Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4803, the TSA Office of Inspection Accountability Act of 2014, sponsored by the Gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Sanford.

The DHS Inspector General has reported that TSA's Office of Inspection does not operate efficiently and could save significant tax dollars by reclassifying criminal investigators in the Office of Inspection to other less costly positions while still performing the same work. The DHS IG specifically found that criminal investigators in the Office of Inspection primarily monitor the results of criminal investigations conducted by other agencies, investigate administrative cases of TSA employee misconduct, and carry out inspections, covert tests, and internal reviews.

While each of these functions is important, and in many cases a criminal investigator may be well suited to perform them, they do not represent the equivalent of a criminal investigation and should therefore not be the primary functions of those employees who receive premium pay and other benefits associated with being a criminal investigator.

This bill addresses this issue by requiring a review of these positions by TSA and the DHS Inspector General to determine how many employees should be reclassified.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this common-sense bill, and would like to thank the Congressman from South Carolina, Mr. Sanford, both for his work on this issue and his strong participation in the Committee's oversight and legislative efforts this Congress. I would also like to commend the Gentleman from North Carolina, Mr. Hudson, for his leadership as well.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of H.R. 4803.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4802, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014. As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am proud to be a cosponsor of this important legislation, which builds on some of the most important lessons from the tragic shooting at LAX last November, by helping airports nationwide learn from what happened and make improvements to their own security and emergency response plans.

Having traveled to LAX in March for the site visit and field hearing held by my good friend from North Carolina, Mr. Hudson, and having had the opportunity to meet with the widow of Officer Hernandez during that trip, I strongly believe we owe it to the traveling public, emergency first responders, law enforcement, and our TSA screening personnel to ensure that the airport environment is as secure as possible and is adequately prepared to respond to security incidents within the airport perimeter.

I would like to commend the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security, Mr. Hudson, for his diligent efforts to address this important issue, and his dedication to strengthening the state of airport security nationwide. I also wish to commend the bipartisan efforts of both the Ranking Member of the Full Committee, Mr. Thompson, and the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, Mr. Richmond, whose support of this legislation is greatly appreciated. I also commend the hard work done by TSA Administrator Pistole to learn from the shooting, honor the victims, and engage with the TSA workforce and airport community to ensure we are constantly improving our ability to respond to these types of tragic events.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4812, the Honor Flight Act. This bill would require TSA to establish a process for providing expedited and dignified screening for veterans traveling to visit war memorials built and dedicated to honor their service.

As the son of a World War II veteran, I'd like to commend the Congressman from Louisiana, Mr. Richmond for his work on this issue, as well as the important work of the Congressman from North Carolina, Mr. Hudson, Chairman of the Transportation Security Subcommittee.

Having recently witnessed the arrival of an honor flight at Reagan National Airport, I can honestly say that there is nothing more inspiring than seeing these heroic men and women who have made a tremendous sacrifice arriving in our Nation's capital to visit war memorials that are dedicated to their service.

This bill codifies current TSA policy and ensures that TSA continues to take a proactive approach to expediting screening for veterans traveling on Honor Flights. In doing so, it would ensure that TSA spend less time scrutinizing this lower-risk population and more time and energy screening higher-risk passengers and focusing on the real threats to our aviation sector.

As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am pleased to support such a bipartisan, commonsense effort.

I urge my colleagues to support the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Meehan) for his hard work and leadership on this issue, this bill. He rallied more than 150 Members of Congress--no small feat in this institution--to express his concern over the way the DHS preclearance operations in Abu Dhabi were set up last year. The commonsense bill before us today should be supported by every Member of this body. Pushing out the border through operations like preclearance allows Customs and Border Protection to identify and intercept threats, including dangerous people and cargo, long before they ever reach our shores. So it is a noble concept.

Preclearance facilities have served America's interests by facilitating secure trade and travel since the 1950s. Since 9/11, the security value of these facilities has only increased.

