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What is House Bill H.R. 1589?

This bill would direct the Dept. of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Intelligence and Analysis (OIA) to take actions aimed at improving information sharing between homeland security intelligence agencies to prevent chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear (CBRN) attacks.

Specifically, it would call on them to:

Support homeland security-focused intelligence analysis of terrorists. That includes terrorist claims, and plans for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) attacks against the U.S.;
Support homeland security-focused risk analysis and risk assessments of hazards by offering relevant quantitative and non-quantitative threat information;
Use homeland security intelligence capabilities and structures to enhance prevention, protection, response, and recovery efforts following an attack using CBRN materials; and
Share information and provide focused analytical support on these threats to state, local, and tribal authorities, plus other national biosecurity and non-defense stakeholders.

The OIA would coordinate with other DHS divisions, the intelligence community, and federal, state, local, and tribal authorities so those entities to give recommendations on information sharing mechanisms with DHS.

DHS would be required to ensure that homeland security information it analyzes concerning terrorist threats is provided to state, local, and private entities and the public.

Impact

Residents of the U.S.; targets for terrorist attacks; terrorist groups; local authorities; DHS; intelligence community; and Congress.

Cost of House Bill H.R. 1589

The CBO estimated in the last Congress that enacting this bill wouldn't significantly affect spending by DHS.

More Information

In-Depth: Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) reintroduced this bill from the 115th Congress to require the Dept. of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) to conduct analysis of terrorist capabilities related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) materials, as well as threats to the homeland from global infectious disease:

"Combatting the threat of terrorism takes an international, national, and most importantly, local approach. This legislation will ensure that government entities correctly share information and communicate to keep our communities safe and prosperous."

Last Congress, then-Rep. Martha McSally (R-AZ) introduced this bill to address the "very real" threat to the U.S. from terrorist organizations. McSally said, "Countering this threat and mitigating the risk requires continuous sharing and analysis of intelligence."

This bill has one cosponsor, Rep. Peter King (R-NY), in the current session of Congress. Last Congress, it passed by the House on a 420-2 vote with the support of three Republican cosponsors, but didn't receive a Senate vote.

Of Note: The threat of terrorist attacks involving the use of biological or chemical weapons has been a concern for U.S. national security strategists for years.

America suffered its largest biological terror attack in 1984, when a series of deliberate salmonella poisonings infected more than 750 people in Oregon. In the aftermath of September 11th there were several anthrax attacks that killed five people. More recently, it was discovered that ISIS has been attempting to weaponize the bubonic plague for use in terror attacks.

A New York Times article revealed that between 2004 and 2011, U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq located stockpiles of chemical weapons, some of which were located in areas ISIS now controls. ISIS is alleged to have used chemical weapons against the Kurds in Iraq and Syria.

Radiological attacks are not likely to cause a large number of casualties, but could incite mass panic and cause lingering damage to local economies, while also requiring an expensive decontamination process. This is in stark contrast to nuclear attacks -- which could result in mass casualties, cause many billions of dollars in damage, and require an even more extensive decontamination effort than a radiological attack.

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