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H.R. 5255: Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act

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H.R. 5255: Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act

115th Congress · introduced 2018-03-13 · Emergency Management · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

  1. Where it came from: introduced 2018-03-13 · official record
  2. Who proposed it: Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7] · what a sponsor is
  3. What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
  4. Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency. 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

Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act

Plain summary

Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a Homeland Security Reserve Service in each covered component of DHS, which shall provide for the temporary employment of former employees or the reemployment of annuitants of such component to stand ready to mobilize during elevated demands for, or critical shortages of, personnel and in times of crisis. DHS shall develop and implement an expedited process for hiring such employees and shall not use a competitive process. "Covered component" is defined as: U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, or the Federal Protective Service of the National Protection and Programs Directorate. An individual who is employed or reemployed may be employed on a full-time or part-time basis, not to exceed one year for each assignment for which the individual is called into service. Not more than 1,000 individuals may be employed in the reserve service at any given time, to be divided across the covered components. DHS may waive this limitation for up to 90 days. DHS must implement the requirements of this bill within 180 days after its enactment and must certify to Congress that each covered component has a sufficient number of reserve personnel.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), 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

Department of Homeland Security Reserve Service Act

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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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. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7] reported raising $1.1 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Agencies named in this bill

Found automatically: the agency's full official name appears in the bill title. A bill can affect agencies it does not name, so this list may be incomplete.

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-hr5255 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong115 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong115