Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Alexander Hummel, an inspiring, impressive 9-year-old from Pennsylvania who founded the Keystone Iron Warriors organization to help our veterans. Alexander is passionately dedicated to serving the needs of veterans and active duty personnel. He also dreams of becoming a U.S. Marine.

The Keystone Iron Warriors works to provide support and resources to veterans and their families who deal with the physical and mental trauma of returning from combat. The Iron Warriors rely on community support, generous donations, and the unified goal of giving back to those who have selflessly served our country. Community contributions go to providing service canines, transportation, and assistance with medical bills to alleviate some of the challenges that face our veterans. Alexander's Iron Warriors also provide friendship and comradery for those who have returned home. None of it would have happened without Alexander's leadership and generosity.

Mr. Speaker, I honor Alexander Hummel and the Keystone Iron Warriors for their dedication to serving and honoring our Nation's heroes. I applaud this young man's strength and thank him for the invaluable work he continues to do for our veterans.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.

President Johnson signed the Wilderness Act in 1964 to permanently protect some of America's most beautiful wild places. The Act has so far protected 757 wilderness areas, accounting for a total of 109 million acres.

The National Wilderness Preservation System--comprised of four federal agencies--was established to monitor and protect these untrammeled spaces. In Pennsylvania alone, the NWPS has designated more than 9,000 acres of wilderness, including the Allegheny Islands and the Hickory Creek wilderness areas. These protected lands are void of construction, roads and permanent structures. Wilderness lands are also void of any logging and mining activities.

The NWPS not only protects the resident wildlife and natural ecosystems, but it also supports outdoor recreation activities and jobs. Wilderness areas provide tremendous opportunities for hiking, camping and fishing. Yet we are just visitors to these lands.

Mr. Speaker, the Wilderness Act and the National Wilderness Preservation System have helped to protect our nation's last remaining unspoiled lands and waters for the past 50 years. I celebrate the Wilderness Act and look forward to the excellent work the NWPS will continue to do in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and to acknowledge its continued efforts to safeguard our nation's land, water resources and cultural heritage.

Since its creation, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has preserved land in every state across America. The fund has supported more than 41,000 state and local park projects at no cost to hard- working taxpayers.

In Pennsylvania alone, the self-sustaining LWCF has provided more than $315 million in funding over the past five decades, benefiting restoration projects at national historic sites such as the Valley Forge National Historic Park and the Gettysburg National Military Park. In addition, the LWCF played a critical role in the creation of the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset, PA.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund also spurs outdoor and recreational economic activity in and around preserved lands, accounting for jobs and a strong tax base for our communities.

Mr. Speaker, the Land and Water Conservation Fund has helped to preserve and protect our nation's most precious lands and waters for the past 50 years. I celebrate the Fund and look forward to the excellent work the LWCF will do in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Judge Ann Osborne of the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania. She is retiring after many years of serving her community.

Judge Osborne has been a beacon for justice on the bench in Delaware County for the last 16 years. Before the bench, Judge Osborne served as Sheriff of Delaware County from 1991 to 1998. Additionally, she taught comparative government, international law and criminal law at Temple University, Villanova University and Immaculata College. She left her mark on the Delaware County community and her contribution will not be forgotten.

Mr. Speaker, I thank Judge Ann Osborne for her long and honorable service. I applaud her

successes and wish her the best of luck in her retirement.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of The Glen Mills School and to acknowledge the life- changing work it does for young men.

One hundred twenty five years ago the cornerstone was laid at the Glen Mills School. Today, the Glen Mills School is the oldest institution in the country of its kind. The Glen

Mills School was established to give young men a second chance. The school provides a safe living and educational environment to encourage long-term behavioral changes.

The Glen Mills School has a long tradition of fostering the academic and emotional growth of young men whose potential might otherwise be lost. Young men ages 15 to 18 live at The Glen Mills School on a year- round academic and residence program, offering an escape from gangs, drugs and violence that they might encounter at home.

