Title 6 — Domestic SecurityRelease 119-73

§596b Securing the Cities program

Title 6 › Chapter CHAPTER 1— - HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER XIV— - COUNTERING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION OFFICE › Part Part B— - Mission of the Office › § 596b

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must create, through the Assistant Secretary, a program called Securing the Cities (STC). Its purpose is to help find and stop terrorist attacks or other major threats that use nuclear or radioactive materials in high‑risk cities. The program must help State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments build and improve systems to detect and report materials that are out of regulatory control. It must provide funding and technical help for detection, analysis, communications, alarm handling, training, exercises, information sharing, and for keeping those capabilities up to date. The program must also track spending and measure performance, and give other help the Secretary finds needed. The Secretary will pick jurisdictions from the list of high‑risk urban areas. The Secretary must notify the House Homeland Security and Appropriations Committees and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and Appropriations Committees at least 3 days before naming or changing a jurisdiction. The Secretary must send an implementation plan to Congress and the Comptroller General no later than one year after December 21, 2018, and a progress and change report within one year after that plan. The Comptroller General must report on these matters within 18 months after that report. Before changing the program’s structure or rules, the Assistant Secretary must consult those congressional committees and give them a briefing, written plans and an assessment of the effects.

Full Legal Text

Title 6, §596b

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary, shall establish a program, to be known as the “Securing the Cities” or “STC” program, to enhance the ability of the United States to detect and prevent terrorist attacks and other high-consequence events utilizing nuclear or other radiological materials that pose a high risk to homeland security in high-risk urban areas.

(b)Through the STC program the Secretary shall—

(1)assist State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments in designing and implementing, or enhancing existing, architectures for coordinated and integrated detection and interdiction of nuclear or other radiological materials that are out of regulatory control;

(2)support the development of an operating capability to detect and report on nuclear and other radiological materials out of regulatory control;

(3)provide resources to enhance detection, analysis, communication, and coordination to better integrate State, local, Tribal, and territorial assets into Federal operations;

(4)facilitate alarm adjudication and provide subject matter expertise and technical assistance on concepts of operations, training, exercises, and alarm response protocols;

(5)communicate with, and promote sharing of information about the presence or detection of nuclear or other radiological materials among appropriate Federal, State, local, Tribal, and territorial government agencies, in a manner that ensures transparency with the jurisdictions designated under subsection (c);

(6)provide augmenting resources, as appropriate, to enable State, local, Tribal, and territorial governments to sustain and refresh their capabilities developed under the STC program;

(7)monitor expenditures under the STC program and track performance in meeting the goals of the STC program; and

(8)provide any other assistance the Secretary determines appropriate.

(c)(1)In carrying out the STC program under subsection (a), the Secretary shall designate jurisdictions from among high-risk urban areas under section 604 of this title.

(2)The Secretary shall notify the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate not later than 3 days before the designation of a new jurisdiction under paragraph (1) or any change to a jurisdiction previously designated under that paragraph.

(d)(1)(A)The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, an implementation plan for carrying out the STC program that includes—

(i)a discussion of the goals of the STC program and a strategy to achieve those goals;

(ii)performance metrics and milestones for the STC program;

(iii)measures for achieving and sustaining capabilities under the STC program; and

(iv)costs associated with achieving the goals of the STC program.

(B)Not later than one year after December 21, 2018, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Comptroller General of the United States the implementation plan required by subparagraph (A).

(2)Not later than one year after the submission of the implementation plan under paragraph (1)(B), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees and the Comptroller General a report that includes—

(A)an assessment of the effectiveness of the STC program, based on the performance metrics and milestones required by paragraph (1)(A)(ii); and

(B)proposals for any changes to the STC program, including an explanation of how those changes align with the strategy and goals of the STC program and, as appropriate, address any challenges faced by the STC program.

(3)Not later than 18 months after the submission of the report required by paragraph (2), the Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report evaluating the implementation plan required by paragraph (1) and the report required by paragraph (2), including an assessment of progress made with respect to the performance metrics and milestones required by paragraph (1)(A)(ii) and the sustainment of the capabilities of the STC program.

(4)Before making any changes to the structure or requirements of the STC program, the Assistant Secretary shall—

(A)consult with the appropriate congressional committees; and

(B)provide to those committees—

(i)a briefing on the proposed changes, including a justification for the changes;

(ii)documentation relating to the changes, including plans, strategies, and resources to implement the changes; and

(iii)an assessment of the effect of the changes on the capabilities of the STC program, taking into consideration previous resource allocations and stakeholder input.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

6 U.S.C. § 596b

Title 6 — Domestic Security

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73