Honoring Our Fallen TSA Officers Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill

(H.R. 4802) to improve intergovernmental planning for and communication during security incidents at domestic airports, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4802, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014. As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I introduced this bipartisan bill to improve the state of preparedness at our Nation's airports in response to the shooting that occurred at Los Angeles International Airport in November of last year.

The shooting that occurred at LAX, which took the life of Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez and wounded three other people, served as a tragic wake-up call to the relative ease with which someone can wreak havoc in one of our Nation's busiest airports.

In March of this year, the Subcommittee on Transportation Security conducted a site visit and field hearing at LAX to examine the response to the incident and better understand the actions that have been taken to improve incident response in the wake of this tragedy. Subsequently, my subcommittee held a followup hearing to receive testimony from additional representatives of the law enforcement and airport communities on security incident response.

Over the course of these activities, through this process, the subcommittee found that while the Federal, State, and local response to the LAX shooting was heroic and swiftly executed, there is room for improvement in how airport operators, TSA, and other stakeholders coordinate the response and communicate in the crucial moments after a major security incident like this.

Based on months of careful review and stakeholder input by the subcommittee, as well as detailed after-action reports by the Los Angeles World Airports and TSA, H.R. 4802 would require the Transportation Security Administration to provide assistance to all airports where TSA performs or oversees screening to verify that each airport has detailed, practiced plans for responding to security incidents. This includes plans for evacuating travelers, establishing unified command, testing radio equipment, and conducting joint exercises among responding agencies.

This legislation would also make TSA a clearinghouse for security incident response and communications best practices, which was a key recommendation from testimony the subcommittee received in May. In addition, the bill would require TSA to certify to Congress that all screening personnel have participated in an active shooter training, which is a requirement TSA appropriately instituted on its own following the LAX shooting.

The bill will also require TSA to assess whether interoperable communications capabilities exist among responding agencies at airports where TSA performs or oversees screening. We know interoperability is an ongoing challenge among many first responders, despite billions being spent to achieve better communications since 9/11, but, at this point, no one has done an overall assessment to determine what weaknesses exist in terms of communications at our Nation's airports.

Finally, the bill requires TSA to examine how it can increase its reimbursement of law enforcement officers who protect the screening checkpoints.

These men and women are the front line of defense in protecting the traveling public. While TSA's funding for law enforcement reimbursement has decreased in recent years, the critical role these officers play at our airport checkpoints has never been more important.

This bill is a necessary step towards countering the threats facing our Nation's airports, without placing an undue burden on airport operators, law enforcement, or the taxpayers. In fact, according to TSA, the cost of providing assistance to airports will be incidental and would not require additional appropriations. This bill, nonetheless, makes it clear to TSA that no new funding is being authorized to carry out any of the provisions of this bill and that existing appropriations should be used to carry out this act.

I want to thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Mike McCaul, for his support of this bill and for moving it through the full committee, as well as the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Thompson, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Richmond, for cosponsoring this legislation and for working with us to produce this important legislation.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Richmond, for his kind comments and for the great working relationship we enjoy on this committee. It is a privilege to work with him.

Mr. Speaker, with the threats to our Nation's transportation system constantly evolving, we must work to ensure that airport security is prepared to respond effectively and efficiently to a variety of security threats. The shooting at LAX was a tragedy that will not soon be forgotten by those of us who are committed to enhancing security at our Nation's airports and protecting the traveling public. This bill will provide for more extensive collaboration and coordination between airports, law enforcement, first responders, and TSA, which will result in safer airports across the country.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor the memory of Transportation Security Officer Hernandez and support this important, bipartisan legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4802, a bill I am pleased to cosponsor.

The shooting at LAX last November not only took the life of Officer Hernandez but also served as a stark reminder of the dangers that the men and women on the front lines of securing our aviation sector face.

Unarmed and exposed, Transportation Security Officers perform the often thankless task of screening 1.8 million passengers per day.

They do so with limited workplace protections and the great responsibility of preventing another terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11.

Given their vulnerability and the critical role they play in protecting our homeland, it is essential that airports and the law enforcement agencies that protect them have the resources, training, and plans in place to ensure a swift and effective response to a security incident.

