Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in the Senate amendment to the bill (H.R. 347) to correct and simplify the drafting of section 1752 (relating to restricted buildings or grounds) of title 18, United States Code.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on the Senate amendment to H.R. 347, currently under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

H.R. 347, the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011, introduced by Congressman Tom Rooney, makes commonsense improvements to an existing Federal law that prohibits unlawful access to the White House, the Vice President's residence, and other restricted areas.

Current law prohibits unlawful entries upon any restricted building or ground where the President, Vice President, or other protectee is temporarily visiting. However, there is no Federal law that expressly prohibits unlawful entry to the White House and its grounds or the Vice President's residence and its grounds. The United States Secret Service must therefore rely upon a provision in the District of Columbia Code, which addresses only minor misdemeanor infractions when someone attempts to or successfully climbs the White House fence or, worse, breaches the White House, itself.

H.R. 347 remedies this problem. It specifically includes the White House, the Vice President's residence, and their respective grounds in the definition of restricted buildings and grounds. The bill also clarifies that the penalties in section 1752 of title 18 apply to those who knowingly enter or remain in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so. Current law does not include this important element.

The House passed this bill 1 year ago by a vote of 399 3. Earlier this month, the Senate passed the bill by unanimous consent. The Senate also clarified that the revised law applies to individuals the Secret Service is required to protect by statute or by Presidential memorandum.

H.R. 347 ensures that the President, the First Family, the Vice President, and others are protected whether they are in the White House or attending an event in a convention center or meeting hall.

I commend my colleague from Florida (Mr. Rooney) for sponsoring this legislation, which enjoys overwhelming bipartisan and bicameral support.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rooney), who is a sponsor of this legislation and also a member of the Armed Services and a former member of the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I support H.R. 347, as amended by the Senate, which will assist the Secret Service in performing its protective duties.

The bill before us today will help the Secret Service carry out its role in protecting the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries. Current Federal law prohibits individuals from entering or remaining in areas cordoned off as ``restricted'' because of protection being provided by the Secret Service.

This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute only applies to those who do not have lawful authority to be in those areas. The bill would also add the White House and Vice President's residence to the definition of restricted areas protected under current law.

The Senate made minor changes to the bill, including expanding the bill's protections to areas in which the Secret Service is protecting a person by the direction of a Presidential memorandum.

I support this amendment. This bill will assist the Secret Service, which did not have this protective function when it was created.

The role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly since it was established in 1865 to fight the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.

The Service became part of the Treasury Department in 1883 and took on many additional investigative responsibilities with respect to safeguarding the payment and financial systems of the United States. It wasn't until 1894 that the Secret Service first started protecting our Presidents; and that protective role with respect to the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries has grown substantially since that time.

The men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor and professionalism while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the President and national special security events.

The Secret Service has other important functions which also deserve recognition. For example, the investigative role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly from protecting the currency against counterfeiting to investigating a variety of crimes related to this country's financial institutions and credit systems.

I commend the gentleman from Florida, Representative Tom Rooney, for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 347, which will assist the Secret Service in performing their protective duties, and it does include the Pittsburgh Steelers organization in the confines of this legislation.

The role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly since it was created in 1865 to fight the counterfeiting of U.S. currency. The Secret Service became part of the Treasury Department in 1883 and took on many additional investigative responsibilities with respect to safeguarding the payment and financial systems of the United States.

It wasn't until 1894 that the Secret Service first started protecting our Presidents, and that protective role with respect to the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries has grown substantially since that time. The bill before us today will help the Secret Service carry out this protective function.

Current Federal law prohibits individuals from entering or remaining in areas cordoned off as restricted because of protection being provided by the Secret Service. This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute under--excuse me. This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute only applies to those who do not have lawful authority to be in those areas.

The bill also would add the White House and the Vice President's residence to the definition of restricted areas protected under current law.

The men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor and professionalism while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the President and national special security events.

The Secret Service has other important functions which also deserve recognition. For example, the investigative role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly from protecting the currency against counterfeiting to investigating a wide variety of crimes related to this country's financial institutions and credit systems.

I commend the gentleman from Florida, Representative Tom Rooney, for his work on this bill. I do sympathize with him in his loss. And I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347.

I yield back the balance of my time.

I thank the gentleman from California.

Mr. Speaker, the United States Secret Service began providing protective services following the assassination of President McKinley in 1901. The Service's protection responsibilities have since expanded to include the First Family, the Vice President, former Presidents, heads of state, and others. The Service also provides protection at special events of national significance. To address this vital responsibility, the Secret Service must anticipate, recognize, and assess threat situations and initiate strategies to eliminate and reduce threats or security vulnerabilities.

A key component of the Service's protection mission is securing the buildings and grounds where those protected work or visit. From the White House to a hotel ballroom, the Secret Service must provide a secure environment for the President and other protectees.

H.R. 347 ensures that the Secret Service has the ability to secure all necessary areas surrounding restricted buildings and grounds that house our leaders, their families, and foreign heads of state. This bill clarifies section 1752 of title 18, which sets penalties for knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without the lawful authority to do so.

Currently written, the code does not distinguish between those who are there lawfully, such as Secret Service agents and other authorized staff, and those who are there without permission. This bill does not create any new authorities for the Secret Service and does not restrict the liberties of American citizens. H.R. 347 simply clarifies and improves existing criminal statutes that are necessary for the Secret Service to resolve security issues and implement prevention strategies before tragedy strikes.

This bill will enable the United States Secret Service to continue to deliver the highest level of protective services consistent with their proud tradition. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this important legislation.

Mr. Speaker, the protections provided by the United States Secret Service are vital to assessing security threats and providing a secure environment for our Nation's leaders.

One key aspect of the Service's mission is to secure buildings and grounds where our leaders work and live, including the White House and the Naval Observatory. My bill would explicitly protect these residences of the President and the Vice President from intruders and would clarify current law to distinguish between those who are able to enter the grounds lawfully, like the Secret Service, and those who enter without permission.

This bipartisan bill would improve existing criminal law to ensure that the Secret Service can continue to implement strategies that prevent potentially catastrophic security breaches. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense, bipartisan piece of legislation to protect our Nation's leaders and national security.

I thank Mr. Smith from Texas for his leadership on this issue, the Judiciary Committee, and Mr. Johnson of Georgia.