Senators plan to include amendments addressing election security and congressional oversight in a bill that would reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security, The Hill reported Monday.The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will meet on March 7 to discuss the DHS reauthorization bill, which passed the House of Representatives in July 2017.
Committee members Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and James Lankford, R-Okla., plan to introduce bipartisan measures to boost the cybersecurity of election systems and prevent foreign interference on future U.S. elections.
Committee chairman Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said during a meeting that the House version of the bill has received 75 amendments from committee members, Nextgov reported Wednesday. Johnson also highlighted a plan to form a congressional commission that would work to streamline oversight of DHS.
The House-passed bill does not limit the number of congressional committees that have authority over DHS and its component agencies.
If approved, the legislation would mark the first reauthorization of DHS since it was established following the 9/11 attacks.