Students have the option to participate in clubs and athletics, which compete and excel against other schools in Delaware County. The beautiful campus and athletic facilities surrounding the school are a testament to both the staff and students. The golf course affiliated with the school, a place where many of the students work, is one of the nicest public courses in the Commonwealth.

I admire the dedication of the staff, who work around the clock to educate and counsel students. Their persistence has led to the character development of thousands of young men, as you can see in person by visiting the campus and meeting the students.

Mr. Speaker, The Glen Mills School has been changing the lives of young men for the past 125 years. I celebrate the school and look forward to seeing the excellent work it will continue to do in the years to come.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mr. George Flasinski, the Commander of the Sons of the American Legion, Detachment of Pennsylvania. In his time as Commander, George Flasinski has been an invaluable leader of the Detachment and has shown a strong commitment to the Four Pillars of the American Legion.

The Sons of The American Legion is the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization. The Legion is committed to supporting our veterans and service members, honoring our country, and mentoring youth in our community.

Under Mr. Flasinski's leadership, the membership of the Pennsylvania Sons of the American Legion has risen to nearly 60,000 members. George has organized two Honor Flights to Washington, DC for World War II veterans. Mr. Flasinski has also raised funds for Pennsylvania's homeless veterans and the American Legion's Child Welfare Foundation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank George Flasinski and the Sons of the American Legion for their dedication to honoring our nation's heroes and inspiring our nation's youth to emulate them. George Flasinski has shown exceptional guidance in his service as Detachment of Pennsylvania Commander, and I applaud his successes and wish him the best of luck in his retirement.

I want to thank the gentleman from Texas and my colleagues from both sides of the aisle.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3696, the National Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection Act of 2014.

Before I really talk about the substance, I want to associate myself for a moment with the comments and very effective commentary of the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), but his closing, I think, really summed it up. It is not just what we are doing; but why does this matter? Why does this matter now?

We have generated tremendous economic prosperity by virtue of the creation of a global Internet, but the fact of the matter is that while this has closed our world and enabled instantaneous communications and other kinds of benefits, it has also created a situation, for the first time in the history of our Nation, in which we aren't protected by two oceans and, effectively, two friendly countries on our borders. Now, we are able to be accessed from anywhere in the world at a moment's notice.

It was instructive to me that I often used to say, when we were handling a case, that you let the evidence be put in through the words of the witnesses. If you pay attention to the words of the witness, that is more powerful than what you can say.

It is instructive to me that the first thing former CIA Director and former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta did when he stepped down as Secretary of Defense was to travel to New York and warn not just New York, but this Nation about the potential impact of what he termed a ``cyber Pearl Harbor.''

As a result, this is a critically important and timely issue that we are working on. As importantly, it has been addressed in an effective bipartisan fashion.

In the wake of more aggressive and escalating cyber attacks on our Nation's critical infrastructure, including our financial systems, NASDAQ, and the recent Neiman Marcus and Target breaches of Americans' personal information, we bring H.R. 3696 to the House floor.

Cyber attacks and cyber hacks are now front and center in our homeland, and the media is reporting more now than ever on what cyber targets already know--that the threat is constant and evolving.

Americans expect Congress to act.

We who serve in Congress and government know all too well that the cyber threat is real and imminent and can do catastrophic damage and destruction to the critical infrastructure of our Nation--our bridges, tunnels, oil

and gas pipelines, water systems, financial systems and their markets, air traffic control systems, and more. Today, the U.S. House of Representatives takes a significant step forward in protecting and securing cyberspace through the cyber infrastructure act that we have put on the floor today.

I am very proud of this bill and of all of the good work and due diligence that went into it. Chairman McCaul and I and our staffs held over 300 stakeholder meetings to ensure we got this legislation right.

I want to thank as well my good friends on the other side of the aisle--Ranking Member Bennie Thompson and subcommittee Ranking Member Yvette Clarke--for their leadership and their work collectively on this.

This is bipartisan legislation but not just amongst those of us working together here within the House. As the chairman identified, it has also been supported by private sector stakeholders, by the ACLU. In fact, the ACLU has called it--and the chairman as well--pro-security and pro-privacy. That is because, very notably, this bill puts the Department of Homeland Security, a civilian agency with the Nation's first-created and most robust privacy office, in charge of preventing personal information from getting inadvertently caught in the net, which is a big, important part of the work that has been done here.

This bill builds upon the Department of Homeland Security's unique public-private partnership in securing the Nation's critical infrastructure, and it codifies the Department's critical cybersecurity mission. Public-private is important, as 90 percent of the assets in the cyber world are in the private sector. The Department of Homeland Security works with the other Federal Government partners in a collaborative effort to secure our Nation against cyber attacks, and this bill cements DHS' critical role.

Specifically, this bill requires the Department to collaborate with industry to facilitate both the protection of our infrastructure and our response to a cyber attack. The bill, very importantly, strengthens DHS' civilian, transparent interface to allow real-time cyber threat sharing across the critical infrastructure sectors. This legislation also strengthens the integrity of our Nation's information systems, and it makes it more difficult for online hackers to compromise consumer and personal information, like we saw in Target, and it prevents hackers from stealing Americans' business and intellectual property-- another point well driven home by the chairman in talking about jobs and of the hundreds of billions of dollars in research and development that are stolen from America by virtue of these cyber attacks.

The ability of these attacks to take place at the level of sophistication necessary to penetrate some of the world's most mature networks should come as no surprise. Foreign adversaries, including China, Iran, and Russian criminal enterprises, have spent years and have invested billions of dollars into crafting and securing the tools and intelligence necessary to target American citizens. Whether it is the theft of wealth or intelligence or that of launching a malicious attack on our Nation's energy, transportation, or chemical networks, American lives and livelihoods remain at risk without sufficient security.

Last year, President Obama issued an executive order on cybersecurity because Congress failed to act on this issue, but the threshold of securing our Nation in the 21st century cannot rely on executive orders and Presidential directives. As Members of Congress, we have the responsibility to act in a way that best protects the American citizens. Our enemies live and breathe to catch us asleep at the switch, and I am unwilling, as my colleagues are, to stand by, speechless, when they are asked, What did you do to prevent a cyber attack? Now is the time to show them what we have and what we can do.

This bill doesn't address every issue in cybersecurity, and it is not a comprehensive cybersecurity fix, but it is a giant and critical step forward. Together, we can unite our Nation against those who wish to do us harm, and I have no doubt that we can get it done. In fact, we have no other choice. I urge the support of H.R. 3696.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2952) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to make certain improvements in the laws relating to the advancement of security technologies for critical infrastructure protection, 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 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 support of H.R. 2952, the Critical Infrastructure Research Development Advancement, or what we call the CIRDA, Act.

This legislation was passed out of full committee with unanimous bipartisan support, and I would like to thank my good friend, the ranking member on the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Committee, Ms. Clarke, for cosponsoring and supporting this legislation.

One of the committee's most important duties is to protect our Nation's critical infrastructure. The CIRDA Act will change the way the Department of Homeland Security develops protections for critical infrastructure by creating and facilitating access to new and existing technologies.

Currently, there are barriers within the Department that inhibit strategizing for and, ultimately, the purchasing of the best tools that our country has to offer. The CIRDA Act will direct DHS to facilitate the development of a research and development strategy for critical infrastructure security technologies as well as explore the feasibility of expanding use of public-private R&D consortiums.

Our Nation must have access to new security technologies, and a public-private partnership can help spur innovation and economic competitiveness for entities that protect our Nation's defense systems, essential networks, Americans' financial information, chemical facilities, and the many other areas of our economy that are vital for the protection and confidence of Americans and our way of life.

