Human Exploitation Rescue Operations Act of 2015 or the HERO Act of 2015
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to operate, within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a Cyber Crimes Center to provide investigative assistance, training, and equipment to support domestic and international investigations by ICE of cyber-related crimes.
Within the Cyber Crimes Center, DHS shall operate a Child Exploitation Investigations Unit, which shall:
DHS shall operate, within the Cyber Crimes Center, a Computer Forensics Unit (CFU). The CFU is directed to: (1) provide training and technical support in digital forensics to ICE personnel and other law enforcement personnel investigating crimes; (2) provide computer hardware, software, and forensic licenses for all computer forensics personnel within ICE; (3) participate in research and development in the area of digital forensics; and (4) collaborate with DOD and the National Association to Protect Children to recruit, train, equip, and hire wounded, ill, and injured veterans and transitioning service members through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program.
DHS shall also operate, within the Cyber Crimes Center, a Cyber Crimes Unit (CCU). The CCU shall: (1) oversee the cyber security strategy and cyber-related operations and programs for ICE, (2) enhance the ability of ICE to combat criminal enterprises operating on or through the Internet, (3) provide training and technical support in cyber investigations to ICE personnel and other law enforcement personnel, (4) participate in research and development in the area of cyber investigations, and (5) recruit participants in the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program for investigative and forensic positions.
Congress declares that Homeland Security Investigations of ICE should hire, recruit, train, and equipment wounded, ill, or injured military veterans who are affiliated with the HERO Child Rescue Corps program for investigative, intelligence, analyst, and forensic positions.
The bill further amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to expand the purposes of the DHS Acceleration Fund for Research and Development of Homeland Security Technologies to include conducting research and development to advance technology for the investigation of child exploitation crimes, including child victim identification, trafficking in persons, child pornography, and for advanced forensics.
[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 575 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
114th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 575
To continue operation of the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO)
Child Rescue Corps, a Cyber Crimes Center, a Child Exploitation
Investigations Unit, a Computer Forensics Unit, and a Cyber Crimes Unit
to support the mission of the Homeland Security Investigations
directorate of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to
combat the exploitation of children.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
February 25, 2015
Mr. Kirk (for himself and Mr. Blumenthal) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the
Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To continue operation of the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO)
Child Rescue Corps, a Cyber Crimes Center, a Child Exploitation
Investigations Unit, a Computer Forensics Unit, and a Cyber Crimes Unit
to support the mission of the Homeland Security Investigations
directorate of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement to
combat the exploitation of children.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This title may be cited as the ``Human Exploitation Rescue
Operations Act of 2015'' or the ``HERO Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The illegal market for the production and distribution
of child abuse imagery is a growing threat to children in the
United States. International demand for this material creates a
powerful incentive for the rape, abuse, and torture of children
within the United States.
(2) The targeting of United States children by
international criminal networks is a threat to the homeland
security of the United States. This threat must be fought with
trained personnel and highly specialized counter-child-
exploitation strategies and technologies.
(3) The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement
of the Department of Homeland Security serves a critical
national security role in protecting the United States from the
growing international threat of child exploitation and human
trafficking.
(4) The Cyber Crimes Center of the United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a vital national
resource in the effort to combat international child
exploitation, providing advanced expertise and assistance in
investigations, computer forensics, and victim identification.
(5) The returning military heroes of the United States
possess unique and valuable skills that can assist law
enforcement in combating global sexual and child exploitation,
and the Department of Homeland Security should use this
national resource to the maximum extent possible.
(6) Through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO)
Child Rescue Corps program, the returning military heroes of
the United States are trained and hired to investigate crimes
of child exploitation in order to target predators and rescue
children from sexual abuse and slavery.
SEC. 3. CYBER CRIMES CENTER, CHILD EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATIONS UNIT,
AND COMPUTER FORENSICS UNIT.
(a) In General.--Subtitle H of title VIII of the Homeland Security
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
``SEC. 890A. CYBER CRIMES CENTER, CHILD EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATIONS
UNIT, COMPUTER FORENSICS UNIT, AND CYBER CRIMES UNIT.
``(a) Cyber Crimes Center.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall operate, within
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a Cyber
Crimes Center (referred to in this section as the `Center').
``(2) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to
provide investigative assistance, training, and equipment to
support United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement's
domestic and international investigations of cyber-related
crimes.
``(b) Child Exploitation Investigations Unit.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall operate, within the
Center, a Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (referred to
in this subsection as the `CEIU').
``(2) Functions.--The CEIU--
``(A) shall coordinate all United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement child exploitation
initiatives, including investigations into--
``(i) child exploitation;
``(ii) child pornography;
``(iii) child victim identification;
``(iv) traveling child sex offenders; and
``(v) forced child labor, including the
sexual exploitation of minors;
``(B) shall, among other things, focus on--
``(i) child exploitation prevention;
``(ii) investigative capacity building;
``(iii) enforcement operations; and
``(iv) training for Federal, State, local,
tribal, and foreign law enforcement agency
personnel, upon request;
``(C) shall provide training, technical expertise,
support, or coordination of child exploitation
investigations, as needed, to cooperating law
enforcement agencies and personnel;
``(D) shall provide psychological support and
counseling services for United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement personnel engaged in child
exploitation prevention initiatives, including making
available other existing services to assist employees
who are exposed to child exploitation material during
investigations;
``(E) is authorized to collaborate with the
Department of Defense and the National Association to
Protect Children for the purpose of the recruiting,
training, equipping and hiring of wounded, ill, and
injured veterans and transitioning service members,
through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO)
Child Rescue Corps program; and
``(F) shall collaborate with other governmental,
nongovernmental, and nonprofit entities approved by the
Secretary for the sponsorship of, and participation in,
outreach and training activities.
