Pathways to Improving Homeland Security at the Local Level Act

Madam Speaker, due to a scheduled medical procedure, I was physically absent from the House of Representatives from January 10, 2019 to February 5, 2019. During that time, I missed 44 recorded votes. Had I been present for those votes, I would have voted: on Roll Call No. 22 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 267, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 23 on the Passage of H.R. 267, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 24 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 265, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 25 on the Passage of H.R. 265, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 26 on the Republican Motion to Recommit on H.R. 266, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 27 on the Passage of H.R. 266, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 28 on the Passage of S. 24, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 29 on the Passage of H.R. 221, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 30 on the Passage of H.R. 116, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 31 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 27, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 32 on the Passage of H. Res. 41, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 33 on the Passage of H.R. 135, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 34 on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 43, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 35 on the Adoption of H. Res. 43, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 36 on the Passage of H.R. 190, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 37 on the Passage of Amendment No. 2 offered by Mr. McGovern (D- MA), I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 38 on Ordering the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 39 on the Passage of H.R. 268, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 40 on the Adoption of H. Res. 52, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 41 on the Passage of H.R. 150, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 42 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 30, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 43 on Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 44 on the Passage of H.R. 676, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 45 on the Passage of H.R. 328, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 46 on the Passage of H.J. Res 28, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 47 on the Passage of H. Res. 61, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 48 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 49 on the Passage of H.R. 648, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 50 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 51 on the Passage of H.J. Res. 31, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 52 on the Passage of H.R. 624, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 53 on the Passage of H.R. 502, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 54 on Approving of the Speaker's Journal, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 55 on the Motion to Adjourn, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 56 on the Passage of H.R. 428, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 57 on the Passage of H.R. 449, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 58 on the Passage of H.R. 769, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 59 on the Motion to Table the Motion to Reconsider H. Res. 77, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 60 on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 87, I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 61 on the Passage of H. Res. 87, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 62 on the Passage of Amendment No. 3 offered by Mrs. Trahan (D-MA), I would have voted ``Nay;'' on Roll Call No. 63 on the Republican Motion to Recommit, I would have voted ``Yea;'' on Roll Call No. 64 on the Passage of H.R. 790, I would have voted ``Nay;'' and on Roll Call No. 65 on the Passage of H. Res. 79, I would have voted ``Nay.''

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 449) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002, to direct the Assistant Secretary for State and Local Law Enforcement to produce and disseminate an annual catalog on Department of Homeland Security training, publications, programs, and services for State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 449, the Pathways to Improving Homeland Security at the Local Level Act.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my Democratic colleague, Mrs. Demings, for reintroducing this measure in the new Congress.

Nearly 18 years ago, our country faced the difficult realization that, in order to effectively combat the threat of terrorism, we needed to implement a new whole-of-government approach. In other words, we need all hands on deck.

Having learned from the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security now facilitates information-sharing and collaboration efforts between the Federal, State, and local levels. This cooperation helps to

ensure that all government partners are equipped with the resources and information they need to tackle the ever-evolving threat of terrorism.

H.R. 449 will help further those efforts. This bill will ensure that our Nation's first responders at the State and local levels have easy and ready access to DHS' cutting-edge resources and training programs.

H.R. 449 would require the Department to disseminate such information in an annual catalog. In order to maximize the catalog's availability and readership, this bill also calls for the catalog to be accessible on the Department's website as well as on a secure information-sharing platform.

This measure is a great example of commonsense, bipartisan legislation that will help build safer communities from the ground up.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings).

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 449, which passed the House of Representatives on suspension last Congress, will strengthen the Federal Government's relationship with our State and local law enforcement partners.

One of our top priorities on this committee is ensuring adequate training for our first responders and creating collaborative partnerships between DHS and its local counterparts. This bill will help us accomplish that.

Mr. Speaker, I again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 449, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. Speaker, it is part of DHS' statutory mission to support State and local law enforcement, and the Office of State and Local Law Enforcement has the responsibility of proactively identifying ways in which the Department can support these important stakeholders.

The Pathways to Improving Homeland Security at the Local Level Act, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings), will ensure that State and local law enforcement receive vital information on available DHS resources and programs.

Under the bill, the Office of State and Local Law Enforcement will annually produce and disseminate a catalog that details the Department of Homeland Security training, publications, programs, and services available to non-Federal law enforcement agencies. The office must disseminate the catalog within 30 days of production to State and local law enforcement entities.

This catalog is currently being produced by the office, and the bill requires them to continue its production.

DHS also is required to share the catalog through the Homeland Security Information Network. Using this existing information-sharing platform will expand, hopefully, the number of State and local law enforcement partners who receive it.

This bill is intended to increase awareness of DHS tools and resources available to assist State and local law enforcement.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Gosar).

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for introducing this important bill to ensure State and local law enforcement are aware of the resources DHS can provide to them.

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

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New York for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I reintroduced H.R. 449 to enhance counterterrorism preparedness at the local level.

In recent years, we have seen acts of terrorism, especially in planning and execution, take place in cities throughout our Nation. Whether it occurs at a church in Charleston, a synagogue in Pittsburgh, or a nightclub in Orlando, local law enforcement is the front line of defense in protecting our communities from acts of violence. It is, therefore, necessary to equip our first responders with the tools to allow them to quickly adapt to the evolving terrorist threat landscape. This bill, H.R. 449, does just that.

Today, the Department of Homeland Security's training catalogue is a primary resource for State and local jurisdictions to find opportunities to enhance their counterterrorism and preparedness capabilities.

Specifically, H.R. 449 directs DHS' Office of State and Local Law Enforcement to produce, as you have heard, and distribute an annual catalogue of training programs and services to State, local, and Tribal law enforcement communities. To ensure that this information is shared throughout the law enforcement community with agencies large and small, H.R. 449 requires this comprehensive catalogue be posted on the DHS website, as well as on the Homeland Security Information Network.

Enactment of this bill will further strengthen the Department's partnership with State and local law enforcement to help better protect the homeland. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I am fully in favor of this bill. Particularly, last week, when my colleague Andy Biggs and I took a bunch of our colleagues down on the border, we were assailed by our Border Patrol not having adequate weapons and not having enough bulletproof vests and light armor. A lot of times, these guys are carrying shielding that is 35 pounds. In the hot summer, your body temperature can rise very quickly above that.

Mr. Speaker, I support this bill. It is a good bill. I encourage my colleagues to vote for it.