This is critically important, Mr. Speaker, because of the fact of the nature, when we are dealing with cyber, what we are dealing with is not just the ability of what we can do today to create a defense, but the recognition of those on the other side who are looking to try to exploit our defenses. It is a constant chess game that is taking place.

Whatever we are able to do, immediately somebody is looking for a way to try to get around those protections and compromise them. As a result, we have to be able to have the best capacity, generated either in the private sector or in the government sector, and the ability to get those best protections to the places where they need to be the quickest and the most efficiently.

Finally, the legislation will designate a ``Technology Clearinghouse,'' where proven security tools can be rapidly shared among government and private partners. Keeping pace with the rapidly evolving variables of the threat to our Nation and the technological achievements only enhances our ability to combat attacks to the U.S.' critical infrastructure.

I urge support for the CIRDA Act.

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

Congress of the United States, House of Representatives,

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,

Washington, DC, January 8, 2014.

Hon. Michael McCaul,

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman McCaul: I am writing to you concerning the

jurisdictional interest of the Committee on Science, Space,

and Technology in H.R. 2952, the ``Critical Infrastructure

Research and Development Advancement Act of 2013.'' The bill

contains provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

I recognize and appreciate the desire to bring this

legislation before the House of Representatives in an

expeditious manner, and accordingly, I will waive further

consideration of this bill in Committee, notwithstanding any

provisions that fall within the jurisdiction of the Committee

on Science, Space, and Technology. This waiver, of course, is

conditional on our mutual understanding that agreeing to

waive consideration of this bill should not be construed as

waiving, reducing, or affecting the jurisdiction of the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

This waiver is also given with the understanding that the

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will be added as

a recipient of the report required to be provided by the

General Accounting Office in Section 3 of the bill.

Additionally, the Committee on Science, Space, and

Technology expressly reserves its authority to seek conferees

on any provision within its jurisdiction during any House-

Senate conference that may be convened on this, or any

similar legislation. I ask for your commitment to support any

request by the Committee for conferees on H.R. 2952 as well

as any similar or related legislation.

I ask that a copy of this letter and your response be

included in the report on H.R. 2952 and also be placed in the

Congressional Record during consideration of this bill on the

House floor.

Sincerely,

Lamar Smith,

Chairman, Committee on Science,

Space, and Technology.

Enclosure.

Mr. Speaker, I want to express as well, as I close, once again, my appreciation for the tremendous collaborative working relationship with my colleague, Ms. Clarke, and her staff and the staffs from both committees who have worked extensively to put these bills in the position that they have.

It is a joy to be part of something here in this Congress in a bipartisan fashion, in which people are working together to solve problems that challenge us all.

In my closing, I will include in the Record a letter in support of H.R. 2952 that is written by the Security Industry Association. These are the folks that represent over 470 suppliers of electronic physical security and other kinds of solutions.

Security Industry Association,

September 12, 2013.

Hon. Pat Meehan,

Chairman, House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure

Protection, and Security Technologies, House of

Representatives, Washington, DC.

Dear Chairman Meehan: The Security Industry Association

(SIA) would like to express its strong support for H.R. 2952,

the ``Critical Infrastructure Research and Development Act of

2013'' (CIRDA). SIA represents more than 470 suppliers of

electronic physical security solutions and countless

technology leaders who design and install the security

systems that protect millions of Americans each day in our

nation's cities and towns, schools, factories, government

buildings, transportation systems, ports, and other

components of critical infrastructure. Owners and operators

of these facilities work closely with SIA members as trusted

advisors to ensure that cutting edge security technology

solutions are adopted to prevent crime and terrorist attack.

