REPORT Act

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1540, the Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism Act of 2021 or the REPORT Act.

The purpose of this bill is to provide reports to Congress that are jointly developed by relevant federal agencies regarding incidents of terrorism.

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, whenever an incident of terrorism occurs in the United States, to submit to Congress an unclassified report upon completion of the investigation by the primary U.S. government agency conducting the investigation concerning the incident.

The report should contain:

1. A statement of the facts of the incident that are known at the time of the report.

2. Any recommendations for changes in practices or law, consistent with the Constitution, with particular attention to changes that could help prevent future incidents of terrorism.

The bipartisan bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the FBI, and/or the National Counterterrorism Center to work together to submit a report to Congress after a foreign or domestic terrorist attack, which must include an explanation of what happened, any gaps in national security, and recommendations for additional measures to improve homeland security and prevent future terrorist attacks.

After a terrorist attack, federal agencies will be required to report to Congress with information about exactly what happened and recommendations to prevent future attacks.

The first priority of government should be making sure that all Americans are safe, secure, and free.

The 9/11 attack on American soil on September 11, 2001 took the lives of nearly 3,000 innocent civilians and since that day, the role of virtually every federal, state, and local law enforcement agency changed.

The 9/11 attack remains a tragedy that defines our nation's history. But the final chapter will be written by those who are charged with keeping our nation and people safe while preserving the way of life that terrorists sought to change.

On January 6, 2021, during a joint session of Congress, a mob breached the U.S. Capitol, illegally entering the complex, violent participants, incited by the former President's rhetoric, injured scores of D.C. Police and U.S. Capitol Police officers--killing one, while four civilians also died.

The escalation in violent domestic attacks since the January 6 attack has been felt by our nation's law enforcement officers, as well as others which is evidenced by the rise in murder and assaults across the nation.

Today, we find ourselves in a nation where the terrorism landscape is more complex, it is imperative that we recognize and communicate the evolving and unorthodox nature of the terrorism threats we face today.

This bill is the most effective way for us to protect our country through solid reporting and communicating.

To prevent terrorist attacks and ensure efficiency and effectiveness in responding to an attack, agencies need to coordinate with each other to determine what went wrong so that we can strengthen our counterterrorism efforts moving forward.

Congress must have all available information to make the most informed policy decisions following a terrorist attack.

The REPORT Act ensures that members of Congress will receive the full accounting of the facts, so that they can hold federal agencies accountable.

Information sharing with both Congress and the American people, is a vital element of preventing, and responding to, terrorism.

I ask my colleagues to join me in voting for H.R. 1540 because our mission has been and will continue to be focused on preventing and preparing for all issues surrounding terrorism.

We owe a debt to those who have lost their lives and we must do all that we can to prevent another attack on United States soil.

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

I rise today in support of H.R. 1540, the Reporting Efficiently to Proper Officials in Response to Terrorism, or the REPORT Act.

Too many times, when a terrorism incident occurs within the United States, consistent and accurate information is not communicated to Congress. Many of us, especially from Texas, experienced this firsthand recently, when a British national, Malik Faisal Akram, took hostages at the Beth Israel Congregation in Colleyville, Texas.

And not only were the initial facts and circumstances of the incident unclear, but many questions remain unanswered regarding Akram's travel and admission into the United States.

This is completely unacceptable. Not only should Congress have all of the necessary information regarding terrorist attacks and other terrorism incidents, but the American people deserve to know what happened and how our government is responding.

The REPORT Act requires the DHS Secretary, the Attorney General, the FBI Director, and the Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, to submit an unclassified report to Congress regarding any incident of terrorism that occurs in the United States. The report must include the following:

A statement of facts; any gaps in our homeland or national security that could be addressed to prevent future acts of terrorism; and recommendations for additional measures, or legislative issues, to improve homeland or national security and prevent future acts of terrorism.

I commend my colleagues, and specifically my colleague from California, for bringing this legislation before the Homeland Security Committee and to the floor today.

