Honor Flight Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4812) to amend title 49, United States Code, to require the Administrator of the Transportation Security

Administration to establish a process for providing expedited and dignified passenger screening services for veterans traveling to visit war memorials built and dedicated to honor their service, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 material on the bill under consideration.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the Honor Flight Act. This bill would improve the airport screening processes for veterans traveling to visit our war memorials by providing expedited and dignified passenger screening services.

I am pleased TSA is currently implementing the requirements outlined in this bill by working with the Honor Flight Network to expedite the screening process for veterans visiting war memorials here in Washington, D.C. Codifying this commonsense policy will ease airport access for our Nation's heroes, who have made incredible sacrifices and deserve our utmost respect.

Not only will this legislation help to simplify their passage through airports, it will also improve efficiency by freeing up TSA screeners to focus on real threats. This is a positive step for our veterans and ultimately our transportation and national security.

I would like to commend the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond) for his work on this issue, as well as Chairman McCaul for moving this bill through the committee.

The Committee on Homeland Security has long advocated for less burdensome airport screening for our men and women in uniform and our veterans. In fact, this bill builds upon previous bipartisan legislation promoted by the committee and signed into law requiring TSA to provide expedited screening to Active Duty military traveling on official orders, as well as severely injured or disabled veterans and members of the Armed Forces.

Each and every day, we are humbled and inspired by the incredible sacrifices of all our veterans. This should serve as a powerful reminder of our duty to do all we can to honor the sacrifices they have made for our freedoms and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, as we walk around our Nation's Capital and visit the numerous war memorials, we are reminded of the incredible sacrifices that have been made by our veterans over many decades. H.R. 4812 is a simple and commonsense way to recognize and honor those sacrifices.

Mr. Speaker, I again want to commend the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Richmond) for his work authoring this legislation. I am proud that we moved this forward in a bipartisan way. As the gentleman said earlier, this is not a political issue, this is not a partisan issue; this is an issue of right or wrong, and it is right for us to honor our veterans and it is right for us to expedite their travel when they visit Washington, D.C. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume and rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the Honor Flight Act.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin by thanking Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Thompson, and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, Mr. Hudson, for cosponsoring and supporting this bipartisan legislation.

The Honor Flight Act is a measure that seeks to pay a debt of gratitude to a group of Americans who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure that we are able to enjoy the freedoms that we have today. Although we may never be able to fully repay our veterans for their bravery, sites such as the National World War II Museum, which we are proud to have in the city of New Orleans, bring into focus their lasting contribution and their impact on American history.

The Honor Flight Network is a nonprofit organization that works with airlines and other nonprofits to transport veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit memorials dedicated to honoring their service and sacrifice. The organization was created in 2005 by Earl Morse, a former physician's assistant with the Department of Veterans Affairs and a private pilot who saw his patients' desire to visit the newly built World War II Memorial and recognized that many of them lacked the resources or support to make the trip on their own.

By the end of 2013, the Honor Flight Network had transported approximately 117,000 of our Nation's heroes to visit their memorials. Estimates from the Honor Flight Network show that number to be well over 120,000 people today. The Honor Flight Network currently prioritizes transporting World War II veterans and veterans who are terminally ill but intends to expand the program to transport veterans of subsequent wars in the future.

Presently, the Transportation Security Administration, under the leadership of Administrator Pistole, expedites the screening process for veterans visiting their memorials in Washington, D.C., via the Honor Flight Network private charter flights, saving them time and showing them the due respect and appreciation they deserve.

This legislation will authorize the collaboration between TSA and the Honor Flight Network in law, thereby ensuring that it becomes a permanent practice.

Before yielding back, I would note that I am especially proud of the bipartisan manner in which this legislation has come to the floor, from its inception and its handling in the subcommittee to today, and I am especially proud that this legislation received unanimous support in committee. I am sure it received unanimous support because it wasn't a political thing to do, it was the right thing to do, and truly bestowing honor on people in this country who truly deserve this honor. But for them, we would not be here today in the capacity that we are. We have to understand and we recognize that it is their sacrifice and their shoulders that we stand upon as a Nation. With that, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and the former ranking member and chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the Honor Flight Act of 2014.

H.R. 4812 authorizes the collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Honor Flight Network, as well as other non-profit organizations that transport veterans to visit memorials, to ensure continued expedited and dignified passenger screening for veterans travelling to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials and other tributes to their bravery, heroism, and sacrifice in the cause of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of veterans across the country fought to protect the freedoms we take for granted and to keep our nation safe. They are deserving of our gratitude for the valor and courage they displayed in risking their lives to keep us free and to liberate captive peoples in other lands.

They are veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf Wars--Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

With each passing day, the number of World War II and Korea veterans declines by the hundreds. For many of these heroes, one of their last wishes is to visit the national war memorials in Washington, D.C.

Honoring and facilitating that request is the least we can do for those who did so much for us.

TSA works with the Honor Flight Network in expediting the screening process for veterans visiting the national war memorials, saving the veterans' time and showing them their due respect and appreciation.

The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to transporting veterans on charter flights operated by commercial airlines to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials built in honor of their service.

Currently, the Honor Flight Network gives priority to WWII veterans and those from any war who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The Honor Flight Network plans to expand the program in the future to include the veterans who served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, followed by veterans of the wars in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Speaker, my home state of Texas has the second largest number of veterans of any state in the nation, with just over 1.6 million veterans. My home city of Houston is proud to be the residence of more than 300,000 veterans.

I strongly support the bill before us because I strongly support the efforts of TSA and the Honor Flight Network in making real the dreams, and in many cases the last wishes, of thousands of veterans who wish to visit the memorials dedicated by the nation in their honor.

I urge all members to join me in supporting H.R. 4812 so that our veterans continue to receive the security accommodations they need and deserve as they travel to Washington, D.C. to view the national memorials consecrated by their sacrifice in defense of our country.

Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and the former ranking member and chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the Honor Flight Act of 2014.

H.R. 4812 authorizes the collaboration between the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Honor Flight Network, as well as other non-profit organizations that transport veterans to visit memorials, to ensure continued expedited and dignified passenger screening for veterans travelling to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials and other tributes to their bravery, heroism, and sacrifice in the cause of freedom.

Mr. Speaker, thousands of veterans across the country fought to protect the freedoms we take for granted and to keep our nation safe. They are deserving of our gratitude for the valor and courage they displayed in risking their lives to keep us free and to liberate captive peoples in other lands.

They are veterans of World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf Wars--Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

With each passing day, the number of World War II and Korea veterans declines by the hundreds. For many of these heroes, one of their last wishes is to visit the national war memorials in Washington, D.C.

Honoring and facilitating that request is the least we can do for those who did so much for us.

TSA works with the Honor Flight Network in expediting the screening process for veterans visiting the national war memorials, saving the veterans' time and showing them their due respect and appreciation.

The Honor Flight Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to transporting veterans on charter flights operated by commercial airlines to Washington, D.C. to visit memorials built in honor of their service.

Currently, the Honor Flight Network gives priority to WWII veterans and those from any war who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness.

The Honor Flight Network plans to expand the program in the future to include the veterans who served during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, followed by veterans of the wars in the Persian Gulf.

Mr. Speaker, my home state of Texas has the second largest number of veterans of any state in the nation, with just over 1.6 million veterans. My home city of Houston is proud to be the residence of more than 300,000 veterans.

I strongly support the bill before us because I strongly support the efforts of TSA and the Honor Flight Network in making real the dreams, and in many cases the last wishes, of thousands of veterans who wish to visit the memorials dedicated by the nation in their honor.

I urge all members to join me in supporting H.R. 4812 so that our veterans continue to receive the security accommodations they need and deserve as they travel to Washington, D.C. to view the national memorials consecrated by their sacrifice in defense of our country.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the ``Honor Flight Act.''

Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend the gentleman from Louisiana, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, Mr. Richmond, for introducing this bipartisan legislation.

We owe a great debt to the men and women of this country who have served to defend our liberty and freedom.

The Honor Flight Network is one organization that attempts to repay these veterans, by bringing them to Washington, DC, to visit the war memorials commemorating their dedication and sacrifice.

I have seen how these trips have enriched the lives of veterans. In my district, fifty (50) servicemen and women registered with the Honor Flight-Mid South in Tunica, Mississippi.

Enactment of this legislation will, in some small way, express the tremendous appreciation and gratitude that we have for these veterans and their families.

We are all aware of the steps that the Transportation Security Administration takes to ensure the security of the flying public, as well as the amount of time that this process can consume.

We are also aware that the veterans that the Honor Flight Network currently serves are mostly World War II veterans.

These heroes, who in some instances require additional assistance, are often wheel-chair-bound, and have other ailments that can make security screening very time-consuming.

To provide these veterans with the dignity and respect they deserve, since 2005, the Honor Flight Network has partnered with TSA to expedite the screening for veterans.

The legislation before us today will ensure that these veterans continue to receive the respect and consideration they deserve when traveling to the capital.

H.R. 4812 represents one of many pieces of legislation that Democratic members of the Committee on Homeland Security have proposed to support veterans.

Former Representative Hochul's ``Clothe a Homeless Hero Act'', signed into law last Congress, ensures that unclaimed clothes that TSA collects at airports is provided to homeless or needy veterans.

Earlier this Congress, Representative Gabbard's ``Helping Heroes Fly Act'' was signed into law by President Obama.

That legislation ensures that severely-injured service members and veterans are provided expedited screening by TSA.

Now we have the opportunity to extend such treatment to our veterans of World War II and, in years to come, to the other selfless men and women who served our country.

Mr. Speaker, we recently commemorated the seventieth anniversary of the D-Day invasion as well as 238 years of American independence.

Let us continue to support and honor the men and women who made these commemorations possible by enacting the ``Honor Flight Act.''

With that Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this measure.