Strengthening State and Local Efforts to Counter Transnational Repression Act

Summary

Requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and coordinate a training program for state, local, tribal, campus, and territorial law enforcement (including Fusion Center personnel) to identify and respond to transnational repression and related terrorism threats while protecting privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties. The program must cover how to identify incidents and targets, appropriate data collection and sharing (including with private-sector and community groups), and personal safety and victim-support resources; DHS must coordinate training delivery, related research and development, and submit a GAO implementation report within two years.

• DHS must develop training for state, local, tribal, campus, and territorial law enforcement to counter transnational repression and related terrorism threats.
• Training must include identification of incidents/targets, safe data collection and sharing, personal safety practices, and victim support resources.
• Privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties protections must be incorporated into the training.
• FLETC or DHS components can provide accredited training; accreditation must follow FLETC or a substantially similar process.
• DHS must coordinate related R&D with Science & Technology and state/local law enforcement offices to improve training methods and technology.
• GAO must report to Congress within two years on how the training program is implemented.
• The law change amends the Homeland Security Act to add the new training authority and updates its table of contents.
• The statute does not itself appropriate funds or mandate state/local participation; implementation depends on DHS actions and funding.