``(3) Data collection.--The CEIU shall collect and maintain
data concerning--
``(A) the total number of suspects identified by
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
``(B) the number of arrests by United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, disaggregated by
type, including--
``(i) the number of victims identified
through investigations carried out by United
States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and
``(ii) the number of suspects arrested who
were in positions of trust or authority over
children;
``(C) the number of cases opened for investigation
by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
and
``(D) the number of cases resulting in a Federal,
State, foreign, or military prosecution.
``(4) Availability of data to congress.--In addition to
submitting the reports required under paragraph (7), the CEIU
shall make the data collected and maintained under paragraph
(3) available to the committees of Congress described in
paragraph (7).
``(5) Cooperative agreements.--The CEIU is authorized to
enter into cooperative agreements to accomplish the functions
set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3).
``(6) Acceptance of gifts.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to
accept monies and in-kind donations from the Virtual
Global Taskforce, national laboratories, Federal
agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and educational
institutions to create and expand public awareness
campaigns in support of the functions of the CEIU.
``(B) Exemption from federal acquisition
regulation.--Gifts authorized under subparagraph (A)
shall not be subject to the Federal Acquisition
Regulation for competition when the services provided
by the entities referred to in such subparagraph are
donated or of minimal cost to the Department.
``(7) Reports.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the
enactment of the HERO Act of 2015, and annually for the
following 4 years, the CEIU shall--
``(A) submit a report containing a summary of the
data collected pursuant to paragraph (3) during the
previous year to--
``(i) the Committee on Homeland Security
and Governmental Affairs of the Senate;
``(ii) the Committee on the Judiciary of
the Senate;
``(iii) the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate;
``(iv) the Committee on Homeland Security
of the House of Representatives;
``(v) the Committee on the Judiciary of the
House of Representatives; and
``(vi) the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives; and
``(B) make a copy of each report submitted under
subparagraph (A) publicly available on the website of
the Department.
``(c) Computer Forensics Unit.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall operate, within the
Center, a Computer Forensics Unit (referred to in this
subsection as the `CFU').
``(2) Functions.--The CFU--
``(A) shall provide training and technical support
in digital forensics to--
``(i) United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement personnel; and
``(ii) Federal, State, local, tribal,
military, and foreign law enforcement agency
personnel engaged in the investigation of
crimes within their respective jurisdictions,
upon request and subject to the availability of
funds;
``(B) shall provide computer hardware, software,
and forensic licenses for all computer forensics
personnel within United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement;
``(C) shall participate in research and development
in the area of digital forensics, in coordination with
appropriate components of the Department; and
``(D) is authorized to collaborate with the
Department of Defense and the National Association to
Protect Children for the purpose of recruiting,
training, equipping, and hiring wounded, ill, and
injured veterans and transitioning service members,
through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO)
Child Rescue Corps program.
``(3) Cooperative agreements.--The CFU is authorized to
enter into cooperative agreements to accomplish the functions
set forth in paragraph (2).
``(4) Acceptance of gifts.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary is authorized to
accept monies and in-kind donations from the Virtual
Global Task Force, national laboratories, Federal
agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and educational
institutions to create and expand public awareness
campaigns in support of the functions of the CFU.
``(B) Exemption from federal acquisition
regulation.--Gifts authorized under subparagraph (A)
shall not be subject to the Federal Acquisition
Regulation for competition when the services provided
by the entities referred to in such subparagraph are
donated or of minimal cost to the Department.
``(d) Cyber Crimes Unit.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall operate, within the
Center, a Cyber Crimes Unit (referred to in this subsection as
the `CCU').
``(2) Functions.--The CCU--
``(A) shall oversee the cyber security strategy and
cyber-related operations and programs for United States
Immigration and Customs Enforcement;
``(B) shall enhance United States Immigration and
Customs Enforcement's ability to combat criminal
enterprises operating on or through the Internet, with
specific focus in the areas of--
``(i) cyber economic crime;
``(ii) digital theft of intellectual
property;
``(iii) illicit e-commerce (including
hidden marketplaces);
``(iv) Internet-facilitated proliferation
of arms and strategic technology; and
``(v) cyber-enabled smuggling and money
laundering;
``(C) shall provide training and technical support
in cyber investigations to--
``(i) United States Immigration and Customs
Enforcement personnel; and
``(ii) Federal, State, local, tribal,
military, and foreign law enforcement agency
personnel engaged in the investigation of
crimes within their respective jurisdictions,
upon request and subject to the availability of
funds;
``(D) shall participate in research and development
in the area of cyber investigations, in coordination
with appropriate components of the Department; and
``(E) is authorized to recruit participants of the
Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue
Corps program for investigative and forensic positions
in support of the functions of the CCU.
``(3) Cooperative agreements.--The CCU is authorized to
enter into cooperative agreements to accomplish the functions
set forth in paragraph (2).
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section.''.
(b) Table of Contents Amendment.--The table of contents in section
1(b) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 101 note) is
amended by adding after the item relating to section 890 the following:
``Sec. 890A. Cyber crimes center, child exploitation investigations
unit, computer forensics unit, and cyber
crimes unit.''.
SEC. 4. HERO CORPS HIRING.
It is the sense of Congress that Homeland Security Investigations
of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement should hire,
recruit, train, and equip wounded, ill, or injured military veterans
(as defined in section 101, title 38, United States Code) who are
affiliated with the HERO Child Rescue Corps program for investigative,
intelligence, analyst, and forensic positions.
SEC. 5. INVESTIGATING CHILD EXPLOITATION.
Section 307(b)(3) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C.
187(b)(3)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period at the end
and inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(D) conduct research and development for the
purpose of advancing technology for the investigation
of child exploitation crimes, including child victim
identification, trafficking in persons, and child
pornography, and for advanced forensics.''.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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