H.R. 1299

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1299 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1299

To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the 
National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland 
Security.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 13, 2025

Mr. Diaz-Balart (for himself and Mr. Moskowitz) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 
and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a 
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend title 18, United States Code, to reauthorize and expand the 
National Threat Assessment Center of the Department of Homeland 
Security.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``EAGLES Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) On February 14, 2018, 17 individuals were murdered in a 
senseless and violent attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High 
School in Parkland Florida, a school whose mascot is the eagle.
(2) These individuals--Alaina Petty, Alex Schachter, Alyssa 
Alhadeff, Cara Loughran, Carmen Schentrup, Gina Montalto, 
Helena Ramsay, Jaime Guttenberg, Joaquin Oliver, Luke Hoyer, 
Martin Duque, Meadow Pollack, Nicholas Dworet, Peter Wang, 
Aaron Feis, Chris Hixon, and Scott Beigel--lived lives of 
warmth, joy, determination, service, and love, and their loss 
is mourned by the Nation.
(3) Like many attackers, the shooter in that attack 
exhibited patterns of threatening and concerning behavior prior 
to the massacre that were alarming and that should have alerted 
law enforcement and other Federal, State, and local officials 
about the potential for violence.
(4) Acts of targeted violence, including the attack on 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, are preventable.
(5) Lives were saved because of the brave and exemplary 
conduct of many students, teachers, and staff at Marjory 
Stoneman Douglas High School, including several of the victims 
of the attack.
(6) The Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Center'') was established in 
1998 to conduct research on all forms of targeted violence, 
including attacks targeting government officials, government 
facilities, workplaces, houses of worship, K-12 schools, 
universities, and mass attacks in public spaces.
(7) Research published by the Center on targeted violence 
has shown that--
(A) most incidents were planned in advance;
(B) the attackers' behavior gave some indication 
that the individual was planning, or at least 
contemplating, an attack;
(C) most attackers had already exhibited a pattern 
of behavior that elicited concern to other people in 
their lives; and
(D) prior to the attack, someone associated with 
the attacker, such as a family member or peer, often 
knew the attack was to likely to occur.
(8) Through their research, the Center developed the Secret 
Service's behavioral threat assessment model for preventing 
targeted violence, which includes a 3-step process--
(A) identifying individuals who are exhibiting 
threatening or concerning behaviors that indicate they 
may pose a risk of violence;
(B) assessing whether the individual poses a risk, 
based on articulable facts; and
(C) risk posed by the individualized proactive and 
preventive measures.
(9) The Secret Service's behavioral threat assessment model 
works most effectively when all the relevant parties, including 
local law enforcement, mental health professionals, workplace 
managers, school personnel, and members of the community, are 
part of a comprehensive protocol to identify, assess, and 
manage a potential threat.
(10) The primary goal of behavioral threat assessment 
programs is to prevent targeted violence, with an emphasis on 
providing early intervention and connecting individuals 
exhibiting threatening or concerning behavior to existing 
community resources for support.
(11) Early intervention is a proven and effective way to 
prevent violent conduct that would otherwise harm others and 
necessitate more punitive action, including criminal penalties.
(12) The parties involved need the appropriate research, 
guidance, training, and tools to establish the appropriate 
mechanisms for implementing this type of preventative approach.
(13) In K-12 schools, a behavioral threat assessment is a 
proactive approach to identify, assess, and provide age-
appropriate interventions, resources, and supports for students 
who display behavior that elicits concerns for the safety of 
themselves or others.
(14) There has been a 79 percent decline in juvenile 
arrests in K-12 school communities who have received Center 
training, thus successfully diverting youth away from the 
criminal justice system.
(15) The demand from local communities throughout the 
United States for behavioral threat assessment trainings has 
significantly increased. Since its inception, the Center has 
provided over 2,575 training sessions to over 273,000 
attendees.
(16) From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 2022, the Center 
has experienced a 117 percent increase in demand for training 
sessions, with five times as many participants.
(17) The Center additionally provides consultation and 
follow-up engagements with government agencies, law 
enforcement, schools, and other organizations with public 
safety responsibilities. From fiscal year 2018 to fiscal year 
2022 the Center has seen a 553 percent increase in consultation 
activities.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that a fact-
based behavioral threat assessment approach, involving local law 
enforcement, mental health professionals, workplace managers, school 
personnel, other public safety officials, and members of the community, 
is one of the most effective ways to prevent targeted violence 
impacting communities across the country, and is a fitting memorial to 
those whose lives were taken in the February 14, 2018, attack on 
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and those who heroically acted to 
preserve the lives of their friends, students, and colleagues.

SEC. 3. REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION OF THE NATIONAL THREAT ASSESSMENT 
CENTER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.

