Text of Senate Amendment 6248

On 2026-06-24, Senator Margaret Wood Hassan (D-NH) delivered a floor speech titled "Text Of Senate Amendment 6248" in the Senate.

Text of Senate Amendment 6248

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 106 (Wednesday, June 24, 2026)] [Senate] [Pages S3410-S3412] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] SA 6248. Ms. HASSAN (for herself and Mr. Johnson) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by her to the bill S. 4784, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2027 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows: At the appropriate place, insert the following: SEC. __. FEDERAL CLEARINGHOUSE ON SAFETY AND SECURITY BEST PRACTICES FOR NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS, FAITH- BASED ORGANIZATIONS, AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP. (a) Federal Clearinghouse.-- (1) Establishment.-- (A) In general.--Not later than 270 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the head of any other agency the Secretary determines appropriate, shall establish within the Department a Federal Clearinghouse on Safety and Security Best Practices for Nonprofit Organizations, Faith-based Organizations, and Houses of Worship. (B) Purpose.--The Clearinghouse shall be the primary resource of the Federal Government to-- (i) educate and publish online best practices and recommendations for safety and security for nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship; and (ii) provide information relating to Federal grant programs available to nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship. (C) Personnel.-- (i) Assignments.--The Clearinghouse shall be assigned such personnel and resources as the Secretary considers appropriate to carry out this subsection. (ii) Detailees.--The Secretary may coordinate detailees on a reimbursable or a nonreimbursable basis as required for the Clearinghouse. (iii) Designated point of contact.-- (I) In general.--There shall be not fewer than 1 employee assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse who shall be the designated point of contact to provide information and assistance to nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship, including assistance relating to the grant program established under subsection (c). (II) Contact information.--The contact information of the designated point of contact under subclause (I) shall be made available on the website of the Clearinghouse. (iv) Qualification.--To the maximum extent possible, any personnel assigned or detailed to the Clearinghouse under this subparagraph should be familiar with nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship and with physical and online security measures to identify and prevent safety and security risks. (2) Clearinghouse contents.-- (A) Evidence-based tiers.-- (i) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and the head of any other agency the Secretary determines appropriate, shall develop tiers for determining evidence- based best practices and recommendations that demonstrate a significant effect on improving safety and security of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship. (ii) Requirements.--The tiers required to be developed under clause (i) shall-- (I) prioritize-- (aa) strong evidence from not fewer than 1 well-designed and well-implemented experimental study; and (bb) moderate evidence from not fewer than 1 well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; and (II) consider promising evidence that demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluations that the activity, strategy, or intervention is likely to improve and promote safety and security of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship. (B) Criteria for best practices and recommendations.--The best practices and recommendations referred to in paragraph (1)(B)(i) of the Clearinghouse shall, at a minimum-- (i) identify areas of concern for nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship, including event planning recommendations, checklists, facility hardening, tabletop exercise resources, and other resilience measures; (ii) involve comprehensive safety and security measures, including threat prevention, preparedness, protection, mitigation, incident response, and recovery to improve the safety and security posture of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship upon implementation; (iii) involve comprehensive safety and security measures, including preparedness, protection, mitigation, incident response, and recovery to improve the resiliency of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship [[Page S3411]] from threats and incidents, including natural disasters, manmade disasters, or terrorist attacks or other threats; (iv) include any evidence or research rationale supporting the determination of the Clearinghouse that the comprehensive safety and security measures under clauses (ii) and (iii) have been shown to have a significant effect on improving the safety and security of individuals who, at the time of any such threat or incident, are physically located in the place or building of a nonprofit organization, including a faith- based organization, or a house of worship, including-- (I) findings and data from previous Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, private sector, and nongovernmental organization research centers relating to the safety and security of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship, including from targeted violence; and (II) other supportive evidence or findings relied upon by the Clearinghouse in determining best practices and recommendations to improve the safety and security posture of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship upon implementation; and (v) include an overview of the available resources the Clearinghouse can provide to nonprofit organizations and houses of worship. (C) Additional information.--The Clearinghouse shall maintain and make available a comprehensive index of all Federal grant programs for which nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship are eligible, which shall include the performance metrics the recipient will be required to provide for each grant. (D) Past recommendations.--To the greatest extent practicable, the Clearinghouse shall identify and present, as appropriate, best practices and recommendations issued by Federal, State, local, Tribal, territorial, private sector, and nongovernmental organizations relevant to the safety and security of nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship. (E) Existing platform.--The Secretary may establish and maintain the Clearinghouse on an online platform or a website that is in existence as of the date of enactment of this Act. (3) Assistance and training.--The Secretary may produce and publish materials on the Clearinghouse to assist and train nonprofit organizations, including faith-based organizations, and houses of worship regarding the implementation of the best practices and recommendations under this subsection. (4) Continuous improvement.-- (A) In general.--The Secretary shall-- (i) collect for the purpose of continuous improvement of the Clearinghouse-- (I) Clearinghouse data analytics; (II) user feedback on the implementation of resources, best practices, and recommendations identified by the Clearinghouse; and (III) any evaluations conducted regarding implementation of such best practices and recommendations; (ii) in coordination with the Faith-Based Security Advisory Council of the Department, the Department of Justice, the Executive Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and any other agency the Secretary determines appropriate-- (I) assess and identify Clearinghouse best practices and recommendations for which there are no resources available through Federal Government programs for implementation; (II) provide feedback on the implementation of such best practices and recommendations; and (III) propose additional best practices and recommendations for inclusion in the Clearinghouse; and (iii) not less frequently than annually, examine and update the Clearinghouse in accordance with-- (I) the information collected under clause (i); and (II) the best practices and recommendations proposed under clause (ii)(III). (B) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 3 years thereafter during the period in which the Clearinghouse is in existence, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the updates under subparagraph (A)(iii) made to the Clearinghouse during the preceding 3-year period, which shall include a description of any changes made pursuant thereto to the Clearinghouse. (b) Notification of the Clearinghouse.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide to the individuals, Federal agencies, and committees specified in paragraph (2) written notification of the establishment of the Clearinghouse, including updates pertaining to grant programs identified under subsection (a)(2)(C). (2) Individuals, federal agencies, and committees specified.--The individuals, Federal entities, and committees specified in this paragraph are the following: (A) Every State homeland security advisor. (B) Every State d