[Congressional Bills 118th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8834 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8834 To establish a Supply Chain Fraud and Theft Task Force. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES June 25, 2024 Mr. Valadao (for himself, Mr. Schneider, Mr. LaHood, Mr. Pfluger, Mr. Costa, and Mr. Fong) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To establish a Supply Chain Fraud and Theft Task Force. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Safeguarding Our Supply Chains Act''. SEC. 2. SUPPLY CHAIN CRIME COORDINATION CENTER. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of Homeland Security Investigations, shall establish a Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center through the agency's Innovation Lab to-- (1) collect and analyze data related to supply chain fraud and theft; and (2) identify regions in the United States, modes of transportation, distribution networks, and retail stores that are experiencing high volumes of organized crime. (b) Consultation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of Homeland Security Investigations, shall, to the maximum extent practicable, consult with-- (1) other Federal agencies; (2) Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies; and (3) the private sector. SEC. 3. SUPPLY CHAIN FRAUD AND THEFT TASK FORCE. (a) Task Force.--Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Director of Homeland Security Investigations and in conjunction with the Attorney General and the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, shall establish a Supply Chain Fraud and Theft Task Force (in this section, referred to as ``Task Force''). (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Task Force is to address supply chain fraud and theft throughout the rail, motor carrier, and intermodal systems, as well as detect, disrupt, and deter organized theft groups that are targeting all stages of the supply chain by-- (1) facilitating collaboration among Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agencies to execute coordinated activities in furtherance of supply chain security, and homeland security; (2) enhancing information-sharing, including the dissemination of information about theft and fraud in the American supply chain among such agencies; (3) tracking trends with respect to organized crime throughout the supply chain; (4) establishing relationships with affected private sector companies, sharing information with such companies regarding organized crime and providing mechanisms for the receipt of investigative information on such threats; and (5) establishing a secure system for sharing information regarding organized crime threats by leveraging existing systems at the Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Bureau of Investigations. (c) Members.--The Task Force shall be comprised of personnel from the following: (1) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (2) Federal Bureau of Investigation. (3) Drug Enforcement Administration. (4) Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (5) U.S. Postal Inspection Service. (6) U.S. Customs and Border Protection. (7) Other Department of Homeland Security personnel, as appropriate. (8) Other Department of Justice personnel, as appropriate. (9) Other Federal agencies, as appropriate. (10) Appropriate State law enforcement agencies. (11) Foreign law enforcement agencies, as appropriate. (12) Local law enforcement agencies from affected cities and communities. (13) Railroad police. (14) Association of the United States Army personnel focused on cargo issues. (15) Appropriate tribal law enforcement agencies. (d) Task Force Deployment.--The Secretary may deploy the Task Force in jurisdictions in which such Task Force is necessary to achieve the purposes described in subsection (b), as appropriate. Before deploying the Task Force, the Secretary shall consider-- (1) data collected and analyzed by the Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center established under section 2; (2) regions in the United States, modes of transportation, distribution networks, and retail stores that are experiencing high volumes of organized crime, as identified by the Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center established under section 2; (3) the availability of Federal, State, local, tribal, foreign law enforcement, and railroad police resources to participate in the Task Force; and (4) whether or not a law enforcement initiative already exists in the area in which the Task Force would be established. (e) Duties.--It shall be the duty of the Task Force to ensure a coordinated, multi-agency, intelligence-based, and prosecutor-led approach to identifying, disrupting, and dismantling organizations responsible for the organized theft, fraud, and theft-related violence in the United States supply chain. (f) Operation.--The Secretary may take other actions to assist Federal, State, local, and tribal entities to participate in the Task Force, including providing financial assistance, as appropriate, for operational, administrative, and technological costs associated with the participation of Federal, State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in the Task Force. (g) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date on which the Task Force is established under this section, and annually thereafter for the following 5 years, the Secretary shall submit a report to Congress that describes the effectiveness of the Task Force in identifying and dismantling organized theft groups that profit from cargo theft, organized retail crime, fraud, other theft-related crimes that threaten the economy and security of the United States, as measured by crime statistics and data compiled by the Supply Chain Crime Coordination Center established under section 2. (h) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $100,000,000 for fiscal years 2025 through 2029. <all>