However, I share the concerns of many of my colleagues regarding the rollout of a preclearance facility that was recently established in Abu Dhabi, which was the first such facility set up after 9/11. The process by which CBP announced and created this facility was not transparent, raising several questions about the suitability of that location.

I recently had the opportunity to visit this preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi on a delegation that I led to the region, and I came away convinced that there is real security value in putting our CBP officers overseas. However, I think it is appropriate that Congress weigh in on how we go about establishing future preclearance operations, given the controversy and mismanaged rollout of Abu Dhabi.

This bill strengthens the homeland security elements of preclearance operations by requiring that comparable aviation security screening standards are in place prior to beginning preclearance operations. It would also require rescreening of passengers and cargo if security standards are not maintained overseas.

This bill takes steps to reduce the potential for missteps by requiring a series of notifications and certifications to the Congress long before new preclearance facilities are established. Under the requirements of this bill, DHS must now certify that future facilities serve the national interests, stakeholders must be properly consulted, and U.S. airlines must have equal access to locations under consideration. This legislation we are considering is a result of extensive consultation with industry, the Department itself, and Members from both parties.

Again, I want to thank Chairman Meehan for his hard work and oversight on this important program. I want to thank the ranking member of the full committee, Bennie Thompson, and the ranking member of the subcommittee for, once again, on our committee, showing great bipartisanship to get the will of the people done in this House.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4007, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program Authorization and Accountability Act introduced by Chairman Meehan and myself, along with my good friend, Representative Gene Green from Texas. I want to thank Chairman Meehan for his very hard work on this legislation over the last year to get to the point where we are today.

I also want to thank Chairmen Upton and Shimkus on the Energy and Commerce Committee for allowing this bill to go forward for a vote today, as well. Finally, we don't thank our staff enough for what they do every day. Joan O'Hara on our staff worked tirelessly on this bill with both the administration and industry to, I think, deliver a very good product.

This bipartisan bill provides the stability and the certainty that both the Department and industry have been calling for, while also making fundamental improvements to the CFATS program.

It is no secret that CFATS has had a troubled history, but this bill will allow the Department to build off its successes while correcting many of its shortcomings. After the tragic events of West, Texas, in my home State, it is imperative that we pass this bill.

Specifically, the bill ensures that DHS coordinates with other Federal agencies, State and local officials, and industry associations to make sure facilities aren't off the grid and ensure first responders are properly trained to deal with emergency incidents at CFATS facilities.

It also improves the site security plan approval and DHS accountability by requiring the Secretary to certify the Department's progress and by authorizing GAO to regularly conduct assessments and report to Congress.

In addition to being good policy, this bill enjoys widespread support by the stakeholder community and was passed unanimously out of both the subcommittee and the full committee, something I think, Mr. Chairman, is almost unheard of in this Congress here today, and I am glad that it came out of our committee, the Homeland Security Committee.

In fact, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson explicitly endorsed this bill in his first appearance testifying on the Hill before our committee.

I would also finally like to, again, thank Chairman Meehan, as well as all the cosponsors of this bipartisan legislation, and I urge their support.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4228, the ``DHS Acquisition Accountability and Efficiency Act,'' which was developed and introduced by the gentleman from South Carolina, the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight & Management Efficiency, Jeff Duncan.

Since its inception, DHS has faced significant management challenges and the Government Accountability Office continues to include DHS management on its ``High Risk List'' of areas vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.

Over the course of several years, the Committee on Homeland Security has conducted extensive oversight of DHS management and acquisition practices. At the start of the Congress, the Committee pledged to manage

DHS with a business-model approach and we are.

Last year, the House passed H.R. 2719, the ``Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act'' to improve TSA technology acquisition programs and today's bill builds upon that effort with cost savings through better management policies and strategies across the Department. While I'm encouraged by a recent memo from Secretary Johnson to his DHS leadership team calling for greater component agency collaboration and accountability, more work is still needed.

H.R. 4228 safeguards taxpayer dollars, increases accountability for DHS's big-ticket acquisition purchases, and takes important steps to improve communication with industry to ensure DHS is fully leveraging the private sector to protect the homeland.

