HR 1955 - Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act
Sponsor: Jane Harman, D-CA

Basically, an amendment to the Homeland Security act.

Text of bill: GovTrack: H.R. 1955: Text of Legislation

AN ACT
To prevent homegrown terrorism, and for other purposes. {hahahah}
A couple things that strike me as important about the bill:

Under findings:
`(3) The Internet has aided in facilitating violent radicalization, ideologically based violence, and the homegrown terrorism process in the United States by providing access to broad and constant streams of terrorist-related propaganda to United States citizens.

`(6) Preventing the potential rise of self radicalized, unaffiliated terrorists domestically cannot be easily accomplished solely through traditional Federal intelligence or law enforcement efforts, and can benefit from the incorporation of State and local efforts.
Although when there were hearings or investigations on this matter I have no clue, but apparently 406 representatives believe that the internet poses a danger and that Federal intelligence and law enforcement cannot cope with things.

#3 is worrisome to me in that it points at least toward surveillance, if not outright censorship.

The bill establishes a "National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism", composed of ten members who are appointed by various ranking members of government, to serve for the life of the committee, which is to end in 21 months following establishment.

The committee, and its likely huge staff, are to investigate and make recommendations on how to curb domestic political violence, and more importantly I think, to establish a new Homeland Security Center of Excellence to operate I guess in perpetuity.

The Center shall assist Federal, State, local and tribal homeland security officials through training, education, and research in preventing violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States.

`(b) Purpose- It shall be the purpose of the Center to study the social, criminal, political, psychological, and economic roots of violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism in the United States and methods that can be utilized by Federal, State, local, and tribal homeland security officials to mitigate violent radicalization and homegrown terrorism.
Laudable to attempt to understand political violence, but is it the job of law enforcement to "mitigate" it? What exactly does that mean?

Anyhow, I don't know what they hope to gain from this. Improve economic conditions, cease governmental and corporate corruption, and promote tolerance is what they will come up with, I think. I'm copywriting that last sentence; if you quote it you owe me US$22M, which is the estimated costs for four years.

The Nay votes were Flake R-AZ, Rohrabacher R-CA, Abercrombie D-HI, Costello D-IL, Duncan R-TN and Kucinich D-OH. There were 22 NoShows.

It is nice to see that she has moved on to bigger and better things than outlawing inefficient light bulbs ( Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress) ), but I wonder if this is just backsliding after trying to get Guantanamo Bay detention facilities shut down ( Search Results - THOMAS (Library of Congress) ).

Here is the one story regarding the bill that I've come across, and while I think he's going way overboard, there is text in the bill to back up his assertions: Here come the thought police -- baltimoresun.com