DHS Intelligence Transparency and Oversight Program Office and Ombuds Act
Sponsored By: Representative Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would create an Intelligence Transparency and Oversight Program Office and an independent Intelligence Ombuds inside the Department of Homeland Security to review and publicly contextualize DHS intelligence activities while protecting privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties.
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- Would let the Department facilitate limited public disclosures to improve public understanding of DHS intelligence work while protecting information that could harm homeland security.
- Would require heads of DHS intelligence components to respond formally to the Ombuds’ recommendations within 60 days and to provide the Ombuds access to requested information within 60 days.
- Would require the Ombuds to be a senior career employee who cannot hold any other Department position and who has experience in intelligence, civil rights enforcement, and addressing politicization and timeliness.
- Would let the Ombuds report directly to the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis, notify Congress about urgent concerns, and submit annual reports starting within one year.
- Would give the office authority to review collection, processing, analysis, production, and dissemination of homeland security, terrorism, and weapons-of-mass-destruction information and to provide confidential forums for concerns about biased reporting, politicization, or civil rights and civil liberties issues.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
1 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
New Homeland Security oversight office
This bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to create an Intelligence Transparency and Oversight Program Office headed by one Ombuds. The Ombuds would be a senior career employee who could not hold any other DHS job and must have experience in intelligence, civil rights enforcement, and issues like timeliness, objectivity, and politicization. The Ombuds would report to the Under Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis and could report directly to Congress about urgent concerns. The Office would review DHS intelligence activities for timeliness, objectivity, and independence from political influence, offer confidential no‑retaliation forums for people and groups to raise concerns, and start reviews and make recommendations to intelligence component leaders. DHS would have to give the Ombuds requested information within 60 days, and intelligence component heads would have to provide formal responses to Ombuds recommendations within 60 days. The Ombuds would send an annual report to key House and Senate homeland security and intelligence committees, with the first report due within one year after enactment. The bill defines "intelligence activity" to include collection, processing, analysis, production, and dissemination of homeland security, terrorism, and WMD information.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2]
RI • D
Cosponsors
Thompson (MS)
MS • D
Sponsored 2/9/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov