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials that pose a high risk to homeland security in high-risk urban areas.

Under such program, the DNDO shall:

  • assist state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in designing and implementing, or enhancing existing, architectures for coordinated and integrated detection and interdiction of nuclear or other radiological materials that are out of regulatory control;
  • support the development of a region-wide operating capability to detect and report on nuclear and other radioactive materials out of regulatory control;
  • provide resources to enhance detection, analysis, communication, and coordination to better integrate state, local, tribal, and territorial assets into federal operations;
  • facilitate alarm adjudication and provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance on concepts of operations, training, exercises, and alarm response protocols;
  • communicate with, and promote sharing of information about the presence or detection of nuclear or other radiological materials among, appropriate federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments in a manner that ensures transparency;
  • provide augmenting resources to enable state, local, tribal, and territorial governments to sustain and refresh their capabilities developed under the program; and
  • designate participating jurisdictions from among high-risk urban areas and other cities and regions, as appropriate, and notify Congress at least three days before designating or changing such jurisdictions.

The Comptroller General is required to submit an assessment evaluating the effectiveness of the program.

The DNDO shall report to Congress on the feasibility of developing model exercises to test the preparedness of jurisdictions participating in the program in meeting the challenges that may be posed by a range of nuclear and radiological threats.

Text (3)
February 1, 2017
January 31, 2017
January 24, 2017
Actions (9)
02/01/2017
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
01/31/2017
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
01/31/2017
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H796)
01/31/2017
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.(text: CR H796)
01/31/2017
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 655.
01/31/2017
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H796-797)
01/31/2017
Mr. Donovan moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
01/24/2017
Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security.
01/24/2017
Introduced in House
Public Record
Record Updated
Jan 11, 2023 1:34:18 PM