I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues on the Committee and I'd like to especially thank the gentleman from South Carolina, Mr. Duncan, and the gentleman from Arizona, Mr. Barber for the bipartisan approach that they took in crafting this important piece of legislation, and the collaborative, deliberative process they followed to bring it to the floor.

There are many more opportunities for cost savings at DHS and through continued oversight, investigations and legislation, my Committee will continue to find them and present solutions. Taxpayers deserve no less.

I urge all my colleagues to join us in passing this vital piece of legislation that will further protect our Nation and the American taxpayer.

Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of H.R. 4681, the ``Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2014 and 2015''.

As Chairman of the Committee on Homeland on Security, I understand the importance of this legislation. H.R. 4681 enhances the national security of the United States and is a vital tool for Congressional oversight of the activities of the Intelligence Community. It is critical that our intelligence agencies have all of the resources and authorities they need to accomplish the important responsibility of keeping Americans safe. I commend Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Ruppersberger for their tireless work on these issues and the exhaustive process of drafting a bipartisan authorization.

H.R. 4681 authorizes Federal intelligence, intelligence-related, and information sharing activities, including those of the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I&A). I&A is an element of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as well as the Intelligence Community, and its activities support missions in both. As such, I&A occupies the unique role as a central conduit for analysis and information sharing among stakeholders which include the intelligence agencies, components of the DHS, other Federal partners, and State, local, tribal, and territorial entities. In this role, I&A supports and collaborates with State and local partners through the National Network of Fusion Centers, and provides analytic support to the DHS components.

Consistent with our jurisdiction, the Committee on Homeland Security has conducted extensive oversight over these programs and missions, to include the July 2013 release of a report on ``The National Network of Fusion Centers.''

While I support the overall purpose of the bill, I am concerned that the effort includes provisions that seek to limit the support I&A provides DHS, its component agencies, and to the 78 fusion centers around the nation. I believe this risks depriving the Homeland Security Enterprise of valuable information and expertise at a time when we know the threats to the homeland persist.

As the bill moves through the process and negotiations begin with the Senate, I will continue to work to ensure that these issues are addressed and that State and local law enforcement, and other first responders, receive the support they need from the Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my condolences to the people of Turkey for the worst mining accident in that country's history. I recently returned from the region, where my colleagues and I met with Turkish leaders to discuss anti-terrorism cooperation and other issues of bilateral importance. We were received with a very warm welcome and appreciated the opportunity to meet with high level government officials.

The road ahead will not be an easy one. Yet the people of Turkey, one of our strongest allies, should know that they are not alone. The people of the United States will keep them in their thoughts and prayers as they seek to recover from an unbelievable tragedy.

Mr. Chair, I rise in support of H.R. 4435, the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. I especially want to thank Chairman McKeon for working with my staff and I to include section 1072 in his Manager Amendment.

As we draw down our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, military equipment used in theater can be used to enhance border security at home, and in the process, save taxpayer dollars.

Section 1072 modifies current law, last updated in 1996 before the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, which guides the transfer of excess military equipment to provide preference for ``border security activities.''

This change puts border security, and the Department of Homeland Security, on equal footing with the Department of Justice and the Office of National Drug Control Policy so the Department's border security components can readily tap into excess military equipment on a preferential basis.

In the past, United States Customs and Border Protection has missed out on thousands of articles of DoD excess gear because the equipment is distributed on a first-come first-serve basis, notwithstanding statutory preference in under current law.

Section 1072 will bring the law up to date and will allow the operators on the ground protecting our border to more effectively complete their mission.

Again, I want to thank Chairman McKeon and the staff of the Armed Services Committee for working with me to include this important provision in this year's NDAA.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 4573, the International Megan's Law to Prevent Child Sex Trafficking. This bill, along with the others under consideration this week, will dramatically improve our efforts to diminish the tragic effects of human trafficking and child exploitation.

