text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Department of Homeland Security 
  Morale, Recognition, Learning and Engagement Act of 2017'' or the ``DHS 
  MORALE Act''.
  
  SEC. 2. CHIEF HUMAN CAPITAL OFFICER RESPONSIBILITIES.
  
      Section 704 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 344) is 
  amended--
              (1) in subsection (b)--
                      (A) in paragraph (1)--
                              (i) by inserting ``, including with respect 
                          to leader development and employee 
                          engagement,'' after ``policies'';
                              (ii) by striking ``and in line'' and 
                          inserting ``, in line''; and
                              (iii) by inserting ``and informed by best 
                          practices within the Federal government and the 
                          private sector,'' after ``priorities,'';
                      (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ``develop 
                  performance measures to provide a basis for monitoring 
                  and evaluating'' and inserting ``evaluate, on an 
                  ongoing basis,'';
                      (C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ``that, to the 
                  extent practicable, are informed by employee 
                  feedback,'' after ``policies'';
                      (D) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``including 
                  leader development and employee engagement programs,'' 
                  before ``in coordination'';
                      (E) in paragraph (5), by inserting before the 
                  semicolon at the end the following: ``that is informed 
                  by an assessment, carried out by the Chief Human 
                  Capital Officer, of the learning and developmental 
                  needs of employees in supervisory and non-supervisory 
                  roles across the Department and appropriate workforce 
                  planning initiatives'';
                      (F) by redesignating paragraphs (9) and (10) as 
                  paragraphs (11) and (12), respectively; and
                      (G) by inserting after paragraph (8) the following 
                  new paragraphs:
              ``(9) maintain a catalogue of available employee 
          development opportunities, including the Homeland Security 
          Rotation Program pursuant to section 844, departmental 
          leadership development programs, interagency development 
          programs, and other rotational programs;
              ``(10) ensure that employee discipline and adverse action 
          programs comply with the requirements of all pertinent laws, 
          rules, regulations, and Federal guidance, and ensure due 
          process for employees;'';
              (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as subsections 
          (e) and (f), respectively;
              (3) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
          subsection:
      ``(d) Chief Learning and Engagement Officer.--The Chief Human 
  Capital Officer may designate an employee of the Department to serve as 
  a Chief Learning and Engagement Officer to assist the Chief Human 
  Capital Officer in carrying out this section.''; and
              (4) in subsection (e), as so redesignated--
                      (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), and (4) 
                  as paragraphs (5), (6), and (7), respectively; and
                      (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following 
                  new paragraphs:
              ``(2) information on employee development opportunities 
          catalogued pursuant to paragraph (9) of subsection (b) and any 
          available data on participation rates, attrition rates, and 
          impacts on retention and employee satisfaction;
              ``(3) information on the progress of Department-wide 
          strategic workforce planning efforts as determined under 
          paragraph (2) of subsection (b);
              ``(4) information on the activities of the steering 
          committee established pursuant to section 710(a), including the 
          number of meeting, types of materials developed and 
          distributed, and recommendations made to the Secretary;''.
  
  SEC. 3. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT STEERING COMMITTEE AND ACTION PLAN.
  
      (a) In General.--Title VII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
  U.S.C. 341 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new 
  section:
  
  ``SEC. 710. EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT.
  
