To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for certain succession reforms, and for other purposes.

This bill modifies the line of succession for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials.

Specifically, the bill provides that the Under Secretary for Management shall serve as the Acting Secretary if the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and Associate Secretary are not available to exercise the duties of the Office of the Secretary. Current law makes no reference to the Associate Secretary.

The bill contains further requirements, including that an official must have served in DHS for at least 90 days prior to the designation to be within the line of succession to serve as acting head of a DHS component.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8992 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8992

   To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for certain 
              succession reforms, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 16, 2020

Miss Rice of New York introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                 to the Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide for certain 
              succession reforms, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SUCCESSION REFORMS.

    Subsection (g) of section 103 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 
(6 U.S.C. 113) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``neither the Secretary 
        nor Deputy Secretary is'' and inserting ``the Secretary, Deputy 
        Secretary, and Associate Secretary are not''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``designate such other 
        officers of the Department in further order of succession to 
        serve as Acting Secretary.'' and inserting ``designate--
                    ``(A) such other official of the Department in 
                further order of succession to serve as Acting 
                Secretary in a manner that requires such official to 
                have served in the Department for at least 90 days 
                prior to such designation in either the position of the 
                head of a component or in another position by and with 
                the advice and consent of the Senate, or in the event 
                that an official satisfying such criteria is not 
                available, in a manner that requires such official to 
                have served for at least 90 days prior to such 
                designation in the Senior Executive Service in the 
                Department; and
                    ``(B) such other official of the Department to 
                serve as the acting head of a component in the event 
                the head of a component vacates the position, in a 
                manner that requires such official to have served for 
                at least 90 days prior to such designation in the 
                Senior Executive Service.''.
                                 <all>