(a) In General.--Chapter 203 of title 18, United States Code, is 
amended by inserting after section 3056A the following:
``Sec. 3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
United States Secret Service
``(a) In General.--There is established a National Threat 
Assessment Center (in this section referred to as the `Center'), to be 
operated by the United States Secret Service, at the direction of the 
Secretary of Homeland Security.
``(b) Functions.--The functions of the Center shall include the 
following:
``(1) Training and education in the area of best practices 
on threat assessment and the prevention of targeted violence.
``(2) Consultation on complex threat assessment cases and 
programs.
``(3) Research on threat assessment and the prevention of 
targeted violence, consistent with evidence-based standards and 
existing laws and regulations.
``(4) Facilitation of information sharing on threat 
assessment and the prevention of targeted violence among 
agencies and organizations with protective or public safety 
responsibilities, as well as other public or private entities.
``(5) Development of evidence-based programs to promote the 
standardization of Federal, State, and local threat assessments 
and best practices for the prevention of targeted violence.
``(c) Safe School Initiative.--In carrying out the functions 
described in subsection (b), the Center shall establish a national 
program on targeted school violence prevention, focusing on the 
following activities:
``(1) Research.--The Center shall--
``(A) conduct research into targeted school 
violence and evidence-based practices in targeted 
school violence prevention, including school threat 
assessment; and
``(B) publish the findings of the Center on the 
public website of the United States Secret Service and 
on the School Safety Clearinghouse website, known as 
www.SchoolSafety.gov.
``(2) Training.--
``(A) In general.--The Center shall develop and 
offer training courses on targeted school violence 
prevention to agencies with protective or public safety 
responsibilities and other public or private entities, 
including local educational agencies.
``(B) Plan.--Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Center shall 
establish a plan to offer its training and other 
educational resources to public or private entities 
within each State.
``(3) Coordination with other federal agencies.--The Center 
shall develop research and training programs under this section 
in coordination with the Department of Justice, the Department 
of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
``(4) Consultation with entities outside the federal 
government.--The Center is authorized to consult with State and 
local educational, law enforcement, and mental health officials 
and private entities in the development of research and 
training programs under this section.
``(5) Interactive website.--The Center may create an 
interactive website to disseminate information and data on 
evidence-based practices in targeted school violence 
prevention.
``(d) Hiring of Additional Personnel.--The Director of the United 
States Secret Service may hire additional personnel to comply with the 
requirements of this section, which, if the Director exercises such 
authority, shall include--
``(1) at least one employee with expertise in child 
psychological development; and
``(2) at least one employee with expertise in school threat 
assessment.
``(e) Report to Congress.--Not later than two years after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Director of the Secret Service shall 
submit to the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor, and Pensions, and the Committee on Appropriations of 
the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee on 
Education and Labor, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives a report on actions taken by the United States 
Secret Service to implement provisions of this section, which shall 
include information relating to the following:
``(1) The number of employees hired (on a full-time 
equivalent basis).
``(2) The number of individuals in each State trained in 
threat assessment.
``(3) The number of school districts in each State trained 
in school threat assessment or targeted school violence 
prevention.
``(4) Information on Federal, State, and local agencies 
trained or otherwise assisted by the Center.
``(5) A formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
and other assistance provided by the Center is effective.
``(6) A formal evaluation indicating whether the training 
and other assistance provided by the Center was implemented by 
the school.
``(7) A summary of the Center's research activities and 
findings.
``(8) A strategic plan for disseminating the Center's 
educational and training resources to each State.
``(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2026 through 2030.
``(g) No Funds To Provide Firearms Training.--Amounts made 
available to carry out this section may not be used to train any person 
in the use of a firearm.
``(h) No Effect on Other Laws.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to preclude or contradict any other provision of law 
authorizing training in the use of firearms.
``(i) Termination.--This section shall terminate on September 30, 
2030.
``(j) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Evidence-based.--The term `evidence-based' means--
``(A) strong evidence from at least one well-
designed and well-implemented experimental study;
``(B) moderate evidence from at least one well-
designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; 
or
``(C) promising evidence from at least one well-
designed and well-implemented correlational study with 
statistical controls for selection bias.
``(2) Local educational agency.--The term `local 
educational agency' has the meaning given such term under 
section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 
1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801); and
``(3) State.--The term `State' means any State of the 
United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.''.
(b) Technical, Conforming, and Clerical Amendments.--
(1) Technical and conforming amendment.--Section 4 of the 
Presidential Threat Protection Act of 2000 (18 U.S.C. 3056 
note) is repealed.
(2) Clerical amendment.--The table of sections for chapter 
203 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 3056A the following new 
item:

``3056B. Functions of the National Threat Assessment Center of the 
United States Secret Service.''.
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