Rep. Pete Aguilar reintroduced the Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism (REPORT) Act, a bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a report to Congress after an act of terrorism occurs in the United States. The report would also require input from the US Attorney General, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and National Counterterrorism Center, and must include recommendations for policymakers on how to prevent similar acts of terrorism from happening in the future. Aguilar proposed the bill after his hometown of San Bernardino suffered a domestic terror attack on December 2, 2015 that killed 14 and left 22 wounded. Under current law, reports to Congress on this type of attack are not required.

“From San Bernardino to El Paso, we’ve seen the heartbreak and devastation caused by domestic terrorism. We must do more to ensure we can stop these types of attacks in the future. That’s why I introduced the REPORT Act. By ensuring that lawmakers are provided with full accounts of these incidents, and expert recommendations on how to prevent them, we can empower Congress to take steps to prevent future attacks,” said Aguilar.

When the bill was first introduced in 2017, San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon remarked, “I am in support of this common sense legislation that I believe will enhance law enforcement’s ability to better understand and prepare for future terrorist acts in our country.”

Called to action by the tragedy in San Bernardino, Aguilar introduced the REPORT Act in the 115^th Congress, gaining bipartisan support in an otherwise gridlocked Congress. The bill was passed unanimously by the House of Representatives in 2017, but never received a vote from the Republican-controlled Senate.