House Republicans this week will vote on a package of anti-terrorism legislation that lawmakers approved earlier this year, in the hopes that a second round of votes will give the measures more traction in the wake of the Orlando terrorist attack and “help get them over the finish line.”
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., announced a last-minute change to the House schedule to make room for nine House-passed measures that attempt to curb the threat of terrorism on U.S. soil.
The bills are:
The Tracking Foreign Fighters in Terrorist Safe Havens Act, which unanimously passed in December. It’s aimed at boosting the intelligence community’s focus on foreign fighter travel to and from emerging terrorist safe havens.
The National Strategy to Combat Terrorist Travel Act, which passed unanimously in February. This bill requires a U.S. national strategy on combating terrorist travel for the first time in a decade. It also requires future administrations to put forward regular action plans for fixing vulnerabilities to terrorist infiltration.
The Foreign Fighter Review Act, which passed unanimously in February. It requires top-to-bottom administration review of foreign fighter cases to identify and close security gaps.
The Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror (ALERT) Act, which also passed unanimously in February. This measure dramatically increases counter-radicalization efforts nationwide by using so-called fusion centers to reach out to communities.
The Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act, which passed 371-2 in March. The bill equips high-risk countries with key counterterrorism tools such as watch listing, screening, and targeting systems. It requires the U.S. government, for first time ever, to develop plans to help partners detect and disrupt terrorist movements. It also sets new international standards for combating terrorist travel, and lets the administration suspend foreign aid to countries that don’t close security gaps.
The Enhancing Overseas Traveler Vetting Act, which passed unanimously in April. It authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State to develop and provide new watch listing/screening technologies to foreign governments.
The Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act, which passed 322-79 in April. This bill requires DHS to use the testimonials of former extremists to fight back against terrorist recruiting of Americans.
The No Fly for Foreign Fighters Act, which unanimously passed in April. It requires a comprehensive review of the Terrorist Screening Database to ensure past weaknesses have been addressed and to identify any other vulnerabilities.
The Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act, which passed 389-5 in May. It establishes the central counterterrorism decision-making body at DHS and sets the procedures for issuing terrorism alerts.
