H.R. 8309
116th Congress
House
Keep America Secure Act
Official title: To authorize certain authorities of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
Emergency Management
Advisory bodiesAviation and airportsBorder security and unlawful immigrationCardiovascular and respiratory health
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Chemical and biological weaponsChild care and developmentCommutingComputer security and identity theftComputers and information technologyCongressional oversightCrime preventionDepartment of Homeland SecurityEmergency communications systemsEmergency medical services and trauma careEmergency planning and evacuationExecutive agency funding and structureFederal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)Federal officialsFirearms and explosivesFraud offenses and financial crimesGeneticsGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHealth information and medical recordsHealth personnelHealth technology, devices, suppliesHomeland securityImmigration status and proceduresInfectious and parasitic diseasesIntelligence activities, surveillance, classified informationInternet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social mediaMammalsNavigation, waterways, harborsNuclear weaponsOrganized crimeService animalsTechnology assessmentTerrorismTransportation employeesTransportation programs fundingTransportation safety and securityTravel and tourismUrban and suburban affairs and developmentVisas and passportsWorker safety and health
Everywhere this bill has been
3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 18, 2020
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Sep 17, 2020
Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, Ways and Means, Transportation and Infrastructure, Oversight and Reform, Energy and Commerce, Foreign Affairs, and House Administration, 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.
Sep 17, 2020
Introduced in House
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Latest action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
Plain-English summary
Keep America Secure Act
This bill provides for a two-year reauthorization of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) activities for FY2021-FY2022.
Specifically, the bill sets forth provisions to address
- management reform and accountability, including the establishment of an Office of Biometric Identity Management within the Management Directorate of DHS;
- intelligence and information sharing, including requiring annual assessments of the terrorist threat to the homeland;
- cybersecurity, including the establishment of a Cybersecurity Advisory Committee within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency;
- border and visa security, including directing U.S. Customs and Border Protection to hire specified numbers of agents and authorizing an immigration advisory program to assist air carriers and security employees at foreign airports with review of traveler information during the processing of U.S.-bound flights;
- transportation security, including requiring the Transportation Security Administration to establish a task force to analyze emerging and potential future threats and requiring DHS to prioritize the research and facilitation of next generation technologies to detect explosives in the nation's surface transportation systems;
- emergency preparedness, response, and recovery, including modifying specified grant programs and reauthorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and
- pandemic preparedness, including establishing a medical countermeasures program to facilitate personnel readiness and protection for DHS employees and working animals and individuals in its care and custody, in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, or pandemic, and to support DHS mission continuity.
Related & companion bills
28
Bill text
1 version
- Introduced in House Formatted Text PDF Formatted XML
Committees of jurisdiction
9
- Committee on House Administration
- Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee
- Energy and Commerce Committee
- Foreign Affairs Committee
- Homeland Security Committee
- Judiciary Committee
- Oversight and Government Reform Committee
- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
- Ways and Means Committee
Cite this page
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 8309: Keep America Secure Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8309/
"H.R. 8309: Keep America Secure Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8309/.
H.R. 8309, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8309/.
[H.R. 8309: Keep America Secure Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-HR-8309/)