H.R. 3494: Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020

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H.R. 3494: Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020

116th Congress · introduced 2019-06-26 · Armed Forces and National Security · Latest: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence.

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Official title

Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020

Plain summary

Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 This bill reauthorizes for FY2018-FY2020 intelligence activities in various U.S. government departments and agencies. It also establishes several intelligence-related programs and calls for reports on various topics. The bill establishes a paid parental leave program for intelligence community employees. The program provides 12 weeks of leave in the 12-month period following the birth or adoption of a child. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) shall report on intelligence community policies for awarding contracts, including research and development contracts, involving certain foreign countries. The report shall assess whether security and counterintelligence risks are being properly considered in such policies. The bill establishes the Climate Security Advisory Council within the ODNI to assist the intelligence community in the analysis of climate security issues. The bill transfers the National Intelligence University from the Defense Intelligence Agency to the ODNI. The bill requires reports on various issues, including (1) Russia's political leaders; (2) the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi; (3) China's influence operations in the United States and Taiwan and its repression of ethnic Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region; (4) domestic terrorism in the United States; (5) a plan to reduce the background investigation backlog to 200,000 by the end of 2020; (6) reforms to the security clearance process to reduce decision pendency times; (7) the suitability of the information currently requested for security clearances and recommendations for improving the process; (4) the advisability of having at most three tiers of trust and security clearances; (8) the advisability of a clearance in person concept, under which an individual is allowed to maintain a security clearance or eligibility for such regardless of employment status; and (9) the advisability of establishing the Foreign Malign Influence Response Center. The bill also establishes (1) a task force to study the illicit finance of espionage and foreign influence operations in the United States, (2) a prize to stimulate research in technology to detect fake video or audio created using machine-learning techniques, (3) the Energy Infrastructure Center in the Department of Energy to analyze intelligence related to U.S. energy infrastructure security, (4) a board to advise the National Reconnaissance Office, (5) a program for sharing among government agencies and industry partners background information of individuals in or applying for national security positions and positions of trust, and (6) an intelligence community working group to periodically report to Congress on foreign investment-related threats to national security. The National Security Agency may establish a special rate of pay for certain positions that perform certain cyber-related functions. The ODNI shall establish a Supply Chain and Counterintelligence Risk Management Task Force to standardize information sharing between the intelligence community and government acquisition community with respect to supply chain and counterintelligence issues. An intelligence community officer nominated by the President for a position requiring the Senate's advice and consent may not make a classification decision with information related to such officer's nomination. The bill (1) authorizes the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to provide subsistence to personnel assigned to an austere overseas location, (2) authorizes the CIA to increase compensation to qualified employees (or individuals otherwise affiliated with the CIA) who sustained certain injuries while on foreign assignment, (3) expands CIA security personnel jurisdiction to within 500 yards of any CIA installation or property, and (4) repeals language requirements for certain senior intelligence CIA positions. The bill (1) prohibits the federal government, except for the Department of Defense, from entering into a bilateral agreement with Russia regarding cybersecurity unless the ODNI reports to Congress on the agreement, including actions to address expected counterintelligence concerns; and (2) expands an existing committee tasked with countering Russian covert influence to cover similar activities by any other country.

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

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Alternatives

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

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] · 0 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: H.R. 3494, Damon Paul Nelson and Matthew Young Pollard Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2018, 2019, and 2020 (2019-07-11)

Sponsor's campaign money: Rep. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA-28] reported raising $10.4 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

Recorded votes

• House roll call 490 (2019): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR3494 (2019-07-17): Failed
• House roll call 491 (2019): On Agreeing to the Amendment, HR3494 (2019-07-17): Agreed to
• House roll call 492 (2019): On Passage, HR3494 (2019-07-17): Passed

Sources

• Congressional Research Service summary (Passed House)
• Congress.gov
• Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-116hr3494.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/116/hr>

Record fed-us-cong116-hr3494 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong116 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong116