Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012

This is an enormously positive exhibition of the working relationship of the members of the House Judiciary Committee. And I thank both the chairman and the ranking member for the evidence of collegiality in these waning moments of the 112th Congress.

I'm going to follow my ranking member and acknowledge appreciation for the service of Judiciary Committee Chairperson Lamar Smith, who happens to be a tall Texan. And so we are delighted to thank him very much for the work that he has done, and to join with an established icon of Judiciary prominence in John Conyers. The two match well in their excellence, and I thank the ranking member and the former chairperson for his work and service. There is great work being done by the Judiciary Committee, and I think it is enormously important that we are the holders and protectors of the Constitution on behalf of not only our Members but on behalf of the United States of America.

Now is not the time, but I do want to acknowledge and hope that the House will consent at the appropriate time to acknowledge one of our fallen of great prominence of this committee, someone who I sat in his office as a baby Member of Congress, the Honorable Jack Brooks, who has passed. I hope there will be an appropriate moment for us to honor him before we leave today.

I rise to be able to thank the sponsor of this legislation--he attracted my interest in it--to correct something that probably was thought to be of good direction, but was not, in the limitation of the coverage of the President and the President's children, the First Family's children.

As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, let me say that we are celebratory of the fact that we have not had another attack on our soil since 9/11. If we look at it in a global perspective, we've not fought a war on our soil since--I believe at least an intense one-- since the Civil War. But certainly we know that terrorism and danger have taken a new direction in this country and the world. And for those of us who spend time on these issues on a regular basis, this is a forward-thinking and smart initiative to ensure that the security of the men and/or women who have served as President of the United States and their children can be fully protected.

Let me acknowledge, as well, the service of the men and women of the United States Secret Service. And to be very frank, having jurisdiction over the Secret Service and Homeland Security and having interacted with them on a number of occasions, certainly we note that there was a moment in this last year that did not reflect well upon the decades of service of the United States Secret Service. But they have done their job well. They have been dutiful servants and protectors of the men that have held the highest office, along with the First Ladies and their children. This legislation speaks to a modern-day world where you never know where danger may approach someone and can be utilized in an untoward manner, such as being held hostage and used to threaten the sanctity and democracy and freedom of this Nation.

So this legislation reflects our smartness and astuteness in correcting what was probably thought to be good but upon reflection does not reflect on the goodness of this Congress, the goodness of the American people, who respect the service of their public servants to the highest office in this land.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleagues to support the underlying legislation. And as this exhibits our opportunity that we can work together, I know that we'll find the right solution for solving our issues of middle class tax cuts and the fiscal deadline and make sure we move in a very positive direction.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6620) to amend title 18, United States Code, to eliminate certain limitations on the length of Secret Service Protection for former Presidents and for the children of former Presidents.

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 H.R. 6620, currently under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6620, the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, amends Federal law to uniformly provide lifetime Secret Service protection to all of America's former Presidents.

I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for sponsoring this commonsense, bipartisan legislation.

America has a responsibility to protect its Presidents and their families, and not simply while they serve in office. We also have a duty to ensure the ongoing safety of those who serve in America's highest elected office after they leave office.

In 1958, Congress first authorized Secret Service protection for former Presidents, which was limited to a reasonable period of time after a President leaves office. Congress expanded this to lifetime protection in 1965.

But in 1994, Congress once again limited Secret Service protection for former Presidents, this time to 10 years after a President leaves office. This 10-year restriction applied to Presidents who took office after January 1, 1997.

The role of a former President has changed throughout the years. Former Presidents now have a global presence, and they are often seen as de facto representatives of the United States.

Whether it's former President Carter's work in peace negotiations with other countries or President Clinton's global initiative, former Presidents have a valuable role in using their experience and knowledge to help the U.S. in both a public and private capacity.

The world has changed dramatically since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The threats to American personnel and interests continue as terrorists wage a war against the United States. Arbitrarily limiting Secret Service protection to 10 years may have made sense in 1994, after the Cold War had ended and before the war on terror had begun.

In a world where Americans who serve the public interest are considered targets, we must make sure that the safety and security of our former Chief Executives is not jeopardized. H.R. 6620 recognizes that those who serve as President are symbols of America and American freedoms and deserve to be protected.

There are only a handful of Americans who will be called upon to serve this country as President. These individuals represent America, not only while serving in office, but remain in the public consciousness long after they leave. H.R. 6620, simply recognizes that unique role and reinstates lifetime protection for all of our former Presidents.