In March, as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I had the opportunity to participate in a site visit and field hearing at Los Angeles International Airport that focused on the tragic November 1, 2013 shooting.

We learned that while the response of the individual police officers was heroic, the overall response at LAX left much to be desired.

Panic buttons at the checkpoint were not in working order.

The emergency phone Transportation Security Officers have been trained to use did not display the location of the incident to the command center.

Police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel responding could not communicate via interoperable radios.

The bill before us today represents a bipartisan effort to remedy many of these issues.

Additionally, during Committee consideration of the bill last month, Representative Payne offered an amendment to the bill requiring TSA to conduct a nationwide assessment of the interoperability capabilities of emergency responders at airports.

I am pleased that the amendment was adopted and is included in the bill before the House today.

Such an assessment will help inform future efforts to address communications gaps at airports.

Before yielding back, I am compelled to point out that it has been over eight months since Officer Hernandez was shot and killed, leaving his wife without a husband and his children without a father.

Members on both sides of the aisle have expressed their condolences to the Hernandez family for their loss.

Indeed, we did so in person during our visit to LAX in March.

What we have not done, however, is provided the Hernandez family with all the potential benefits due when an officer dies in the line of duty.

Under current law, the families of individuals serving a public agency in an official capacity as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or chaplain receive compensation if their loved one is killed in the line of duty.

The same is true for families of employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and members of rescue squads or ambulance crews.

Unfortunately, the law has not been updated to include Transportation Security Officers within the definition of what constitutes a public safety officer.

As a result, the families of TSOs who are killed in the line of duty are not eligible for funds from the Public Safety Officer's Benefits Program.

While I am pleased the Appropriations Committee has included language in its Homeland Security bill addressing this issue for the Hernandez family, I would note that the legislation has not come to the House floor.

There is another, more direct effort underway. H.R. 4026, a bill introduced by Representative Brownley of California, would address this issue directly by designating Officer Hernandez, and his fellow Transportation Security Officers as public safety officers.

That bill, which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, has thirty-seven cosponsors.

Unfortunately, not a single Republican has signed on to support the measure.

I implore my colleagues to support that legislation so that the families of the men and women on the front lines of protecting our aviation sector are properly compensated should tragedy strike.

With that Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 4802.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4802, and I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on November 1, 2013, an armed gunman entered Los Angeles International Airport with the intent to target and kill transportation security officers.

Tragically, on that day, Officer Hernandez, for whom the bill before us is named, became the first TSA employee to die in the line of duty. After shooting Officer Hernandez, the gunman proceeded past the checkpoint and entered the terminal where he shot and wounded two other transportation security officers and one passenger. The two TSA employees who were shot and wounded selflessly remained at the checkpoint after the shooting began, helping passengers escape to safety.

Despite communications challenges, the men and women of the Los Angeles World Airports' Police Department responded to the incident swiftly, taking the shooter down, and preventing the loss of more innocent lives.

Through our committee's oversight work, we have identified some commonsense steps that could be taken to mitigate any similar incident in the future.

H.R. 4802 embodies these commonsense steps. The bill does so by requiring airports to have plans in place for responding to active shooter scenarios and TSA to: provide information to airports on best practices for responding to a security incident at checkpoints, provide transportation security officers practical training for responding to active shooter scenarios, and conduct a nationwide assessment of the interoperable communications capabilities of the law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel responsible for responding to an active shooter event at an airport.

The requirements contained in H.R. 4802 were informed by post- incident reviews of the LAX shooting conducted by TSA and the airport itself, along with the oversight work of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Transportation Security.

In March, the Subcommittee on Transportation Security held a site visit and field hearing at LAX to see firsthand how the tragedy unfolded and hear from TSA, airport officials, and the American Federation of Government Employees about how the response to a similar incident could be improved going forward.

In May, the subcommittee held a followup hearing on the shooting here in Washington and heard from a diverse array of airport operators and law enforcement to inform us of how a nationwide template for preparedness and response at airports could be most effectively crafted.

I am proud of the product before the House today. It is the result of intense review of the tragic LAX shooting and, if enacted, would result in airports across the Nation being more prepared to respond to a similar incident in the future.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like to commend Subcommittee Chairman Hudson for the bipartisan and inclusive manner in which he has led the Subcommittee on Transportation Security's oversight and legislative efforts in response to the shooting at LAX.

I was pleased to join Ranking Member Thompson and Chairman McCaul as a cosponsor of H.R. 4802. I would also like to acknowledge Congresswoman Maxine Waters, whose district LAX is in, and Ms. Brownley of California, who were both at the subcommittee hearing in California to provide oversight and give their input as to how we can prevent these incidents from happening and give support, of course, to Mr. Hudson.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I would urge all of my colleagues to support this very important bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. R. 4802, The Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014, which improves intergovernmental planning and communication during security incidents at domestic airport.

As a former chair and ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee Transportation Security Subcommittee, I understand how important this bill will be in enhancing safety and protection in the air transit industry, not just for our citizens but for our Transportation Security Officers working in the line of duty.

This legislation, which requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to devote more resources for planning and communication during and in case of threats or emergencies, is prompted by the tragic death of Gerardo I. Hernandez, a Transportation Security Officer who was killed in the line of duty at Los Angeles International Airport in November of 2013.

At just 39 years old, Gerardo Hernandez was the first TSA officer to lose his life in the line of duty in the 12 year history of the agency.

He died from several gunshot wounds inflicted by an assailant while on duty at the Los Angeles International Airport

Gerardo Hernandez was among those thousands of TSA employs carrying out their mission to keep the airways safe for traveling citizens, and their work across the nation cannot be understated.

On average, TSA officers screen 1.7 million air passengers at more than 450 airports across the nation, which averaged over 637.5 million passengers in 2012.

H.R. 4802 will help ensure that all screening personnel have received training in how to handle potential shooting threats.

The bill also requires TSA to verify that all airports have plans in place to respond to any security threats, and provide technical assistance as necessary to improve those plans.

The bill also directs the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Cybersecurity and Communication to report to Congress the capacity of law enforcement, fire, and medical response teams' communication and response to security threats at airports.

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the implementation of H.R. 4802 would cost about $2.5 million in 2015. Of the $2.5 million, an estimated $1.5 million would serve to provide additional technical assistance to airports, and the remaining $1 million would be used to evaluate the interoperability of communication systems used by emergency response teams.

Mr. Speaker, it has been almost 13 years since our country suffered the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

We will never forget how that day changed our lives, and the lives of every American generation to follow.

Security measures in airports across the country have been enhanced dramatically, and the resulting inconvenience is a small price to pay for the protective measures needed to keep the travelling public safe.

It is people like Gerardo Hernandez who do their best to make the necessary screening as least intrusive and burdensome as possible, consistent with the mission of ensuring the security of all members of the flying public.

TSA officers willingly risk their lives to make sure the job gets done, and for that we owe these men and women a debt of gratitude.

In honor of Gerardo Hernandez's contribution to his country, I strongly support this bill and urge all my colleagues to join me in voting for its passage.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for the time. I would also like to thank Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, Transportation Security Subcommittee Chairman Richard Hudson, and Ranking Member Cedric Richmond for introducing this bill and bringing it to the floor.

I rise to support the passage of H.R. 4802, the Hernandez Airport Security Act.

This bipartisan bill was introduced in response to last year's horrific November 1st shooting incident at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in my congressional district. The bill was named in honor of Gerardo Hernandez, the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) who was killed in the line of duty on that tragic day. As we debate this bill, we offer our deepest condolences to the family of Gerardo Hernandez, and we honor all of the TSO's, police officers, and other first responders who risked their lives to stabilize the situation and protect the public during that terrible incident.

Following the shooting, Congress conducted several congressional hearings, including a field hearing in my district on March 28, 2014. These hearings revealed serious security lapses at LAX, which interfered with incident response efforts. For example, there were emergency phones and panic buttons that did not work properly, problems in coordination between various police and fire departments, and incompatible radio systems. These security failures are unacceptable.

The Hernandez Airport Security Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct outreach to airports to verify that they have working plans to respond to security incidents, including active shooter incidents, acts of terrorism, and incidents that target passenger-screening checkpoints like the one where Officer Hernandez was killed.

It is imperative that major airports like LAX have a state-of-the-art emergency response system. The safety and security of our nation's airports and all of the workers and travelers who pass though them is of paramount importance.

I urge my colleagues to support this bill and send it to the President's desk.