I am especially pleased to speak in support of this particular legislation, which would curb child sexual exploitation. Recently I chaired a field hearing in Houston on the unconscionable issue of human trafficking and child exploitation in our major cities. In Houston, and in many other cities across the United States, women and children, some not even in their teens, are held against their will and forced into prostitution rings.

At our hearing, one of the witnesses spoke about entering the world of sex trafficking at age 12. Now, decades later, she is working to rescue girls in the same situation. As a father of five children, I cannot imagine what she went through.

As Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, I am pleased to highlight some of the great work done by the Department of Homeland Security in this area.

One of the provisions of H.R. 4573 I helped work on and am pleased to highlight is a provision to authorize the Angel Watch Center. The Center is led by ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), in a joint effort with Customs and Border Protection to proactively identify registered sex offenders with an offense against a child, who are travelling abroad from the United States.

The Angel Watch program currently provides publicly available child sex offender information to notify and alert foreign law enforcement partners when a child sex offender may be travelling to engage in sex tourism with a minor.

Through the Angel Watch program, HSI has provided more than 1,700 leads to 100 countries as a preemptive notification in the fight against child sex tourism.

However, despite the great work done by DHS to alert foreign law enforcement partners, currently, only one country, Australia, sends reciprocal information to the United States. That is why I am pleased that the bill before us today includes language that will strengthen reciprocal efforts for the United States to also receive information from other foreign governments, so that our law enforcement officials' are alerted when a child-sex offender may travel to the United States.

I want to thank Chairman Smith, the sponsor of this bill, for his work on this important legislation, and I appreciate the opportunity to highlight the important role that the Department of Homeland Security plays in fighting sex trafficking.

Mr. Speaker, one week from today, Americans all across this country will celebrate Memorial Day to pay tribute to the brave men and women of our armed forces who died defending our freedom. I will join in honoring our fallen and I will especially remember people like my father, James Addington McCaul, a World War II veteran who served as a Bombardier on a B-17 known as the Flying Fortresses.

Airmen like my father have been glorified in movies and are the subject of countless books and stories familiar to the American people. Yet one group of Americans critical to the war fighting effort has long been overlooked: the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol (or ``CAP''). Today this House will finally bestow upon them the recognition they deserve for their valiant efforts to save Americans and protect our coastlines-a service they still provide in defense of our homeland. The bill before us, S. 309, which passed the Senate unanimously, will award a Congressional Gold Medal to the World War II members of the Civil Air Patrol, the highest civilian honor. I am proud to be the sponsor of H.R. 755, the House companion bill, which is cosponsored

by more than 350 members of the House of Representatives from all fifty states.

CAP's World War II story is unique and not well known across the nation. It is also reflective of the volunteer spirit that has been a hallmark of the nation since its founding days.

The Civil Air Patrol was officially established on December 1, 1941 just one week before the attack on Pearl Harbor. During World War II these unpaid volunteers provided extraordinary humanitarian and combat services during a critical time of need for the nation. CAP members used their own aircraft to perform a myriad of essential tasks including attacks on enemy submarines off the Atlantic coast and along the Gulf of Mexico.

The success of the coastal patrol service spawned other missions on behalf of the war effort. These included nighttime tracking missions for searchlights. Along the Rio Grande, CAP aircraft flew 30,000 hours to prevent illegal border crossings and report unusual activities. CAP's courier service carried over 3.5 million pounds of cargo, flying more than 20,000 miles daily. Its search and rescue service helped locate lost military aircraft in isolated mountains and forested terrain. Fire patrols, disaster relief, medevac, and observation flights to check the effectiveness of blackouts, were but a handful of the other operations completed by CAP.

During the war, over 200,000 Americans served in CAP. Notably, the Civil Air Patrol served as a pioneering opportunity for the nation's women to serve the nation in uniform. Countless women received flight training, representing a catalyst for increasing female participation in civil aviation. By war's end CAP volunteers had flown more than 750,000 hours with a total loss of 65 members and 150 aircraft.

