Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017

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

I rise in support of H.R. 4577, the Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017.

In recent years, the volume of air travel has steadily risen, with 42 million people traveling domestically in the last days of 2017 alone. Last year, the worldwide number of people flying rose to a historic high of 4 billion passengers.

The high visibility of the aviation sector makes it a persistent target for terrorists who wish to carry out attacks and inflict harm upon U.S. citizens. As such, the TSA must continue to collaborate with stakeholders and better incorporate proven security tools into security operations. One of the tools that we know to be effective is canine detection teams, particularly in detecting and protecting against explosive threats.

In a May 2017 hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security last year, the Director of the Threat Assessment Division within the Transportation Security Administration attested to the value of aviation screening canine teams, saying: ``Canines are incredibly effective. They can do things we can't even measure with machines.''

The legislation before us today, H.R. 4577, would require the TSA to establish a working group of stakeholders to determine ways to develop a domestic canine breeding network to produce explosives detection canines and modernize canine training standards.

Today, the demand for trained and certified dogs is huge, with more and more security stakeholders coming to appreciate the explosive detection capabilities of our four-legged friends. This heightened demand has led to a shortage, presenting challenges for the U.S. Government in the procurement of suitable canines.

In testimony before the committee, the TSA and various stakeholders have cited these challenges and expressed concern regarding how to best address this shortage. That is why this legislation is so important.

The working group mandated in this legislation draws from authorities on explosives detection canines and homeland security missions, including the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, national domestic canine associations, academic experts, and domestic canine breeders and vendors.

The knowledge and expertise offered by this diverse group of representatives will ensure that the DHS can implement an effective and impactful strategy to further the development of explosives detection canine teams.

For these reasons, Madam Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.

H.R. 4577 will jump-start conversations on how to increase the supply of canines and better integrate them in the TSA's layered security at airports

and surface transportation hubs. Canines have become an invaluable asset to the DHS in fulfilling its many important missions and goals.

Even prior to the inception of the Department, canines were utilized by law enforcement and first responder agencies for decades, proving to be one of the most effective and versatile tools in detecting threats and protecting the homeland.

Terrorists are working hard to exploit vulnerabilities in our transportation system, and the U.S. must utilize all of our available resources to combat these threats. Canines are undoubtedly one such resource, providing a robust and reliable layer of security and giving Americans peace of mind.

If enacted, H.R. 4577 would better position the TSA to achieve and maintain a reliable supply of canines to deploy to not only airport terminals, but also to cargo operations and mass transit systems.

As such, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4577, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4577) to establish a working group to determine ways to develop a domestic canine breeding network to produce high quality explosives detection canines, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of passage of my bill, H.R. 4577, the Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017.

This legislation creates a working group on behavioral, medical, and technical standards for explosives detection working dog breeding and training programs.

This group will consist of the Transportation Security Administration, the Office of Science and Technology, private sector canine vendors and breeders, industry associations, leading veterinarians, and academics with firsthand knowledge of the subject matter.

The group's final report on standards should reflect the latest in canine science and will be presented to the TSA Administrator for further breeding development as well as canine procurement.

This bill is common sense. Canines are far more efficient than any machine and much more cost effective. The use of detection canines by the TSA is critical in keeping passengers over American skies safe.

With this in mind, why then, Madam Speaker, does the TSA procure the majority of its canines from European vendors in conjunction with the Department of Defense?

American canine breeders produce exceptional working dog lines, but the TSA's arcane procurement rules and training requirements create barriers to entry for American breeders and especially private sector vendors.

With the passage of H.R. 4577, the TSA will be required to incorporate findings and standards from the working group into its procurement process to create greater consistency and transparency for private sector vendors.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this commonsense bill and pass H.R. 4577, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), who is the chairman of the Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Madam Speaker, this is an area that we have spent a lot of time on in the Committee on Homeland Security over several years, and I can state without equivocation that there is no technology that is more effective at detecting explosives in our transportation systems than these canines.

It is a shame that we have allowed ourselves to become so heavily dependent on European providers for this very essential asset. This bill will go a long way in helping our country establish its own production of these essential assets for our use in keeping our country safe and secure.

Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my colleague's bill, H.R. 4477, the Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017.

This bill will help develop a domestic program through which the DHS and the TSA can acquire high-quality explosives detection canines from the United States. Currently, too much money is spent on too few canines because we are forced to compete for dogs from other countries in this high-demand threat environment.

Mr. Rogers' bill will help mitigate threats to aviation security by working to build our capacity here at home while proliferating the use of highly capable explosives detection canines. In a time when threats to homeland security are rapidly evolving, these dogs represent one of our greatest security tools in detecting explosives in surface and aviation transportation systems.

Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Rogers for his leadership on this issue, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.