This Act would reorganize the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office (ELO) within the Department of Homeland Security by realigning its essential functions under the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) Partner Engagement directorate. It requires the Secretary to submit a comprehensive reorganization plan within 120 days of enactment, detailing how redundancies will be eliminated and essential functions realigned.
The plan must improve coordination with priority law enforcement agencies, establish clear communications protocols, centralize points of contact, enhance information-sharing, reduce outreach duplication, and ensure continuity of intelligence support for SLTT partners, including HSIN-INTEL access. It also mandates cost-benefit analyses, staffing proposals, transition timelines, and oversight mechanisms, while prohibiting expansion of the ELO Office or creation of duplicative offices without congressional authorization until the plan is submitted and implementation begins; a certification of commencement is due within 60 days of implementation.
This is a structural reform aimed at increasing efficiency, reducing duplication, and stabilizing relationships with key law enforcement partners during the realignment.
At a Glance
What It Does
Not later than 120 days after enactment, the Secretary must submit a comprehensive plan to reorganize the ELO Office, realign its essential functions into the I&A Partner Engagement directorate, and lay out coordination improvements with priority law enforcement agencies.
Who It Affects
DHS components housing the ELO Office, I&A, SLTT entity partners, priority law enforcement agencies (federal, state, and local), HSIN-INTEL users, and related DHS stakeholders.
Why It Matters
Centralizing engagement functions under I&A aims to reduce duplication, streamline partnerships with law enforcement, and ensure continuity of intelligence support during the transition, with explicit oversight and certification requirements to govern the process.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The bill targets the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office (ELO) at the Department of Homeland Security, proposing a realignment of its core duties into the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A) under the Partner Engagement directorate. A 120-day clock starts at enactment for the Secretary to deliver a plan that identifies redundant or non-essential positions and programs and proposes concrete realignments, including the transfer of essential functions to I&A and a clearer framework for engagement with priority law enforcement agencies.
The plan must also address coordination protocols, centralized liaison points, and improved information-sharing, while aiming to reduce outreach duplication across DHS components. Crucially, the bill requires assurances that intelligence support and HSIN-INTEL access for SLTT partners remain uninterrupted during the transition.
The act places tight governance on expansion, forbidding growth in staffing, budget, or scope or the creation of duplicative offices absent congressional authorization until the plan is submitted and implementation has begun, with a certification due within 60 days of starting implementation. The overarching aim is to create a more efficient, accountable, and predictable structure for DHS engagement with external law enforcement partners, anchored in stronger oversight and measurable performance.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill requires a comprehensive 120-day plan to reorganize the ELO Office and relocate essential functions into the I&A Partner Engagement directorate.
The plan must identify redundant or non-essential positions and programs and justify their elimination or realignment (with cost-benefit estimates).
The plan must establish clear communication protocols, centralized liaison points, and enhanced information-sharing with priority law enforcement agencies.
The bill ensures continuity of intelligence support and HSIN-INTEL access for SLTT partners during the transition.
Expansion of the ELO Office’s staffing, budget, or scope is prohibited, and new offices duplicating its mission require congressional authorization until plan submission and initial implementation, with certification due within 60 days of implementation.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short Title
This Act may be cited as the ELO Realignment and Strategic Engagement Reform Act of 2026, establishing the official designation for the reorganizing framework described in Section 2.
Plan for Reorganization and Realignment of DHS Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office
Not later than 120 days after enactment, the Secretary shall submit to the House Committee on Homeland Security and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs a comprehensive plan to reorganize the ELO Office. The plan must identify redundant or non-essential positions, programs, or functions and show how reorganization would address these redundancies. It must realign the ELO Office’s essential functions into the Partner Engagement directorate of I&A, and it must specify measures to improve coordination with priority law enforcement agencies, including clear communications protocols, centralized points of contact, enhanced information-sharing mechanisms, reduced duplication of outreach, and improved accountability and performance metrics.
Certification
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to the specified House and Senate committees a certification not later than 60 days after commencing implementation of the plan required under Section 2, confirming that implementation has begun and outlining the initial steps taken.
Limitation on Expansion
Until the Secretary submits the required plan and certifies commencement of implementation, the Secretary may not expand the staffing, budget, or programmatic scope of the ELO Office, nor establish new offices duplicating the mission of the ELO Office or the Partner Engagement directorate of I&A without explicit congressional authorization.
Definitions
Definitions used in this act include: (1) Department means the Department of Homeland Security; (2) ELO Office means the Engagement, Liaison, and Outreach Office within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis; (3) I&A means the Office of Intelligence and Analysis; (4) Secretary means the Secretary of Homeland Security; (5) SLTT Entity means state, local, tribal, and territorial entities as defined in 6 U.S.C. 650; (6) Priority Law Enforcement Agencies means federal, state, and local agencies identified by the Secretary as key partners for national security, counterterrorism, emergency response, or other mission-critical operations.
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Explore Government in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- I&A’s Partner Engagement directorate gains clearer authority and a centralized role in DHS engagement with law enforcement partners.
- Priority law enforcement agencies (federal, state, and local) benefit from standardized contact points, clearer protocols, and improved information sharing.
- SLTT entity partners benefit from maintained intelligence support continuity and HSIN-INTEL access during the transition.
- HSIN-INTEL data users and related DHS teams gain more structured information-sharing mechanisms and reduced outreach duplication across DHS components.
- DHS-wide engagement processes become more coherent, reducing redundancy and enabling more predictable coordination with external partners.
Who Bears the Cost
- ELO Office personnel may be redeployed, reassigned, or have reduced roles as functions shift to I&A.
- I&A may incur transitional costs to absorb realigned functions and establish new coordination mechanisms.
- Other DHS components could experience temporary disruptions or adjustments as outreach roles consolidate under the I&A framework.
- State, local, and tribal partners may incur transitional coordination costs as interfaces and points of contact are realigned.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central question is whether consolidating ELO functions under I&A into a single Partner Engagement directorate will streamline operations without eroding the nuanced, locally informed outreach that SLTT partners and priority agencies rely on.
The bill’s push for centralizing engagement functions within I&A introduces tensions between efficiency and the risk of overlooking local context in outreach. While the plan emphasizes reduced duplication and standardized methods, realignment could disrupt ongoing engagements if not managed carefully, requiring robust transition plans and stakeholder communication.
The requirement for comprehensive cost-benefit analyses and explicit oversight is designed to mitigate these risks, but implementation will hinge on how quickly DHS translates the plan into stable, operational processes without compromising vital external partnerships. Privacy, civil liberties, and data-sharing implications should be monitored as new information-sharing mechanisms are established.
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