Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Homeland Security Committee and former chair of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I am well aware of the importance of our nation's transportation system.

H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018, works to improve the security of public areas of transportation facilities.

Our Nation's vital transportation facilities must be protected.

A safe, well-functioning transportation system is critical to the Nation's prosperity.

Whether it is by road, transit, aviation, rail, or waterway, we rely on our transportation system to move people and goods safely, facilitate commerce, attract and retain businesses, and support jobs.

Everyday millions of Americans travel through airports, train stations, bus terminals, and ports.

Over 2 million travelers per day passed through U.S. airports in 2017.

In Houston, George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport served a combined total of over 54 million passengers in 2017.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport is the 14th busiest airport in the United States.

These airports are essential hubs for domestic and international air travel for Houston and the surrounding region.

It is critically important that their safety is assured.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Aviation Transportation Security Act (ATSA, P.L. 107-71) was enacted and established the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

TSA is responsible for securing the Nation's transportation systems-- both aviation and surface transportation.

Since the creation of the TSA, the technologies utilized at checkpoints and the mechanisms used to acquire them have changed very little.

Given issues from prior Congresses, including the wait time crises and covert testing failures, there are renewed pushes by stakeholders to have TSA continue in a more progressive direction in terms of security policies and technologies and the manner in which these technologies are procured.

The volume of work that the TSA must accomplish is growing each year and so are the threats they must face.

In 2017, over 750 million passengers were screened by the Transportation Security Administration.

In 2017, a record setting 3,957, firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging 76 firearms per week or over 10 per day.

84 percent of those firearms were loaded.

This represents over a 16 percent increase in firearm discoveries from 2016.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport had 142 firearms discovered in 2017.

It is time for us to take action to secure our vital transportation facilities.

H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018, directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish a working group to promote collaborative engagement between the Department of Homeland Security and public and private sector stakeholders to develop recommendations for enhancing security in public areas of transportation facilities.

Mr. Speaker, it is time for Congress to intervene.

The Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018 is a necessary step towards securing our transportation system.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018, to protect the safety of our citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5766) to improve the security of public areas of transportation facilities, and for other purposes.

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 such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018. This legislation will improve security coordination among transportation stakeholders by establishing a working group between the Department of Homeland Security and public and private stakeholders to develop recommendations for enhancing public area security of transportation facilities.

H.R. 5766 directs that the working group focus on key areas including information sharing, interoperable communications, incident response, and the prevention of terrorist attacks through strategic planning and security exercises. Taking steps to improve upon these critical components to security preparedness and resiliency is directly correlated to America's ability to mitigate the constantly-evolving threat to our transportation system.

The traveling public must be secure in all modes of transportation security, and the millions of Americans who utilize surface transportation networks every single day to travel to work and school rely upon strong Federal, State, local, and private sector collaboration.

Over the last several years we have seen a marked increase in attacks to public areas of transportation networks. From airports like LAX in Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Istanbul, Brussels, to mass transit hubs in New York City, London, Madrid and Belgium, we have witnessed horrific scenes of attack in crowded public spaces of transportation systems.

I am glad this bill seeks to improve upon the resiliency, preparedness, and overall security infrastructure of these networks, which are absolutely crucial to our economy and the American way of life.

The free movement of people and goods across the United States must never be stymied by violent extremism. That is why it is incumbent upon those of us in Congress to ensure that Homeland Security and TSA are doing all they can to promote effective collaboration among the litany of stakeholders charged with securing the traveling public.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for his focus on this important issue. I also thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. McCaul, for seeing this bill through the markup process.

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

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Rhode Island for supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, my time on the Homeland Security Committee over the past 3\1/2\ years has been a true testament to bipartisanship: trying to get the right things done, putting aside political differences to keep the country as safe and secure as we possibly can.

Mr. Speaker, I am honored to support the bill of my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Payne). I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

I rise in support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 was introduced to address the growing risk of terrorist attacks in the public areas of transportation facilities.

In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation that public areas of airports and transportation facilities, where crowds tend to gather, have become soft targets for terrorists. We have seen that internationally and domestically, as there have been violent incidents in public airport areas in Brussels, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Fort Lauderdale. Last year, there was an attempted attack on New York City's transit system as well.

H.R. 5766 seeks to bolster protection for the public-facing sides of transportation systems. It does so, in part, by authorizing a working group to streamline communication and collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and key stakeholders. Additionally, it directs DHS to disseminate technical assistance to operators such as vulnerability assessment tools and cybersecurity guidelines.

Finally, H.R. 5766 requires TSA to review its regulations, policies, and procedures regarding the transportation of firearms and ammunition and submit a comprehensive report to Congress on its findings and any planned modifications. The presence of firearms and ammunition in public areas of transportation facilities is a timely concern.

In January 2017, an arriving airline passenger in Fort Lauderdale retrieved a gun and ammunition from his checked bag and opened fire on travelers in the baggage claim area, killing five people and injuring six others.

In 2017 alone, TSA reported that its officers discovered 3,957 firearms at security checkpoints, 84 percent of which were loaded.

Mr. Speaker, given the prevalence and availability of guns in this country, the very least we can do is evaluate TSA's policies for transporting them and ensure that they are sensible and tailored to the risk.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 is an important piece of legislation that has strong support on both sides of the aisle. It is nice to see the bipartisanship once again. It directs meaningful, sensible action to help enhance the security of public-facing areas.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5766, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the following cost estimate for H.R. 5766, the Securing Public areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018, prepared by the Congressional Budget Office was not made available to the Committee at the time of filing of the legislative report.

U.S. Congress,

Congressional Budget Office,

Washington, DC, June 28, 2018.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,

House of Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has

prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5766, the

Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of

2018.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be

pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Megan

Carroll.

Sincerely,

Keith Hall, Director.

Enclosure.

H.R. 5766--Securing Public Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of

2018

As reported by the House Committee on Homeland Security on June 22,

2018

summary

H.R. 5766 would direct the Secretary of Homeland Security

to establish a working group to develop, in collaboration

with public and private stakeholders, recommendations for

enhancing the security of public areas of transportation

facilities. The bill also would authorize the secretary to

provide technical assistance to owners and operators of

surface transportation systems and facilities and specify a

variety of administrative and reporting requirements.

Assuming appropriation of the necessary amounts, CBO

estimates that implementing H.R. 5766 would cost $23 million

over the 2019-2022 period. Enacting the bill would not affect

direct spending or revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go

procedures do not apply.

CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5766 would not increase

net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four

consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.

H.R. 5766 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector

mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act

(UMRA).

estimated cost to the federal government

The estimated budgetary effect of H.R. 5766 is shown in the

following table. The costs of the legislation fall within

budget function 400 (transportation).

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--