      ``(a) Steering Committee.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
  of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish an 
  employee engagement steering committee, including representatives from 
  operational components, headquarters, and field personnel, including 
  supervisory and non-supervisory personnel, and employee labor 
  organizations that represent Department employees, and chaired by the 
  Under Secretary for Management, to carry out the following activities:
              ``(1) Identify factors that have a negative impact on 
          employee engagement, morale, and communications within the 
          Department, such as perceptions about limitations on career 
          progression, mobility, or development opportunities, collected 
          through employee feedback platforms, including through annual 
          employee surveys, questionnaires, and other communications, as 
          appropriate.
              ``(2) Identify, develop, and distribute initiatives and 
          best practices to improve employee engagement, morale, and 
          communications within the Department, including through annual 
          employee surveys, questionnaires, and other communications, as 
          appropriate.
              ``(3) Monitor efforts of each component to address employee 
          engagement, morale, and communications based on employee 
          feedback provided through annual employee surveys, 
          questionnaires, and other communications, as appropriate.
              ``(4) Advise the Secretary on efforts to improve employee 
          engagement, morale, and communications within specific 
          components and across the Department.
              ``(5) Conduct regular meetings and report, not less than 
          once per quarter, to the Under Secretary for Management, the 
          head of each component, and the Secretary on Department-wide 
          efforts to improve employee engagement, morale, and 
          communications.
      ``(b) Action Plan; Reporting.--The Secretary, acting through the 
  Chief Human Capital Officer, shall--
              ``(1) not later than 120 days after the date of the 
          establishment of the steering committee under subsection (a), 
          issue a Department-wide employee engagement action plan, 
          reflecting input from the employee engagement steering 
          committee established pursuant to subsection (a) and employee 
          feedback provided through annual employee surveys, 
          questionnaires, and other communications in accordance with 
          paragraph (1) of such subsection, to execute strategies to 
          improve employee engagement, morale, and communications within 
          the Department; and
              ``(2) require the head of each component to--
                      ``(A) develop and implement a component-specific 
                  employee engagement plan to advance the action plan 
                  required under paragraph (1) that includes performance 
                  measures and objectives, is informed by employee 
                  feedback provided through annual employee surveys, 
                  questionnaires, and other communications, as 
                  appropriate, and sets forth how employees and, where 
                  applicable, their labor representatives are to be 
                  integrated in developing programs and initiatives;
                      ``(B) monitor progress on implementation of such 
                  action plan; and
                      ``(C) provide to the Chief Human Capital Officer 
                  and the steering committee quarterly reports on actions 
                  planned and progress made under this paragraph.
      ``(c) Termination.--This section shall terminate on the date that 
  is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this section.''.
      (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
  the Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after the 
  item relating to section 709 the following new item:
  
  ``Sec. 710. Employee engagement.''.
      (c) Submissions to Congress.--
              (1) Department-wide employee engagement action plan.--The 
          Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Chief Human 
          Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, shall 
          submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of 
          Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
          Governmental Affairs of the Senate the Department-wide employee 
          engagement action plan required under subsection (b)(1) of 
          section 710 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (as added by 
          subsection (a) of this section) not later than 30 days after 
          the issuance of such plan under such subsection (b)(1).
              (2) Component-specific employee engagement plans.--Each 
          head of a component of the Department of Homeland Security 
          shall submit to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
          of Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
          Governmental Affairs of the Senate the component-specific 
          employee engagement plan of each such component required under 
          subsection (b)(2) of section 710 of the Homeland Security Act 
          of 2002 (as added by subsection (a) of this section) not later 
          than 30 days after the issuance of each such plan under such 
          subsection (b)(2).
  
  SEC. 4. ANNUAL EMPLOYEE AWARD PROGRAM.
  
      (a) In General.--Title VII of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
  U.S.C. 341 et seq.), as amended by section 3 of this Act, is further 
  amended by adding at the end the following new section:
  
  ``SEC. 711. ANNUAL EMPLOYEE AWARD PROGRAM.
  
      ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may establish an annual employee 
  award program to recognize Department employees or groups of employees 
  for significant contributions to the achievement of the Department's 
  goals and missions. If such a program is established, the Secretary 
  shall--
              ``(1) establish within such program categories of awards, 
          each with specific criteria, that emphasizes honoring employees 
          who are at the non-supervisory level;
              ``(2) publicize within the Department how any employee or 
          group of employees may be nominated for an award;
              ``(3) establish an internal review board comprised of 
          representatives from Department components, headquarters, and 
          field personnel to submit to the Secretary award 
          recommendations regarding specific employees or groups of 
          employees;
              ``(4) select recipients from the pool of nominees submitted 
          by the internal review board under paragraph (3) and convene a 
          ceremony at which employees or groups of employees receive such 
          awards from the Secretary; and
              ``(5) publicize such program within the Department.
      ``(b) Internal Review Board.--The internal review board described 
  in subsection (a)(3) shall, when carrying out its function under such 
  subsection, consult with representatives from operational components 
  and headquarters, including supervisory and non-supervisory personnel, 
  and employee labor organizations that represent Department employees.
      ``(c) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
  construed to authorize additional funds to carry out the requirements 
  of this section or to require the Secretary to provide monetary bonuses 
  to recipients of an award under this section.''.
      (b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
  the Homeland Security Act of 2002, as amended by section 3 of this Act, 
  is further amended by inserting after the item relating to section 710 
  the following new item:
  
  ``Sec. 711. Annual employee award program.''.
  
