H.R. 7773

119 HR 7773 IH: Field Integration of Homeland Intelligence Act of 2026
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2026-03-03
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 I  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  H. R. 7773  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   March 3, 2026   Mr. Pfluger  introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Homeland Security    A BILL
To provide for the decentralization of operation of the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Field Integration of Homeland Intelligence Act of 2026  .
2.
Findings; purpose
(a)
Findings
Congress finds the following:
(1)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently operates a centralized model for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) of the Department, with a significant concentration of analytic functions based in Washington, DC.
(2)
DHS already maintains a robust ten-region field structure utilized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), I&A, and other DHS components that should continue to be leveraged to improve intelligence integration.
(3)
Effective homeland security intelligence requires closer collaboration between Federal partners and State, local, Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) partners, including fusion centers, and joint or interagency task forces.
(4)
Decentralizing analytic functions will improve operational relevance, responsiveness, and coordination, while generating efficiencies across DHS components and with SLTT partners.
(b)
Purpose
The purpose of this Act is to restructure DHS I&A operations by ensuring a field-centric intelligence model that places analytic personnel directly in the regions they support, thereby improving interagency collaboration and the effectiveness of homeland security intelligence efforts.
3.
Decentralization of operation of DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis
(a)
In general
(1)
Decentralization mandate
Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall carry out the following:
(A)
Transition the primary analytic functions of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security from a centralized headquarters-based model to a decentralized, field-based model.
(B)
Assign at least one Intelligence Officer (IO) of the Office to every fusion center, as well as other strategic locations of importance, as determined by the Secretary.
(C)
Assign at least one Intelligence Analyst (IA) of the Office to every fusion center, as well as other strategic locations of importance, as determined by the Secretary.
(D)
Assign at least one Intelligence Officer (IO) of the Office to each joint or interagency task force, to serve as the primary Office liaison to ensure real-time analytic support and operational intelligence sharing.
(2)
Personnel requirements
(A)
Prohibition
An individual may not serve concurrently in the IO and IA roles required under paragraph (1).
(B)
Training
The Secretary shall provide to each IO and IA assigned to a fusion center and or joint or interagency task force training on civil rights, civil liberties, privacy rights, regulations, and information practices pursuant to section 552a of title 5, United States Code (commonly referred to as the  Privacy Act of 1974 ), and other relevant laws prior to the official start date of such an IO or IA, as the case may be, at such a fusion center or joint or interagency task force, as the case may be.
(C)
Consistency of assignments
In assigning an IO and IA to each fusion center pursuant to paragraph (1), the Secretary of Homeland Security shall request and integrate input from the fusion center at issue, to ensure personnel assignments are consistent with the unique needs of such fusion center.
(D)
Term of assignment
The term of assignment of an IO and IA at a fusion center shall be three years, and may be extended for up to an additional two years at the discretion of the Secretary.
(E)
Maintenance
Upon completion of an IO’s or IA’s assignment at a fusion center, the Secretary shall ensure such IO and IA do not rotate out simultaneously, in order that each fusion center maintains at least one representative of the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department at all times.
(b)
Field integration and coordination
(1)
In general
Each assigned IO and IA shall report operationally to the I&A Regional Director of the respective DHS Region, in accordance with policy guidance and functional oversight from the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security.
(2)
Coordination
Field-based personnel of I&A shall coordinate with regional leads from FEMA, CISA, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other components of the Department of Homeland Security, to ensure integrated intelligence support for regional priorities.
(c)
Resource alignment and personnel
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a staffing and resource plan that—
(1)
details the I&A personnel required to staff the Regions;
(2)
identifies existing headquarters roles eligible for reassignment to the field;
(3)
identifies required staff and resources for headquarters-based analytic, information sharing, management, and oversight functions, including the rationale for the retention at headquarters of any such staff or resources;
(4)
identifies how I&A will implement a rotational program to ensure field-based IOs and IAs spend not more than five years in a field location without a headquarters rotation; and
(5)
outlines additional hiring, training, or realignment necessary to satisfy the decentralization requirement under subsection (a)(1).
(d)
Headquarters personnel
Notwithstanding subsection (a), the Secretary shall assign to headquarters-based functions required staff and resources according to the staffing and resources plan pursuant to subsection (c).
(e)
Performance metrics and reporting
(1)
Initial implementation report
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that details the following:
(A)
Progress on decentralization and personnel issues in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), respectively, of subsection (a).
(B)
The status of resource alignment and personnel issues in accordance with subsection (c).
(C)
Any barriers or challenges encountered in carrying out such decentralization or reassignments, as the case may be.
(2)
Annual assessment
Not later than one year after the submission of the report required under paragraph (1) and annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that—
(A)
assesses—
(i)
the operational impact on I&A and SLTT partners of decentralization in accordance with subsection (a)(1);
(ii)
efficiencies or improvements in intelligence support at the interagency level related to the placement of I&A personnel within the regions supported by such personnel; and
(iii)
the extent to which Federal partners and SLTT partners have cohesively integrated to improve operational coordination and information sharing; and
(B)
includes a description of the training provided, and copies of the training materials used, pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(B).
(f)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Appropriate congressional committees
The term  appropriate congressional committees  means the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the Senate, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of Representatives, and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.
(2)
Fusion center
The term  fusion center  has the meaning given such term in section 210A of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 124h ).
(3)
I&A
The term  I&A  means the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security.
(4)
Region
The term  Region  means one of the ten standard Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions, unless otherwise specified by the Secretary of Homeland Security.