S 1517 — HERO Improvements Act of 2017

(a) Cyber Crimes Center (1) In general The Secretary shall operate, within United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, a Cyber Crimes Center (referred to in this section as the “Center”). (2) Purpose The Center shall provide investigative assistance, training, and equipment to support domestic and international investigations of cyber-related crimes by the Department. (b) Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (1) In general The Secretary shall operate, within the Center, a Child Exploitation Investigations Unit (referred to in this subsection as the “CEIU”). (2) Functions The CEIU— (A) shall coordinate all United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement child exploitation initiatives, including investigations into— (i) child exploitation; (ii) child pornography; (iii) child victim identification; (iv) traveling child sex offenders; and (v) forced child labor, including the sexual exploitation of minors; (B) shall, among other things, focus on— (i) child exploitation prevention; (ii) investigative capacity building; (iii) enforcement operations; and (iv) training for Federal, State, local, tribal, and foreign law enforcement agency personnel, upon request; (C) shall provide training, technical expertise, support, or coordination of child exploitation investigations, as needed, to cooperating law enforcement agencies and personnel, which shall include participating in training for Homeland Security Investigations personnel conducted by Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces; (D) shall provide psychological support and counseling services for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel engaged in child exploitation prevention initiatives, including making available other existing services to assist employees who are exposed to child exploitation material during investigations; (E) is authorized to collaborate with the Department of Defense and the National Association to Protect Children for the purpose of the recruiting, training, equipping and hiring of wounded, ill, and injured veterans and transitioning service members, through the Human Exploitation Rescue Operative (HERO) Child Rescue Corps program 1; and (F) shall collaborate with other governmental, nongovernmental, and nonprofit entities approved by the Secretary for the sponsorship of, and participation in, outreach and training activities. (3) Data collection The CEIU shall collect and maintain data concerning— (A) the total number of suspects identified by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; (B) the number of arrests by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in child exploitation investigations, disaggregated by type, including— (i) the number of child victims identified through investigations carried out by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and (ii) the number of suspects arrested who were in positions of trust or authority over children; (C) the number of child exploitation cases opened for investigation by United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and (D) the number of child exploitation cases resulting in a Federal, State, foreign, or military prosecution. (4) Availability of data to Congress In addition to submitting the reports required under paragraph (7), the CEIU shall make the data collected and maintained under paragraph (3) available to the committees of Congress described in paragraph (7). (5) Cooperative agreements The CEIU is authorized to enter into cooperative agreements to accomplish the functions set forth in paragraphs (2) and (3). (6) Acceptance of gifts (A) In general The Secretary is authorized to accept monies and in-kind donations from the Virtual Global Taskforce, national laboratories, Federal agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and educational institutions to create and expand public awareness campaigns in support of the functions of the CEIU. (B) Exemption from Federal Acquisition Regulation Gifts authorized under su...