H.R. 7773

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7773 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7773

To provide for the decentralization of operation of the DHS Office of 
Intelligence and Analysis, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

March 3, 2026

Mr. Pfluger introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Homeland Security

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide for the decentralization of operation of the DHS Office of 
Intelligence and Analysis, 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. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Field Integration of Homeland 
Intelligence Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSE.

(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) currently 
operates a centralized model for the Office of Intelligence and 
Analysis (I&A) of the Department, with a significant 
concentration of analytic functions based in Washington, DC.
(2) DHS already maintains a robust ten-region field 
structure utilized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency 
(FEMA), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency 
(CISA), I&A, and other DHS components that should continue to 
be leveraged to improve intelligence integration.
(3) Effective homeland security intelligence requires 
closer collaboration between Federal partners and State, local, 
Tribal, and territorial (SLTT) partners, including fusion 
centers, and joint or interagency task forces.
(4) Decentralizing analytic functions will improve 
operational relevance, responsiveness, and coordination, while 
generating efficiencies across DHS components and with SLTT 
partners.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of this Act is to restructure DHS I&A 
operations by ensuring a field-centric intelligence model that places 
analytic personnel directly in the regions they support, thereby 
improving interagency collaboration and the effectiveness of homeland 
security intelligence efforts.

SEC. 3. DECENTRALIZATION OF OPERATION OF DHS OFFICE OF INTELLIGENCE AND 
ANALYSIS.

(a) In General.--
(1) Decentralization mandate.--Not later than two years 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall carry out the following:
(A) Transition the primary analytic functions of 
the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the 
Department of Homeland Security from a centralized 
headquarters-based model to a decentralized, field-
based model.
(B) Assign at least one Intelligence Officer (IO) 
of the Office to every fusion center, as well as other 
strategic locations of importance, as determined by the 
Secretary.
(C) Assign at least one Intelligence Analyst (IA) 
of the Office to every fusion center, as well as other 
strategic locations of importance, as determined by the 
Secretary.
(D) Assign at least one Intelligence Officer (IO) 
of the Office to each joint or interagency task force, 
to serve as the primary Office liaison to ensure real-
time analytic support and operational intelligence 
sharing.
(2) Personnel requirements.--
(A) Prohibition.--An individual may not serve 
concurrently in the IO and IA roles required under 
paragraph (1).
(B) Training.--The Secretary shall provide to each 
IO and IA assigned to a fusion center and or joint or 
interagency task force training on civil rights, civil 
liberties, privacy rights, regulations, and information 
practices pursuant to section 552a of title 5, United 
States Code (commonly referred to as the ``Privacy Act 
of 1974''), and other relevant laws prior to the 
official start date of such an IO or IA, as the case 
may be, at such a fusion center or joint or interagency 
task force, as the case may be.
(C) Consistency of assignments.--In assigning an IO 
and IA to each fusion center pursuant to paragraph (1), 
the Secretary of Homeland Security shall request and 
integrate input from the fusion center at issue, to 
ensure personnel assignments are consistent with the 
unique needs of such fusion center.
(D) Term of assignment.--The term of assignment of 
an IO and IA at a fusion center shall be three years, 
and may be extended for up to an additional two years 
at the discretion of the Secretary.
(E) Maintenance.--Upon completion of an IO's or 
IA's assignment at a fusion center, the Secretary shall 
ensure such IO and IA do not rotate out simultaneously, 
in order that each fusion center maintains at least one 
representative of the Office of Intelligence and 
Analysis of the Department at all times.
(b) Field Integration and Coordination.--
(1) In general.--Each assigned IO and IA shall report 
operationally to the I&A Regional Director of the respective 
DHS Region, in accordance with policy guidance and functional 
oversight from the Under Secretary for Intelligence and 
Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security.
(2) Coordination.--Field-based personnel of I&A shall 
coordinate with regional leads from FEMA, CISA, U.S. 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection (CBP), and other components of the Department 
of Homeland Security, to ensure integrated intelligence support 
for regional priorities.
(c) Resource Alignment and Personnel.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Under Secretary for 
Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security shall 
submit to the appropriate congressional committees a staffing and 
resource plan that--
(1) details the I&A personnel required to staff the 
Regions;
(2) identifies existing headquarters roles eligible for 
reassignment to the field;
(3) identifies required staff and resources for 
headquarters-based analytic, information sharing, management, 
and oversight functions, including the rationale for the 
retention at headquarters of any such staff or resources;
(4) identifies how I&A will implement a rotational program 
to ensure field-based IOs and IAs spend not more than five 
years in a field location without a headquarters rotation; and
(5) outlines additional hiring, training, or realignment 
necessary to satisfy the decentralization requirement under 
subsection (a)(1).
(d) Headquarters Personnel.--Notwithstanding subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall assign to headquarters-based functions required staff 
and resources according to the staffing and resources plan pursuant to 
subsection (c).
(e) Performance Metrics and Reporting.--
(1) Initial implementation report.--Not later than one year 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that details the following:
(A) Progress on decentralization and personnel 
issues in accordance with paragraphs (1) and (2), 
respectively, of subsection (a).
(B) The status of resource alignment and personnel 
issues in accordance with subsection (c).
(C) Any barriers or challenges encountered in 
carrying out such decentralization or reassignments, as 
the case may be.
(2) Annual assessment.--Not later than one year after the 
submission of the report required under paragraph (1) and 
annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall submit to the appropriate congressional 
committees a report that--
(A) assesses--
(i) the operational impact on I&A and SLTT 
partners of decentralization in accordance with 
subsection (a)(1);
(ii) efficiencies or improvements in 
intelligence support at the interagency level 
related to the placement of I&A personnel 
within the regions supported by such personnel; 
and
(iii) the extent to which Federal partners 
and SLTT partners have cohesively integrated to 
improve operational coordination and 
information sharing; and
(B) includes a description of the training 
provided, and copies of the training materials used, 
pursuant to subsection (a)(2)(B).
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
``appropriate congressional committees'' means the Committee on 
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives, the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs of the 
Senate, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
House of Representatives, and the Senate Select Committee on 
Intelligence.
(2) Fusion center.--The term ``fusion center'' has the 
meaning given such term in section 210A of the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h).
(3) I&A.--The term ``I&A'' means the Office of Intelligence 
and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security.
(4) Region.--The term ``Region'' means one of the ten 
standard Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions, 
unless otherwise specified by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security.
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