WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08) successfully passed his first bill through the full House of Representatives Monday after the chamber overwhelmingly approved, 409-0, his DHS Multiyear Acquisition Strategy Act. This bipartisan legislation [H.R. 1249] will streamline the Department of Homeland Security’s acquisition process to promote strategic investment as well as cost-savings for tax payers while enhancing our national security apparatus. “The results of this full House vote demonstrate that we can bring Democrats and Republicans together to both enhance national security and save taxpayers money. The Department of Homeland Security has faced longstanding problems with its major acquisition programs, resulting in systems that are late, underperform, and impose a higher cost than expected onto the taxpayer,” said Fitzpatrick. “My bill will ensure the DHS develops a plan to safeguard tax dollars while assuring that frontline operators have the necessary resources to keep our nation safe. H.R. 1249 will also allow the DHS to collaborate with to private sector to fully leverage their innovative solutions. It is critical that our agents receive the tools they need to keep America secure.” The Multi Year DHS Multiyear Acquisition Strategy Act of 2017 requires DHS to develop a Multiyear Acquisition Strategy as part of each Future Years Homeland Security Program to guide the overall direction of DHS acquisitions, while also allowing flexibility to deal with ever-changing threats and risks. This will help industry better understand, plan, and align resources to meet the future acquisition needs of DHS. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spends billions of taxpayer dollars annually on a variety of systems to secure our borders, protect our aviation system, safeguard our shores, and shield our cyberspace among other critical missions. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) and DHS Office of Inspector General have found longstanding issues with the management of these programs. The GAO considers DHS acquisition management at a high-risk for waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. “Representative Fitzpatrick’s bill is critical to ensuring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) better manages vital acquisition programs. His bill puts important safeguards in place to reduce waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement at the Department,” said Homeland Security Chairman Mike McCaul. “We are in dangerous times and the United States faces significant threats. The tools we provide our frontline personnel working to protect our homeland need to be delivered on time and properly designed to meet their needs. This bill will improve the efficiency of DHS and better protect the American people.” Fitzpatrick’s DHS Multiyear Acquisition Strategy Act now heads to Senate for consideration.