I urge Members to join me in supporting H.R. 1540, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

I think this bill really strikes at the heart of what the Constitution says. We are a coequal branch of government, and the check and the balance on the executive branch, the executive agencies, is very important. We are elected, and we have a responsibility to go to our districts to report back about incidents that are affecting our country negatively.

And it is heartbreaking to hear any sort of terrorist attack, any sort of incident that is aimed at undermining our national security. That is why this committee was formed in the wake of 9/11. The purpose of our committee is to make sure that we have the ability to give the tools to those that are carrying out these missions; whether they are Customs and Border Protection, whether they are TSA agents, or any other agency that is entrusted with protecting the American public.

We deserve to have that transparency, as we have mentioned in a previous bill, and now to be able to report back. So I commend my colleague for bringing this up. And it is my sincere hope, similar to the other bills that we have discussed, that we can, as a coequal branch of government, offer that check and that balance on the executive branch, regardless of who is in power, regardless of the administration, to provide the necessary tools to continue to protect our country and all Americans.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I urge Members to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1540) to provide for joint reports by relevant Federal agencies to Congress regarding incidents of terrorism, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 1540, the REPORT Act.

In December of 2015, a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California, left 14 people dead and 22 wounded. Local law enforcement and first responders were heroes that day, saving lives just as they do every day across this Nation.

When terrorists strike our communities, Americans understandably have questions, and they look to us, their elected Representatives, for answers.

Our constituents want to know whether there were warnings or indications of a potential attack; whether anything could have been done to prevent it; and what can be done to thwart future attacks.

H.R. 1540, the REPORT Act, authored by Congressman Pete Aguilar, seeks to ensure that Members of Congress can be more responsive to their constituents by requiring better communication by Federal agencies with Congress following an attack.

Specifically, the bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Attorney General and the FBI Director, to submit to Congress an unclassified report within 1 year of completing a terrorism investigation.

The report, which may include a classified annex, must include a statement of facts regarding the attack; information on any homeland or national security gaps that could be addressed to prevent future attacks; and any recommendations for measures, including changes in the law, that would improve homeland or national security.

This vital information needs to be shared by the executive branch with the legislative branch to strengthen our Nation's terrorism response and prevention efforts.

H.R. 1540 is a commonsense measure, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Aguilar), the author of this commonsense legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, our Nation faces a complex and evolving terrorism threat landscape. We all celebrate the heroic first responders who save lives when an attack occurs, but the American people also expect Congress to respond to attacks and prevent future ones.

The REPORT Act is a commonsense bill that would ensure Congress has the information necessary to do just that.

The REPORT Act received bipartisan support during the committee consideration, and an earlier version of the bill passed the House in the 115th Congress by voice vote.

I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1540, the REPORT Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from New Jersey for yielding some time.

I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1540, the REPORT Act. I first introduced the bill, as my colleague mentioned, after the 2015 attack in San Bernardino, a community that I have been proud to represent. This attack tragically took the lives of 14 people and wounded 22. If not for the work of our first responders, more innocent lives would have been lost that day.

The REPORT Act would ensure that lawmakers and law enforcement agencies are better prepared to detect, prevent, and respond to future incidents of terrorism.

If enacted, the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Attorney General and the FBI, would submit this unclassified report to Congress whenever an act of domestic terrorism occurs in the United States.

By requiring the executive branch to share their findings with Congress, we, as representatives of our local communities, can act on the recommendations for changes and practices or law to prevent attacks and to protect all communities.

I appreciate my colleague from Texas talking about other incidents, and we know that incidents of mass violence continue to happen across our country, including the moment of silence that we had on the floor last evening.

If we can work together to prevent one such incident from taking place, Mr. Speaker, if both parties can unite to save one innocent life, this legislation will have been a success.

I appreciate the Homeland Security Committee staff for working to get this done, and my colleague from Texas and my colleague from New Jersey for leading this effort.

I ask my colleagues for an ``aye'' vote.