Federal RuleAug 21
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DOL Rewrites Disability Rules for 'Merit-Based Opportunity' Push
RuleLabor DepartmentFederal Contract Compliance Programs OfficeSignificant Wallet
119-hr-9579119th Congress
Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Authorization Act
Sponsored By: Representative Green, Al [D-TX-9]
In Committee
Summary
Creates a Department-wide Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at DHS. The Officer reports directly to the Secretary and oversees civil rights and civil liberties across DHS policies, programs, and activities.
Show full summary
- Communities and individuals affected by DHS actions gain a dedicated investigator and assessor. The Office will review alleged abuses and profiling across protected characteristics and run civil rights and civil liberties assessments before new DHS rules or activities are implemented.
- DHS employees see centralized equal employment opportunity leadership. The Officer will lead EEO programs, manage and adjudicate complaints, drive workforce diversity efforts, and must report Office staffing and EEO activity.
- Congress and the public get more transparency and oversight. The Office must publish redacted summaries of investigative recommendations, deliver an annual report to Congress by June 30, and the Comptroller General must review implementation within 2 years.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Civil-rights officers in DHS components
This bill would require each DHS component to have a career civil-rights and civil-liberties officer that coordinates with the Department-level Officer. Operational components would have to name a career appointee from their staff for the role. Component officers would get timely access to materials and people and would be consulted on changes that affect civil rights or civil liberties. With Department approval, they may administer oaths that carry legal effect. This would take effect when the law is enacted.
DHS investigations and public reporting
This bill would let the Officer investigate civil-rights complaints about DHS employees unless the Inspector General (IG) takes the case. The IG would have 7 days to say whether it will investigate. The Officer must give complainants a receipt notice within 30 days and tell them what action was taken. When investigations produce recommendations, components must respond within 45 days, and the Officer can appeal to the Secretary if needed; the Secretary must decide within 60 days. The Officer would publish summaries of accepted recommendations without personal details. This would take effect when the law is enacted.
New DHS Civil Rights Office
This bill would create an Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at the Department of Homeland Security. The Officer would report directly to the Secretary and must be given staff, information, and access needed to do the job. The Office would oversee civil-rights and civil-liberties compliance across DHS and lead Department-wide equal employment opportunity work. This would take effect when the law is enacted.
New DHS oversight and reporting
This bill would require the Officer to send an annual report to specific House and Senate committees by June 30 each year covering the prior fiscal year. The report must list assessments, engagement with affected communities, recommendations and their status, EEO and diversity activities, outreach, staffing counts, and a classified annex if needed. The Government Accountability Office would also have to report to Congress within two years about how the Officer engages communities. The bill would add the House Committee on Homeland Security as a recipient for certain reports. These changes would take effect when the law is enacted.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Green, Al [D-TX-9]
TX • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Bell, Wesley [D-MO-1]
MO • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Brownley, Julia [D-CA-26]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Carter, Troy A. [D-LA-2]
LA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Chu, Judy [D-CA-28]
CA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Clarke, Yvette D. [D-NY-9]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Crockett, Jasmine [D-TX-30]
TX • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]
IL • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Figures, Shomari [D-AL-2]
AL • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Goldman, Daniel S. [D-NY-10]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Grijalva, Adelita S. [D-AZ-7]
AZ • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. McIver, LaMonica [D-NJ-10]
NJ • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6]
NY • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Moore, Gwen [D-WI-4]
WI • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6]
MA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Randall, Emily [D-WA-6]
WA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Thanedar, Shri [D-MI-13]
MI • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Thompson, Bennie G. [D-MS-2]
MS • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [D-FL-25]
FL • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
NJ • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Walkinshaw, James R. [D-VA-11]
VA • D
Sponsored 7/2/2026
Rep. Johnson, Julie [D-TX-32]
TX • D
Sponsored 7/15/2026
Rep. Mejia, Analilia [D-NJ-11]
NJ • D
Sponsored 8/10/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov