Issue Position: Strengthening Homeland Security and Personal Freedoms

Issue Position

Drones are an emerging technology used by the private and public sector. While the potential for this technology is endless, we also must address its subsequent security and privacy concerns. In February, the House adopted H.R. 644, the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, which included an amendment from Rep. Perry to ensure that we have proper procedures in place as to how and when drones may be used and prevents the federal government from unnecessarily using them.

We're a nation of laws and shouldn't pick and choose which laws we're going to enforce. According to a July 2015 report from the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), state and local sanctuary city policies caused the release of more than 8,000 criminal alien offenders sought for deportation over an eight month period. The report found that nearly 1,900 of the released offenders subsequently were arrested for another crime within that same period. Scott introduced the Follow Immigration Law Act (H.R. 3391) which authorizes governors to withhold all federal funding from local governments who choose to ignore federal immigration law.

After a series of violent attacks against members of our Armed Forces in recent years, Scott introduced The Military Bases Self-Defense Act (H.R. 3146) which ends the prohibition on military personnel who are legally authorized and trained in firearms from carrying weapons on military bases. Current policy leaves these tireless servants unable to protect themselves -- and that must change.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) recently attempted to use bureaucratic rulemaking to ban a common type of ammunition, the M855. The M855 is typically used for sporting purposes; however, technology has allowed this ammunition to be used in handguns. The ATF cited a loophole in the U.S. Code that states, ammunition that "may be used in a handgun" may be considered "armor piercing'. Scott introduced the ATF Wrongful Classification Act (H.R. 2019) to prevent ATF's attempt to bypass Congress and misclassify this ammunition. Since that time, the ATF reversed its decision.

Three amendments sponsored by Scott were adopted in September 2015 by the US House Homeland Security Committee. These common sense amendments would: strengthen covert testing at airports to identify vulnerabilities; rein in unnecessary spending by DHS on conferences and other non-security related items; ensure that major acquisition programs are thoroughly tested and evaluated to ensure they work as intended.

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