Congressman Fred Upton has signed on as a supporter of the newly re-introduced Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act. He told WSJM News the act passed the House last year but got caught up in the Senate. It’s designed to bolster the government’s ability to prevent acts of domestic terrorism by authorizing offices dedicated to fighting the threat, requiring them to assess threats, and providing training and resources to police agencies.
“It really goes back to what we saw with Oklahoma City with the bombing of the federal building there a good couple of decades ago now,” Upton said. “It really codifies into law the importance of having federal agencies work together to identify those that may be on terrorism watch lists.”
Upton says the bill was drafted and approved before anyone saw the Capitol insurrection coming. The act would would authorize three offices, one each within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the FBI, to monitor and investigate cases of domestic terrorism. It also requires regular reports to Congress. Upton says it can hopefully pass the Senate this time around. It was re-introduced this month.
