Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act Passes Judiciary Markup

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Brad Schneider's Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA) passed markup in the Judiciary Committee. Introduced in January 2021, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act (DTPA) is a bipartisan bill designed to combat the growing threat of domestic violent extremist groups and individuals (DVEs), including racially/ethnically motivated violent extremists and white supremacist groups.

"Domestic extremism has been on the rise across the United States for years, yet the response from law enforcement has not kept pace. We need to ensure those tasked with protecting our communities have the resources necessary to preemptively identify and thwart extremist violence wherever the threat appears, including from racially/ethnically motivated violent extremists and white supremacist groups. This bipartisan bill will renew America's vigilance to combat those radicalized to violence. I am deeply grateful to Chair Nadler and the Judiciary Committee for their support in getting law enforcement the resources they need to tackle radicalism," said Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10).

"Today the House Judiciary Committee took a meaningful step towards addressing the rising menace of domestic terrorism and hate fueled violence," said Chairman Jerrold Nadler. "The recent rise in domestic violent extremism has been alarming and this legislation will help focus the federal government's resources on the threats that continue to terrorize and kill Americans. I thank my colleague, Congressman Schneider, for his steadfast leadership in developing this important legislation and I look forward to bringing it to the House floor for a vote."

The bill authorizes domestic terrorism offices within the Department of Justice Department (DOJ), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and requires biannual reporting on the state of domestic terrorism threats. It also requires the offices to focus their limited resources on the most significant threats, as determined by the number of domestic terrorism-related incidents outlined in the joint report. The intent of the legislation is to better equip these agencies and enable them to work together to effectively identify risks and successfully thwart domestic terror threats. The bill does not create new statutes, new lists of designated domestic terrorist individuals or groups, or new investigative powers for law enforcement. Rather, it better equips agencies to handle this identified threat and thwart it.

First introduced in 2017, the Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act received broad, bipartisan support, passing the House unanimously on September 21st, 2020, and passing out of the Judiciary Committee with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 24-2. The bill was reintroduced in the House on January 19^th, 2021 and passed out of the Judiciary committee today, April 6th, 2022, by a 21 to 17 vote.

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