SIA believes the CIRDA legislation will help the U.S.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) set clear and

measureable R&D priorities that will accelerate the

development of cutting-edge security technologies to protect

critical infrastructure. More specifically, we strongly

support the provision of H.R. 2952 that will require the

development of a R&D strategy by the DHS Science and

Technology Directorate that draws upon the expertise of

Sector Coordinating Councils to identify security risks and

technology gaps. With this essential information, DHS will be

in a better position to communicate with the private sector

about the security technologies that are most needed to

prevent emerging threats to our homeland. SIA is pleased to

serve on the Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Council

and would be pleased to identify Subject Matter Experts from

our membership to contribute to the development of this

proposed R&D strategy and the Critical Infrastructure

Protection Technology Clearinghouse provided for in your

legislation.

Thank you for your leadership in introducing this important

piece of legislation. SIA appreciates the priority this

legislation places upon public-private partnerships and we

look forward to working with you to ensure swift passage of

CIRDA this year.

Sincerely,

Donald R. Erickson,

Chief Executive Officer.

The essence of what this is is the recognition by those who are in the industry that the Department of Homeland Security needs to be able to set clear and measurable R&D priorities that will accelerate the development of cutting-edge security technologies to protect the critical infrastructure.

When we are out there so frequently, what we hear from people is the concern: I have been attacked. What do I do to protect myself? And they turn to the Department of Homeland Security for advice.

As I said at an earlier point, the reality is that, while the responsibility rests with the Department and in the government to be able to facilitate the protection of the homeland and our assets, the reality is that 90 percent of these assets are placed within the private sector, and it is, in fact, there where much of, as much of, in fact, maybe some of the most pioneering research and development is accomplished.

One of the other realities we face, and I think the gentlelady pointed to it so well, this concept of innovation, when we often think of innovation in a positive way. It usually is a positive thing. It means somebody is always thinking of a new and better way to accomplish a task.

But criminals do that, too, and so do those who want to do us harm; and no matter how good our protections are, there is the reality that somebody else, the moment that it goes online, is looking for a way to get around it. That means that we have to have the capacity to have the ability to work quickly and effectively; then, once those who are in a position to know what is best, to be able to communicate down the line. So not just the big company that is situated someplace in New York City, but the small manufacturer in the middle of Kansas who is

still worried about their R&D, can have access to the same kinds of protections.

This bill allows that kind of collaboration to take place, working through the clearinghouse in the Department of Homeland Security. That is why I think it is so important that we take this step forward. I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3107) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish cybersecurity occupation classifications, assess the cybersecurity workforce, develop a strategy to address identified gaps in the cybersecurity workforce, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in 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 rise today in support of H.R. 3107, which is the Homeland Security Cybersecurity Boots-on-the-Ground Act, and it is sponsored by the ranking member of the Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Subcommittee, Ms. Yvette Clarke of New York. This critical piece of legislation is necessary to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security can address gaps in the Department's cybersecurity workforce.

I am proud to cosponsor this legislation, as it will direct the Department to assess its cyber workforce, create occupational classifications, and develop a cybersecurity workforce strategy.

Throughout the past year, our subcommittee has worked in a bipartisan fashion to identify the cyber threat to our Nation's critical infrastructure, as well as to assess the Department's ability to prevent major cyber attacks. Through our oversight capacity, we have identified areas where Congress can act to neutralize this evolving threat. I am particularly proud of the work we did to tweak this legislation and to incorporate it into the larger committee cyber bill.

I believe that today's markup will go a long way in supporting this mission, and I urge support for this crucial piece of legislation.

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

Mr. Speaker, I am very grateful for the gentlewoman's presentation of this issue, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I just want to conclude my remarks on this bill by pointing to the preparation that went into this bill. I would also recognize the importance of not just this issue and the challenges that we face with the complexity of this issue but to recognize that in order for the Department to fulfill its mission, they have to have the kind of workforce that is capable of doing it. And in areas like this, that requires a skilled workforce and, some would say, a uniquely skilled workforce.

I think the gentlewoman's wisdom in recognizing that once you develop that skilled workforce, when 90 percent of the assets are out in the private sector, it does not take too long before that private sector comes knocking on the door and starts to say, we want your people out here. And so wisely, the gentlewoman has pointed to allowing us to have a plan in place that looks at the three Rs: readiness, recruitment, and retention. And that is the essence of what we want to try to do with this very, very important legislation. We want to give some flexibility and control to the Department to not only train and make sure we have got the best next generation of those who will commit themselves to our Nation by service through the Department and protecting our homeland but, once they have developed those skills, that we are able, as much as possible, to retain them within here by virtue of allowing them the capacity and flexibility to do the work that they do best. There will still be plenty of opportunity to find bright people in the private sector as well. But we have got to make sure the mission of homeland security is not affected.

For those reasons, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not present.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life of Dennis Kelly, who died 150 years ago yesterday, and the Dennis Kelly Division of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians.

In 1806 Dennis Kelly arrived from Ireland with his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Margaret, and settled in the Philadelphia area. Mr. Kelly entered the textile business and supplied cloth to the Army and Navy during the War of 1812, providing jobs to people in his local community. When Mr. Kelly died on July 21, 1864, he donated a part of his land for the establishment of St. Denis Church. Waves of immigrants from Ireland joined the parish and worked at Kelly's Cotton Mills.

The Ancient Order of Hibernians, Dennis Kelly Division is located in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 2001, this Irish Catholic fraternal organization remains dedicated to promoting and preserving Irish and Irish-American heritage. The Ancient Order of Hibernians promotes values such as friendship, unity and charity. Over the years the group has supported numerous philanthropic causes in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

Mr. Speaker, today's Havertown, locally known as Ireland's 33rd county, and the great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owe a great debt to Mr. Dennis Kelly, one of Havertown's most influential immigrants on this, the 150th anniversary of his death.

Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to offer an amendment to the FY15 Financial Services Appropriations bill.

But first, before I start, I would like to commend Chairman Crenshaw for his tireless commitment to stopping the culture of spending and continuing the culture of savings that we have seen from his subcommittee chairmanship. Given our country's current fiscal situation, we need to be mindful of our limited resources and that we need to do more with less. And one of the most basic concepts in budgeting is balancing wants versus needs. A need is something that you have to have, something you can't do without. A want is something that you would like to have. A good example is calcium. You know, calcium is necessary for survival, but ice cream, on the other, hand is a want. Everyone needs calcium, but plenty of people would do just fine without ice cream.

What will my amendment do? It will demonstrate to the taxpayers that this Congress understands the difference between wants and needs. My amendment prohibits any funds from this bill being spent by the General Services Administration towards the renovation of the bowling alley in the White House Eisenhower Office Building.

With our Nation $17 trillion in debt, upgrading the President's private bowling alley shouldn't be a priority. A spiffy new bowling alley may suit the wants for Commander in Chief, but I think I speak for the taxpayers of the Seventh Congressional District when I assert that it is certainly not a need. I think when the administration came forward with this proposal, they rolled a gutter ball.

The hardworking Americans expect and deserve better. These are difficult times in our country. This is no time for business as usual.

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

Mr. Chairman, I suspect it is only silly if you are the people who don't care about the important expenditures of the taxpayers of the United States of America. This isn't some trivial issue. This is a question of priorities at a time where every family is struggling.

And the justification here in Time magazine of one of the individuals was this needs renovations. Would you believe it? According to their first-person testimony--and this is just the staffers and the President--there is no electric scoreboard down there, so you have to score by hand. And that is just debilitating when you are focused on bowling a 300 like I am.

Well, maybe we ought to have people who are focused on other kinds of things at this point in time. This is a serious issue in terms of the mispriority of spending Federal dollars.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to assert the appropriate priorities in terms of our spending, and I urge a ``yes'' vote.

