Sec. 7. Public testimonials from former violent extremists
338 words·~2 min read·
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The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State shall incorporate, to the extent practicable, into efforts of the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State to combat terrorist recruitment and communications the public testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or their associates, including friends and family. The efforts made under paragraph
(1)may include the following: Strategic communications efforts to counter-message the communications and narratives of violent extremists. Related community engagement and public education efforts that have the goal of decreasing recruitment into violent extremist organizations. The Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State shall— where appropriate, coordinate the actions described in subsection
(a)with the heads of other Federal departments and agencies; and as appropriate and to the extent practicable, engage nongovernmental and international partners in the identification and use of testimonials described in subsection (a). Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in concert with the Secretary of State, shall submit to Congress a report detailing any ways in which existing laws may constrain or complicate the ability of the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of State to collect testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists or incorporate those testimonials into efforts of the applicable Department to combat terrorist recruitment and communications, as required under subsection (a). The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress an annual report that includes— qualitative and quantitative metrics for evaluating the success of the efforts of the Secretary under subsection (a); a description of the steps taken by the Secretary to evaluate the success of the efforts of the Secretary under subsection (a); and a summary of how the Secretary ensures the protection of civil rights and civil liberties in incorporating testimonials under subsection (a). Nothing in this section may be construed to require the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Secretary of State to collect testimonials directly from former violent extremists or their associates, including friends and family.