Editorial Notes
Amendments

2004—Pub. L. 108–330, §§ 6, 7, designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), inserted heading, and added subsecs. (b) and (c).

Pub. L. 108–330, § 3(d)(1)(B), substituted “shall perform functions as specified in chapter 9 of title 31 and, with respect to all such functions and other responsibilities that may be assigned to the Chief Financial Officer from time to time, shall also report to the Under Secretary for Management” for “shall report to the Secretary, or to another official of the Department, as the Secretary may direct”.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Change of Name

Select Committee on Homeland Security, which was established by House Resolution 449, One Hundred Seventh Congress, June 19, 2002, and reestablished by section 4 of House Resolution 5, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Jan. 4, 2005, was not reestablished in the One Hundred Ninth Congress. Rule X(1)(i) of the Rules of the House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, as amended by section 2 of House Resolution 5, One Hundred Ninth Congress, Jan. 4, 2005, established a Committee on Homeland Security. For jurisdiction of the Select Committee on Homeland Security and of the Committee on Homeland Security, see section 4 of House Resolution 5, One Hundred Eighth Congress, and Rule X(1)(i) of the Rules of the House, One Hundred Ninth Congress.

Committee on Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Tenth Congress, Jan. 5, 2007. Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2019. Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Committee on Governmental Affairs of Senate changed to Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of Senate, effective Jan. 4, 2005, by Senate Resolution No. 445, One Hundred Eighth Congress, Oct. 9, 2004.

Findings

Pub. L. 108–330, § 2, Oct. 16, 2004, 118 Stat. 1275, provided that: “The Congress finds the following:

“(1)
Influential financial management leadership is of vital importance to the mission success of the Department of Homeland Security. For this reason, the Chief Financial Officer of the Department must be a key figure in the Department’s management.
“(2)
To provide a sound financial leadership structure, the provisions of law enacted by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–576) [see Short Title of 1990 Amendment note set out under section 501 of Title 31, Money and Finance] provide that the Chief Financial Officer of each of the Federal executive departments is to be a Presidential appointee who reports directly to the Secretary of that department on financial management matters. Because the Department of Homeland Security was only recently created, the provisions enacted by that Act must be amended to include the Department within these provisions.
“(3)
The Department of Homeland Security was created by consolidation of 22 separate Federal agencies, each with its own accounting and financial management system. None of these systems was developed with a view to executing the mission of the Department of Homeland Security to prevent terrorist attacks within the United States, reduce the Nation’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and assist in the recovery from terrorist attacks. For these reasons, a strong Chief Financial Officer is needed within the Department both to consolidate financial management operations, and to insure that management control systems are comprehensively designed to achieve the mission and execute the strategy of the Department.
“(4)
The provisions of law enacted by the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 require agency Chief Financial Officers to improve the financial information available to agency managers and the Congress. Those provisions also specify that agency financial management systems must provide for the systematic measurement of performance. In the case of the Department of Homeland Security, therefore, it is vitally important that management control systems be designed with a clear view of a homeland security strategy, including the priorities of the Department in addressing those risks of terrorism deemed most significant based upon a comprehensive assessment of potential threats, vulnerabilities, criticality, and consequences. For this reason, Federal law should be amended to clearly state the responsibilities of the Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to provide management control information, for the benefit of managers within the Department and to help inform the Congress, that permits an assessment of the Department’s performance in executing a homeland security strategy.”