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

Offered By: Mr. Meehan

Amendment No. 2: At the end of the bill, before the short

title, insert the following:

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3488) to establish the conditions under which the Secretary of Homeland Security may establish preclearance facilities, conduct preclearance operations, and provide customs services outside the United States, 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 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 my bill, H.R. 3488. This legislation would require that the Secretary of Homeland Security meet certain conditions and requirements prior to establishing any new U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance operations in foreign countries.

The Customs and Border Protection's preclearance operations overseas inspect and examine travelers and their merchandise in foreign locations prior to their arrival in the United States. Once cleared on foreign soil, passengers do not have to clear customs upon arrival in the United States.

Now, Congress has a long history of supporting limited and specific preclearance operations. These serve to facilitate travel, and they improve homeland security. However, earlier this year, Customs and Border Patrol, or CBP, commenced preclearance operations in Abu Dhabi without prior notification to Congress, without concern to American jobs, and without a clear homeland security benefit.

This legislation ensures that the DHS takes into account the impact on American jobs and our global competitiveness as we enhance our security through future preclearance facilities. My bill requires DHS to meet a series of benchmarks to establish a preclearance operation and requires transparency and prompt notification to Congress while the Department negotiates preclearance agreements with foreign governments. This legislation will go a long way towards preventing a repeat of CBP's mismanaged rollout of the preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi earlier this year.

I have long had serious concerns about the agreement with Abu Dhabi, especially the way it was handled by the Department and, ultimately, the disregard DHS had for the domestic airline industry. To correct that error, this bill requires extensive consultation with key stakeholders so that that never happens again.

Abu Dhabi was the first new preclearance location established since 9/11. Prior to Abu Dhabi, the U.S. had preclearance locations in places like Ireland, the Bahamas, and Canada. We had an obligation to get this right, and CBP did not. Despite the security-focused rationale, this agreement was conducted without suitable congressional notification or a thorough explanation for the rationale of preclearance operations in Abu Dhabi.

We know that a significant number of watch list hits and suspicious travel pattern information originates from the region, but that does not excuse the lack of notification or, more importantly, not taking into account how such agreements affect American workers and their employers.

The establishment of a preclearance facility in Abu Dhabi, where no domestic carrier currently flies--let me repeat that, no domestic carrier currently flies--puts U.S. carriers at a competitive and significant disadvantage, as customs wait times are generally shorter at preclearance facilities compared to wait times in the United States.

This facility provides a clear facilitation benefit to foreign airlines at the expense of U.S. carriers and U.S. jobs, and this is particularly egregious where the foreign-based airline is given subsidies designed to tilt the market unfairly in their direction. By requiring the Secretary to consider the economic impact in establishing preclearance facilities, we protect American jobs and American workers.

I support giving our security professionals the tools needed in their effort to ``push out our borders,'' but we must do so in a way that makes us more secure, does not divert limited CBP staffing resources, or threaten U.S. jobs and a vital economic engine provided by U.S. carriers.

I am pleased that over 150 of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle cosponsored this measure, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she may consume to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Mrs. Miller).

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the distinguished gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security.

Mr. Speaker, I want to express my deep appreciation to my

colleagues from both sides of the aisle for responding so collectively to the importance of this issue.

First and foremost, the principle that I think we stand for on both sides of the aisle is, when important issues like this are raised, that there be appropriate consultation with Congress and an appropriate understanding of the clear articulation by Homeland Security of the benefit that they expect to reach.

As the chairman has identified, once he visited Abu Dhabi, he came away convinced that there was a benefit. But the idea that that would not have been shared with us prior to entering that agreement is one of the critical things that we want to see addressed by this legislation.

But it is also the inability of the Department to appreciate or to take into consideration the impact that this will have, that it may have, and, in fact, it will have when there is no United States airline flying from Abu Dhabi. And the competitive disadvantage of that, which is generated by the fact that individuals who choose to fly the foreign airline currently get right into our country once they get into the preclearance facility, while those on American airlines coming into the same airport will wait in long lines. It creates a competitive disadvantage and the real possibility of a loss of American jobs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting 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. 4007) to recodify and reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program, as amended.

