Homeland Security for Children Act
Public Law 117-130 · H.R. 4426 · 117th Congress · began in the House
Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Jun 6, 2022 · Emergency Management
Sponsor: Rep. Donald Payne (D-NJ-10)
Cosponsors (6): Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that the needs of children are considered in homeland security planning.
Specifically, each DHS office and component must take into account the needs of children, including children within underserved communities, in mission planning and execution. DHS must require each office and component to seek advice and feedback from organizations representing the needs of children.
The bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to identify and integrate the needs of children into activities to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the risk of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other disasters, including by appointing a technical expert to coordinate such integration.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Homeland Security Committee · House · markup by, referred toSubcommittee: Emergency Management and Technology Subcommittee- Transportation and Infrastructure Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
The record lists no related bills.
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 21 actions.
- Jun 6, 2022Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 117-130.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- May 26, 2022FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- May 17, 2022FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- May 16, 2022FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Apr 27, 2022CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 351.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Peters without amendment. With written report No. 117-100.
- Nov 3, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Sep 30, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- Sep 29, 2021FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 4426.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Mr. Thompson (MS) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill, as amended.
- Jul 28, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- CommitteeCommittee · Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery Discharged.
- Jul 14, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
- Jul 13, 2021CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee co…
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in House
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.