Fixing Internal Response to Misconduct Act or the DHS FIRM Act
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Chief Human Capital Officer of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement a DHS-wide policy related to discipline and adverse actions, which shall provide guidance:
- to the senior human resources official overseeing discipline and adverse actions for headquarters personnel and non-component entities and relevant component heads regarding informing the public about how to report employee misconduct;
- on how DHS employees should report employee misconduct; and
- on the type, quantity, and frequency of data regarding discipline and adverse actions to be submitted by such official to such officer.
Such officer shall review and approve any necessary development of or changes to tables of offenses and penalties for DHS components to comply with DHS policy.
Component heads shall comply with DHS-wide policy regarding discipline and adverse actions for DHS’s workforce, and such officer shall implement a process to oversee such compliance.
Such officer: (1) may establish working groups to improve employee relations within DHS, (2) shall conduct follow-up reviews of components with respect to which misconduct has been identified, and (3) may request the DHS Inspector General to investigate any concerns identified through the oversight process that components have not addressed. The Inspector General may issue management alerts regarding misconduct.
