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H.R. 5206: Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018

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H.R. 5206: Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018

115th Congress · introduced 2018-03-07 · Emergency Management · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 717.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2018-03-07 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. McSally, Martha [R-AZ-2] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 717. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
  5. If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018

Plain summary

Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018 or the OBIM Authorization Act of 2018 (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Management Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the Office of Biometric Identity Management, which shall be administered by a director with significant management experience and experience in biometrics and identity management. The director shall have specified duties, including leading DHS's biometric identity services to support anti-terrorism, counterterrorism, border security, credentialing, national security, and public safety.

Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House amended)

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The strongest published arguments

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. McSally, Martha [R-AZ-2] · 5 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5206, Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018 (2018-07-03); CBO cost estimate: H.R. 5206, Office of Biometric Identity Management Authorization Act of 2018 (2018-10-03)

Cosponsors on this site

Don Bacon (R-NE), Clay Higgins (R-LA), Michael T. McCaul (R-TX)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)
Authorization
A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Bill
A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
Securities
Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Record fed-us-cong115-hr5206 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115