Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2018

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5089, the Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2018.

As evidenced by recent attacks in New York, London, and elsewhere around the world, the threat against surface transportation is real and unwavering. While the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, and other Federal entities have made significant progress in providing support to State and local surface transportation assets, the current threat environment necessitates a coordinated approach.

Intelligence sharing is the backbone of informed, risk-based security, yet the top-down dissemination of this information is often stymied by bureaucracy and classification barriers.

This begs the question: How effective is intelligence collection and analysis if it does not reach the front line and inform subsequent decisionmaking?

H.R. 5089, the Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2018, requires the DHS Secretary to prioritize the assignment of officers and intelligence analysts and, as appropriate, the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis--or I&A--to fusion centers in jurisdictions with high-risk surface transportation assets.

High-risk surface transportation assets transport millions of people and commodities daily and are critical for the vitality of the American economy. This legislation will streamline and enhance the intelligence- sharing process so these high-risk systems are better prepared to be resilient against emerging threats.

A common complaint from owners, operators, law enforcement, and first responders is that the TSA, and the Federal Government in general, does not provide sufficient information for them to adequately prepare for threats. This is primarily due to issues surrounding classification, where key personnel at the State and local levels do not have access to pertinent security information.

As such, this bill requires the Secretary to make security clearances available to appropriate stakeholders, thereby making important and relevant threat information more accessible to the people who are heavily involved in the day-to-day security operations of surface transportation systems.

H.R. 5089 also requires the TSA Administrator to share with owners and operators a framework for unified operation centers to ensure robust response to security incidents.

Recent terror attacks and plots illustrate the challenges of effective coordination in a ``system of systems.'' This bill will streamline coordination efforts between Federal, State, and local entities to bring the right information to the right people.

The interconnected, diverse, and readily accessible nature of surface transportation systems creates unique security challenges that are best addressed by communication, coordination, and collaboration.

H.R. 5089 will create a structural framework to connect the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation Security Administration, and surface transportation stakeholders, and it will facilitate timely information sharing.

I thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Barragan) for her leadership on this issue. I also thank the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, Mr. Katko, as well as the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mrs. Watson Coleman, for their dedication to improving surface transportation security.

Mr. Speaker, if we have important information we can't serve to the right decisionmakers at the local level, we fail, which we have learned from 9/11 and other places where information is bottled up and doesn't get to the people who need it. This bill helps solve that.

Mr. Speaker, I once again urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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