CONGRESSMAN GONZALEZ VOTES FOR DOMESTIC TERRORISM PREVENTION ACT TO MONITOR, INVESTIGATE, AND PROSECUTE CASES OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM 

WASHINGTON – On Wednesday, May 18, Congressman Vicente Gonzalez (TX-15) voted to pass H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevent Act of 2022, enabling federal law enforcement agencies access to the resources and tools to combat domestic terrorism. Congressman Gonzalez is an original co-sponsor of this legislation.

"Recent events in Buffalo, New York as well as the rising threats of domestic terrorism across the country need to be stopped before they happen," stated Congressman Gonzalez. "I am proud to be one of the co-leads on this legislation to ensure the safety and security of all Americans from the threat of racist, anti-Semitic, and anti-government extremism."

H.R. 350, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2022:

• Authorizes the creation of three offices, one each within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), to monitor, investigate and prosecute cases of domestic terrorism.
• Requires joint biannual reports to Congress assessing the state of domestic terrorism threats, with a specific focus on white supremacists. In preparing the reports, the new offices would review hate crime incidents to determine if those incidents also constituted domestic terrorism.
• Requires the new offices to focus their resources on the most significant threats, as described in detail to Congress in the joint biannual report.
• Codifies the Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee, which would coordinate with United States Attorneys and other public safety officials to promote information sharing and ensure an effective, responsive, and organized joint effort to combat domestic terrorism.
• Requires DOJ, FBI, and DHS to provide training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating acts of domestic terrorism and white supremacy.
• Directs DHS, DOJ, FBI, and the Department of Defense to establish an interagency task force to combat white supremacist infiltration of the uniformed services and federal law enforcement.

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