OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Emerging Transportation Security Threats Act of 2019

Floor Speech

Date: Dec. 9, 2019
Location: Washington, DC

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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 3318, the Emerging Transportation Security Threats Act of 2019. This legislation will ensure that Homeland Security is forward- looking in regard to threats facing America's transportation systems.

My district, Pennsylvania's 13th, is home to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, which serves as a stark reminder of the heroism of ordinary Americans and why, as a Congress, we must act to protect our Nation against threats to the homeland.

Oftentimes, the Transportation Security Administration faces criticism from Congress, stakeholders, and the traveling public that the agency is too reactionary to evolving threats and not proactive enough in mitigating emerging threats to transportation.

H.R. 3318 seeks to improve collaboration among the TSA, the intelligence community, other Federal agencies, and transportation security stakeholders by creating a task force to conduct an analysis of emerging threats to transportation security. Once established, this task force will examine threats posed by evolving terrorist tactics, explosive devices, chemical and biological agents, cyber actors, unmanned aerial systems, and inadequate information sharing, among other security challenges.

For each threat examined by the task force established in this legislation, the TSA is directed to develop a mitigation strategy to protect the traveling public and identify needed security enhancements. This bill ensures that each of these efforts will include close collaboration with transportation stakeholders on the development of security strategies, improved information sharing practices, and regular interactions with senior TSA leadership on security matters.

Finally, this legislation requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a review ensuring that the TSA effectively implements the bill's requirements.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Louisiana, Clay Higgins, for his support of this bill and for working to bring it to the floor today. I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation.

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