HR 677 Introduced – CBRN Intelligence

Last week Rep. McSally (R,AZ) introduced HR 677, the CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2017. The bill would require DHS to establish chemical, biological,

radiological, and nuclear intelligence and information sharing functions of the Office of

Intelligence and Analysis. The bill is nearly identical to HR 2200 that was passed in the House in the 114^th Congress.

This bill continues to maintain an almost unreasonable emphasis on the biological aspect of the CBRN threat. Again, the only mention of the private sector in the information sharing portion of the bill remains the reference to “relevant national biosecurity and biodefense stakeholders” {§210G(a)(5)}.

This bill is moving to the floor of the House this week. It will be considered on Tuesday as part of a number of homeland security related bills to be considered under suspension of the rules. It will almost certainly pass with substantial bipartisan support. It will be interesting to see if this bill continues to be ignored in the Senate.