Title 6 › CHAPTER 1 — HOMELAND SECURITY ORGANIZATION › SUBCHAPTER VIII — COORDINATION WITH NON-FEDERAL ENTITIES; INSPECTOR GENERAL; UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE; COAST GUARD; GENERAL PROVISIONS › Part I — Information Sharing › § 482
The President must create and run rules so federal agencies share homeland security information with other federal agencies and the right state and local people. The rules must tell agencies how to identify and protect sensitive but unclassified information, and how to handle classified information so it can be shared when appropriate. The rules must apply to all federal agencies and must not change how classified information or secret sources and methods are protected. Agencies must use information-sharing systems that can send unclassified and classified data, limit who gets what by place or job or need-to-know, include existing systems like the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, the Regional Information Sharing System, and the FBI’s Terrorist Threat Warning System, and give state and local users access. Shared information must include a note about how credible it is. The rules must limit re-sharing, keep the data secure and private, protect people’s legal rights, and remove wrong or outdated names. State and local users may be given clearance to receive classified data, sign nondisclosure agreements for sensitive unclassified data, and join joint task forces. The Attorney General and Director of Central Intelligence must set rules for federal review and integration of information coming from state and local partners. Definitions and other duties: “Homeland security information” means information about terrorist threats, preventing or stopping attacks, identifying suspects, or improving responses. “Intelligence community” means the U.S. intelligence agencies. “State and local personnel” includes governors, mayors, police, firefighters, public health and medical staff, emergency managers (including adjutants general), other responders, and private-sector workers tied to critical infrastructure. “State” includes DC and U.S. territories. Each federal agency head must name one official to run these rules. Information given to a state or local government stays under federal control and state laws cannot force its public disclosure. The Secretary must set up training for state, local, and private officials on spotting, reporting, and submitting threat information, working with the Attorney General and the Director of Central Intelligence. Finally, federal statistical data protected by other laws must not be shared in ways that break those confidentiality rules.
Full Legal Text
Domestic Security, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
6 U.S.C. § 482
Title 6, Domestic Security
Last Updated
Sep 22, 2026
Release point: 119-110