I want to again thank Mr. Gowdy and Mr. Scott for their work on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy), who is the sponsor of this legislation.

Will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank the former chairman of the Judiciary Committee himself for those generous comments and say I've certainly enjoyed our working relationship over the last 6 years, and I know that that will continue as well.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Ladies and gentlemen, H.R. 6620 is a commonsense bill that will ensure the continued safety of our Presidents after they leave the White House by extending the ability of the Secret Service to protect former Presidents; and I'm proud to join with the chairman, Mr. Smith, of Judiciary, in support of this bill.

For Presidents who didn't serve prior to 1997, current Federal law provides that the Secret Service's protection terminates 10 years after the President leaves office. The 10-year limitation was enacted in 1994, when the nature of threats to former Presidents was more limited. But times have changed, and it's an unfortunate fact that former Presidents will require Secret Service protection for the rest of their lives. Therefore, this bill would simply restore the law to its prior form.

When a President of the United States completes his term, he remains a symbol of our Nation. Sadly, our Presidents who've worked hard to protect us from those who would harm our Nation may, themselves, continue to be in harm's way even after they complete their terms in office.

Most former Presidents remain prominently in the public eye, continuing to represent our country in significant ways and providing leadership on important issues. We should recognize and encourage their continued service by providing them with the protection they need.

This bill would also expand the Secret Service's authorization to protect the children of former Presidents until they reach 16 years of age. This also makes good sense under the current circumstances.

I want to recognize the Secret Service for their excellent and tireless job that they perform in protecting our national leaders. The men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor, while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the President and special national security events as well.

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, too, join in commending the gentleman from South Carolina, a member of our committee, Trey Gowdy, for his special work on this bill; and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6620.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the distinguished gentlelady from Texas, I would like to observe the great relationship that has been formed on Judiciary between myself and the distinguished gentleman from San Antonio, Texas. For 4 years he was the ranking member on his side, while I was chair. We worked together. And for the 2 years he served as chair, I worked as his ranking member. We had a cordial and, I think, important relationship in framing and putting forward the issues for the Committee on the Judiciary, and I thank him.

I will yield to the gentleman, with pleasure.

I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady from Texas, a senior member of Judiciary, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Today the Senate is enacting provisions sent to us by Representative Conyers, Chairman Smith and others to repeal a shortsighted limitation passed in 1994 to limit Secret Service protection of former Presidents. The House bill reverses the 10-year limitation enacted during a time when partisans were angry at the American people's election of President Clinton. They contended they were saving taxpayers money with this change in protection, but I doubt their legislation had any such effect. Now that the limitation might limit Secret Service protection for George W. Bush, they are ready to reverse course. We live in a world of real threats and dangerous people intent on wrongdoing. I support this effort to protect former President Bush and other Presidents going forward.

I think we should take a more thorough look at this outdated statute and expressly extend protection for the minor children of former Presidents, as well. In today's world, I do not believe ending such protection at age 15 is prudent. I have raised the issue with the authors of this legislation, with the Secret Service and with the current administration. They are hesitant to improve upon the current bill. I think we are making a mistake by not taking this opportunity to extend protection to children in our first families until they reach 21 years of age. I will not hold up the beneficial change that will be made by the House bill in order to demand a more thorough overhaul of the statute at this time. I suspect Congress will need to reassess this matter because we have not done all we should now.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank Chairman Lamar Smith. This may be my last opportunity to thank him for his service as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, not just for this bill but for the work he's done in the full 2 years. He has done a fantastic job, and I would like to thank the chairman for that.

Mr. Speaker, two things are clear: protection, security, and public safety--those are the fundamental obligations of government; and, secondly, we live in an increasingly dangerous world with increasing threats against our citizens and targets that are viewed as high profile. For those reasons, Mr. Speaker, and others, I earnestly believe those who serve this country as President should never have to worry about their personal safety.

Under current law, protection for President Obama and President George W. Bush will cease after 10 years. Both men are young, enjoy good health, and have long lives ahead of them post-Presidency. This bill proposes to extend that security for the remainder of their lives. There's an unintended anomaly, Mr. Speaker, that if current law were not changed, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush would receive more protections by virtue of being First Lady than they would if they had served as President themselves. So I hope my colleagues will make sure that the person and the symbol of our Presidency is safe and secure for the duration of their natural lives.