Postwar, CAP became a valuable nonprofit, public service organization chartered by Congress. Today it is the auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, charged with providing essential emergency, operational and public services to communities nationwide and the military.

More than seventy years after CAP's founding, I am proud that Congress is taking this step to recognize the invaluable service CAP provided to the nation during World War II. I especially want to recognize Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa, the sponsor of the bill before us, who has been a tireless champion for the Civil Air Patrol. Senator Harkin has been a member of CAP for 30 years and is a commander of the Congressional Squadron.

I urge my colleagues to support S. 309 and join me in honoring the Civil Air Patrol.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the Affordable Care Act.

As the American people know, Members of Congress now are covered by this law. And, rightly so, we should engage in the D.C. exchange. I want to tell you about my personal experience with the D.C. exchange.

The President said you can keep your health care plan and that your premiums will go down. Mr. Speaker, I lost my health care plan. I have five children. My premiums have gone up significantly. I don't know if I can keep all the same doctors that treat my children.

If this is such a great law, why isn't the President of the United States covered by this law? On day one, why didn't the President of the United States have a Rose Garden ceremony as customer number one under his law, ObamaCare, and sign up for this? The answer is that he hasn't signed up for it because maybe he doesn't think it is good enough for his family, but yet it is good enough for the American people.

That is the height of hypocrisy and arrogance in Washington, and it needs to stop.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1095) to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to transfer unclaimed money recovered at airport security checkpoints to nonprofit organizations that provide places of rest and recuperation at airports for members of the Armed Forces and their families, 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 any extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

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

I stand in strong support of this bill, the TSA Loose Change Act, sponsored by my friend and chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Congressman Jeff Miller, and 42 bipartisan cosponsors.

The Committee on Homeland Security ordered this legislation reported during the 112th Congress and again this Congress, but this is the first time it is being considered by the full House. I am pleased to be here today to express my strong support for the measure, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. Speaker, in the hustle and bustle of our Nation's airports, with millions of people traveling every day, it is no surprise that some travelers will inadvertently leave behind loose change at TSA screening checkpoints. That pocket change may not add up to much at one airport, but when you total it across 450 airports, it amounts to half a million dollars every year.

TSA is currently authorized to keep the money for its own use, but the agency has been slow to spend it, and already receives $7 billion towards its operations ever year. I believe this bill is a unique opportunity to put that loose change to better use by spending it on airport centers that provide our military heroes with a more relaxing and comfortable experience while they travel. What better time to make this change than during this busy holiday

season when servicemembers are traveling to spend time with their loved ones?

According to the CBO, this bill will not have a significant impact on the budget in any given year, given the modest amount of money involved. Supporting our military servicemembers and their families is a goal we can all get behind, and this bill represents a commonsense step toward that objective.

Earlier this year, we passed the Helping Heroes Fly Act, sponsored by the Congresswoman from Hawaii, Tulsi Gabbard. That bill is already making a difference for wounded warriors traveling through our airports, and H.R. 1095 is another chance to further our commitment to our U.S. soldiers.

I commend Chairman Miller for sponsoring this legislation, as well as my colleagues on the committee and across the aisle for their support.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Florida (Mr. Miller), the sponsor of the legislation and chairman of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.

I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security.

I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Hudson, Chairman Miller, Ranking Member Richmond, and Ranking Member Thompson. I am proud of the work we have done on this committee.

At a time of intense partisanship and acrimony, we have conducted ourselves very professionally and in a bipartisan way. I think when it comes to national security issues that is precisely what we should be doing. It is what the American people, as Chairman Hudson said, expect and deserve.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this bipartisan, commonsense bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2719) to require the Transportation Security Administration to implement best practices and improve transparency with regard to technology acquisition programs, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. 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.

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

I rise in support of this bill, the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act, which was developed and introduced by the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, the chairman of the Transportation Security Subcommittee, Mr. Hudson.

Over the course of several years, the Committee on Homeland Security has conducted extensive oversight of TSA technology acquisition programs. During this session, the Subcommittee on Transportation Security has continued this critical oversight function, and has taken it to the next level under Chairman Hudson's leadership.

