# 117-hr-4426: Homeland Security for Children Act

117-hr-4426, Homeland Security for Children Act, is a 117th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ); status became_law (as of 2026-01-05).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-4426
- As of: 2026-01-05
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 117-hr-4426
- Congress: 117
- Title: Homeland Security for Children Act
- Status: became_law
- Introduced: 2021-07-13
- Sponsor: Rep. Payne, Donald M., Jr. [D-NJ-10] (D-NJ)
- Cosponsors: 6
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2026-01-05

## Summary

**Centers children’s needs across Department of Homeland Security planning and response.** The law requires DHS leaders to account for children, including those in underserved communities, in mission planning and execution and sets up coordination and reporting to ensure those needs are integrated. - Families and children: DHS heads must consider the needs of children in mission planning and mission execution, which aims to make disaster and emergency actions more responsive to kids and families, including underserved communities. - DHS components and staff: Each head of a DHS office or component must, to the extent practicable, seek advice and feedback from organizations that represent children when reviewing or changing policies and programs. - Coordination and experts: The law authorizes appointing a technical expert to coordinate the identification and integration of children’s needs across preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts and to consult outside organizations as needed. - Congress and oversight: DHS must deliver a department-wide report within one year and then annually for five years describing who is responsible, what reviews or policy changes occurred, and how outside feedback was used. Reports go to the Speaker of the House, the Vice President as President of the Senate, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the House Committees on Homeland Security and on Transportation and Infrastructure.

## Cosponsors (6)

- Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2] (D-MS), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12] (D-NJ), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9] (D-NY), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-14] (D-CA), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Langevin, James R. [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Luria, Elaine G. [D-VA-2] (D-VA), 2021-07-13T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Homeland Security must plan for children: benefit, high. The law requires Homeland Security leaders to consider children’s needs in all planning and missions, including under-served communities. Each office head must, when practicable, get advice from groups that represent children. The usual federal advisory committee rules do not apply to this input. F…

## Related bills

- 117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act
- 117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 117-hr-55: Emmett Till Antilynching Act
- 117-hr-6860: Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2022
- 117-hr-6825: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2022
- 117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act

## Sources
- [117-hr-4426 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/4426)

## Related
- [117-hr-3537: Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-3537)
- [117-hr-1842: Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-1842)
- [117-hr-55: Emmett Till Antilynching Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-55)
- [117-hr-6860: Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6860)
- [117-hr-6825: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act of 2022](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6825)
- [117-hr-6015: Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-6015)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/117-hr-4426 (as of 2026-01-05).