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.

I rise today in support of H.R. 4007, the Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards Program Authorization and Accountability Act of 2014. This bipartisan legislation continues our efforts to provide a sound plan and clear objectives for the Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, or what we call

I would specifically like to thank my cosponsors, as well as Homeland Security Committee staff, for their hard work and tireless efforts to ensure that the views of the regulated community and the administration were properly reflected and implemented in a realistic and achievable way, with strict goals which will lift this program from stagnation to success.

I am proud of this legislation and its bipartisan support, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to pass H.R. 4007, so we can ensure that the proper measures are in place to secure our communities from the devastating potential of a terrorist attack.

With that, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the full committee.

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at this time, so I will reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Gene Green).

Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers and reserve the balance of my time to close.

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

I want to express my deep appreciation to my colleagues on my side of the aisle, but particularly to my colleagues on the Homeland Security Committee and subcommittee, the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentlelady from New York. As both have articulated, there is more work to be done, and nobody disputes that particular issue; but we also appreciate that this is an issue which has been laying for a long period of time without resolution, and we are taking very responsible steps to take a big step forward in the authorization of this program.

We worked with both sides of the aisle to try to handle as many issues as we could. As has been articulated, 15 Democratic amendments have been made part of this bill. The wastewater issue was an important one, but mature security programs do exist for that. It is one of the original critical infrastructures as part of the Sector Coordinating Council for DHS. But I agree, there is still more work to be done in that particular area.

We are worried about outliers as well. One of the gentlemen raised the issue of the chemical facilities that have avoided scrutiny, which led to the West, Texas, situation, but it is for that reason that this bill is so critically important and we act now. It is because it gives DHS the ability to affirmatively reach out to those facilities that are not compliant, and what this bill does is it rewards those who have taken responsible steps towards identifying and creating the kinds of plans that are contemplated underneath this bill, but it also calls to challenge those who have been avoiding scrutiny.

So the issues still may be there for future resolution, but we will, in 3 years, be able to bring this bill back up for reconsideration, and during that period of time we can work together on both sides of the aisle to ensure that it is done appropriately. I encourage my colleagues from both sides of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, James F. Kilcur, 62, of West Chester, Pennsylvania died Wednesday, February 19, 2014. Born in Northeast Philadelphia, Jim was a proud Philadelphia native and pillar of his community.

Jim was a labor lawyer admired for his trusted counsel and respected by all for his ability to broker a deal. Jim stood out at Saul Ewing LLP, as partner, and at South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority or SEPTA, as General Counsel for nearly a decade. Then, just as now, everyone knew Jim.

I had the pleasure to work with Jim during his time at SEPTA. Jim was a confident, intelligent man, and while tolerant of others positions, was steadfast in his own. He was decisive, and there was no waffling or ambiguity in his thinking.

Jim was chairman of the board of trustees of his alma mater, DeSales University in Center Valley and proud alumni of Cardinal Dougherty High School.

Last week I attended the Transportation Management Association of Chester County for their annual legislative breakfast. At breakfast, the Transportation Management Association of Chester County posthumously named Jim as Executive Director Emeritus. I cannot think of someone more deserving of this distinction than Jim and I join the Transportation Management Association of Chester County in honoring Jim's service.

I would like to commend Jim on his devoted service to the Catholic Church, impressive career history, and life of love and caring concern for his family especially his wife Maria Theresa; three sons, James Francis III, wife Kristen and granddaughter Annabel Katherine; Patrick and fiancee Julie; and Matthew.

Let me end by suggesting we remember that Jim left us too soon. But we know--because this was Jim--he left a lasting legacy. Jim's spirit, and example of a good life, well lived, helping others, will always be with us.