Poor planning, excessive costs, a clumsy test and evaluation process, and other flaws have had a crippling effect on passenger travel and our security effectiveness. H.R. 2719 is common sense, bipartisan, and is an important step toward addressing the very deficiencies that have left travelers without adequate privacy protections--for instance, $200 million worth of screening equipment sitting in warehouses and hundreds of machines abruptly pulled out of airports before the end of their life cycles.

H.R. 2719 requires TSA to develop a multiyear technology investment plan to serve as a roadmap for industry and to shed new light on TSA's spending decisions. It gives Congress early warning when technology programs exceed their intended costs, are unduly delayed, or do not provide the security results initially promised. It also requires TSA to get a handle on its broken inventory management process. Mr. Speaker, recommendations from across government and industry were incorporated into this crucial piece of legislation, and numerous industry stakeholders have expressed their support for this bill.

I appreciate the hard work of my colleagues on the committee, especially Mr. Hudson's from North Carolina and Mr. Richmond's from Louisiana. I appreciate the bipartisan approach they took in crafting this important piece of legislation and the collaborative, deliberative process that they followed to bring this bill to the floor in their first years as chair and ranking member of this subcommittee.

I urge my colleagues to join us in passing this vital piece of legislation that will further protect our transportation systems and the American taxpayer. Let's send this bill to the Senate and on to the President for his signature.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), the sponsor of this legislation and the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I want to associate myself with the gentleman from Louisiana's remarks.

I do think this is a very important bill that will ultimately save taxpayer dollars and that will make the system more efficient while, at the same time, better protecting the traveling public, which, I think, is what it is all about. So I urge the adoption of this bill in order to provide these necessary reforms to TSA acquisition.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1204) to amend title 49, United States Code, to direct the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to establish an Aviation Security Advisory Committee, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. 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.

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

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this bill, the Aviation Security Stakeholder Participation Act of 2013, sponsored by the ranking member of the full Committee on Homeland Security, Mr. Thompson.

Mr. Speaker, the American people know that the TSA is charged with protecting our aviation systems against another horrific terrorist attack like we experienced on September 11, 2001. However, the role of industry stakeholders--from pilots and flight attendants to private screening companies and airport operators--is equally as critical, albeit less visible.

TSA is in the spotlight, for better or for worse; but many of TSA's private sector partners are also responsible for implementing effective security programs and keeping travelers safe. This shared responsibility is precisely why TSA cannot make decisions in a vacuum, as it has been known to do.

The bill before us sends a necessary message to TSA leadership, and frankly to all DHS leadership, that the Congress values stakeholder input, private sector collaboration, and thoughtful planning prior to rolling out new policies and procedures that affect millions of travelers.

The Aviation Security Advisory Committee that is authorized in this legislation serves as a valuable sounding board for TSA decisionmakers. By codifying the committee in statute, we will prevent a needless expiration of its charter and disbandment, which has already happened once under TSA.

As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, I am proud of the manner in which this bill was thoughtfully considered and amended in committee by Members on both sides of the aisle, and I thank the ranking member for his work on this important issue.

I think the more recent example we have with the knives being allowed on the airplanes without input and participation by the flight attendants and the pilots is a classic example of this Department not talking to the private sector about what can better protect them and passengers on airplanes. Of course, that decision was reversed by the Director of TSA, eventually, after he consulted with the stakeholders in the community. This bill will provide that they consult with those stakeholders before such decisions are made.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further Members to speak on this bill and will close once the gentleman from Louisiana closes.

I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption of this bipartisan bill.

I want to thank Chairman Hudson, ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Thompson, and Ranking Member Richmond.

I am proud to report to this House that this committee has passed several bills, all of which have passed unanimously out of our committee. I am not sure if there is any committee in Congress that can say that. I am very proud of that effort. I hope that we can continue in that spirit with more complex legislation that we face in the future. I know that with the ranking member and his spirit of cooperation we will be able to get it done.

With that, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.