  SEC. 5. INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION AND IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
  
      (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
  enactment of this Act or the issuance of a report by the Inspector 
  General of the Department of Homeland Security on the extent to which 
  the Department has an equitable and consistent disciplinary process, 
  whichever is later, but in no case later than 1 year after such date of 
  enactment, the Comptroller General of the United States shall utilize, 
  if available, such report and investigate whether the application of 
  discipline and adverse actions are administered in an equitable and 
  consistent manner that results in the same or substantially similar 
  disciplinary outcomes across the Department for misconduct by a non-
  supervisory or supervisor employee who engaged in the same or 
  substantially similar misconduct.
      (b) Consultation.--In carrying out the investigation described in 
  subsection (a), the Comptroller General of the United States shall 
  consult with the employee engagement steering committee established 
  pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of section 710 of the Homeland Security 
  Act of 2002 (as added by section 3(a) of this Act).
      (c) Action by Under Secretary for Management.--Upon completion of 
  the investigation described in subsection (a), the Under Secretary for 
  Management of the Department of Homeland Security shall review the 
  findings and recommendations of such investigation and implement a 
  plan, in consultation with the employee engagement steering committee 
  established pursuant to subsection (b)(1) of section 710 of the 
  Homeland Security Act of 2002, to correct any relevant deficiencies 
  identified by the Comptroller General of the United States. The Under 
  Secretary for Management shall direct the employee engagement steering 
  committee to review such plan to inform committee activities and action 
  plans authorized under such section 710.
  
  SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON NEW FUNDING.
  
      No additional funds are authorized to carry out the requirements of 
  this Act and the amendments made by this Act. Such requirements shall 
  be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.
  
              Passed the House of Representatives June 20, 2017.
  
              Attest:
  
                                                   KAREN L. HAAS,
  
                                                                   Clerk.
target: Department of Homeland Security Morale, Recognition, Learning and Engagement Act of 2017 or the DHS MORALE Act (Sec. 2) This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (the chief) to:  develop and implement strategic workforce planning policies with respect to leader development and employee engagement; develop and implement policies that are informed by employee feedback; require that the career path framework and leader development opportunities are informed by an assessment of the learning and developmental needs of employees across DHS and appropriate workforce planning initiatives;  maintain a catalogue of available employee development opportunities, departmental leadership development programs, interagency development programs, and other rotational programs; and  ensure that employee discipline and adverse action programs comply with all pertinent laws, regulations, and federal guidance and ensure due process.  The chief may designate a DHS employee to serve as Chief Learning and Engagement Officer. DHS's report to Congress on fulfilling its workforce strategies shall include information on: (1) employee development opportunities, participation and attrition rates, and impacts on retention and employee satisfaction; (2) progress of strategic workforce planning efforts; and (3) activities of the employee engagement steering committee. (Sec. 3) The bill establishes an employee engagement steering committee, including representatives from operational components, headquarters, field personnel, and employee labor organizations, to:  identify factors that have a negative impact on employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; identify, develop, and distribute initiatives and best practices to improve employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; monitor efforts of each DHS component to address employee engagement, morale, and communications based on employee feedback provided through annual employee surveys, questionnaires, and other communications; advise DHS on efforts to improve employee engagement, morale, and communications within specific DHS components and across DHS; and conduct regular meetings and report, at least quarterly, to the Under Secretary for Management, the head of each component, and the DHS Secretary on DHS-wide efforts to improve employee engagement, morale, and communications.  The chief shall: (1) issue a DHS-wide employee engagement action plan to execute strategies to improve employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; and (2) require each component to develop and implement a component-specific plan to advance such action plan, monitor progress, and provide quarterly reports on progress. The preceding provisions terminate five years after enactment. (Sec. 4) DHS may establish an annual employee award program to recognize DHS employees for significant contributions to the achievement of its goals and missions. (Sec. 5) The Government Accountability Office (GAO) shall utilize a report by the Inspector General General of DHS, if available, and investigate whether the application of discipline and adverse actions are administered in an equitable and consistent manner that results in the same or substantially similar disciplinary outcomes across DHS for misconduct by a non-supervisory or a supervisor employee.   DHS's Under Secretary for Management shall: (1) review the findings and recommendations of such investigation and implement a plan to correct any relevant deficiencies identified by the GAO, and (2) direct the steering committee to review such plan to inform committee activities and action plans authorized under this bill.
feat_title: Department of Homeland Security Morale, Recognition, Learning and Engagement Act of 2017