7 U.S.C. § 2279k — Authorization of protection operations for the Secretary of Agriculture and others
submitted 8 years ago by Pub. L. 115-334 to r/title-7-AGRICULTURE · 385 words · no verdicts yet
The Agriculture Department may employ qualified officers or agents to protect specified senior officials and, under stated threat conditions, others. The Secretary may give them listed law-enforcement and protective powers and must report yearly through 2024.
(a) In general. The Department may employ qualified law-enforcement officers or special agents to provide: (1) protection for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary while performing official duties and during activities before or after those duties; (2) incidental protection for a person accompanying either official at an official-duty activity or event when there is an articulable threat to that person; (3) continuous protection for the Secretary and Deputy Secretary, including outside the periods in paragraph (1), when there is an articulable threat of physical harm, under the Secretary’s guidelines; and (4) protection for another senior officer representing the Secretary, including a person nominated to be Secretary while the nomination is pending, when there is an articulable threat of physical harm, under the Secretary’s guidelines.
(b) Authorities. (1) The Secretary may authorize officers or agents employed under subsection (a) to: (A) carry firearms; (B) investigate possible criminal threats to protected persons; (C) arrest without a warrant for a U.S. offense committed in the officer’s or agent’s presence; (D) perform protective-intelligence work, including identifying and reducing possible threats and reviewing site and event security in advance; and (E) coordinate with local law-enforcement agencies. (2) These powers must follow Attorney General guidelines and any additional Secretary guidelines.
(c) Exception. These powers may be used despite title 31, section 1343(b)(1).
(d) Report. By September 30, 2019, and every September 30 through 2024, the Secretary shall report to the House Agriculture Committee and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee on protection provided and expenditures made under this section.
The Department of Agriculture is authorized to employ qualified law enforcement officers or special agents to provide—
protection for the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary during the performance of official duties by each such officer and during any activity that is preliminary or postliminary to the performance of official duties by each such officer;
protection, incidental to the protection provided pursuant to paragraph (1), to an individual accompanying each such officer who is participating in an activity or event relating to the official duties of each such officer when there is an articulable threat to such individual;
continuous protection to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary (including during periods not described in paragraph (1)) if there is an articulable threat of physical harm, in accordance with guidelines established by the Secretary; and
protection of another senior officer representing the Secretary (including a person nominated to be the Secretary during the pendency of such nomination) if there is an articulable threat of physical harm, in accordance with guidelines established by the Secretary.
The Secretary may authorize officers or special agents employed pursuant to subsection (a)—
to carry firearms;
to conduct criminal investigations into potential threats to the security of persons protected under this section;
to make arrests without a warrant for any offense against the United States committed in the presence of such officer or special agent;
to perform protective intelligence work, including identifying and mitigating potential threats and conducting advance work to review security matters relating to sites and events; and
to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies.
The authority conveyed under this section shall be exercised in accordance with any—
guidelines issued by the Attorney General; and
such additional guidelines as may be issued by the Secretary.
The authorities granted under this section may be exercised notwithstanding section 1343(b)(1) of title 31.
Not later than September 30, 2019, and each September 30 through 2024, the Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the protection provided, and accounting for the expenditures made, pursuant to this section.
Source credit: (Pub. L. 115–334, title XII, § 12520, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 5001.)
- 2018Enacted · Pub. L. 115-334 · 132 Stat. 5001
A history note hasn’t been published yet. The record shows enactment by Pub. L. 115-334 on 2018-12-20.
all 0 arguments · sorted by: best
no arguments yet — make the first case