Rights for Transportation Security Officers Act of 2020

Floor Speech

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, as the designee of the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon), I rise to offer an amendment.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This amendment is a sensible requirement to examine the pay equity for screeners in all parts of the United States.

Mr. Chair, I thank the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez- Colon) for her amendment and for her leadership on this issue.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support this amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. ROSE of New York. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, as we have discussed, this bill makes it more difficult for TSA to protect the traveling public from terrorism. The gentleman's amendment does nothing to fix that.

In fact, the gentleman's amendment does nothing at all, but it certainly is reassuring to hear that some in the majority still support our counterterrorism laws.

Mr. ROSE of New York. Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues to support my amendment to continue protecting our Nation from terrorism, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, even though I am not opposed to it.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, this amendment calls for a study on how TSA can recruit more veterans.

I find that ironic, given that the underlying bill actually eliminates the existing hiring preferences for veterans, but the study is a good idea. Maybe it will come back and tell Congress that they ought to restore the hiring preferences for veterans that we currently have. That would be a good way to recruit veterans.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I can't overstate this: The real irony of this amendment is the underlying bill eliminates the hiring preferences for veterans.

We all want to give preference to veterans for their service to our country. The best thing we can do to make that happen is to leave current law in place.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, this amendment is a sense of Congress articulating support for the underlying bill, an underlying bill which I have made clear over the last 2 days would reduce pay and benefits for our TSOs. That is unacceptable. We should be trying to increase their pay and benefits and their flexibility rather than trying to cap it by moving into title V.

I can't support this amendment because I don't support the underlying bill.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, my friend and colleague from Mississippi is right about part of what he said, that is that if you talk to TSOs throughout this country, they are grossly dissatisfied with their pay, and rightfully so. We have not done our job in Congress to adequately fund the TSA to pay them better.

The TSA wants to increase their pay. Under current law, they have a lot more capacity to raise their pay. If we move them to title V, that pay is capped.

My friend from Maryland is absolutely right in his desire to want to help the TSOs. This underlying bill doesn't do it. We need to get with our appropriating brothers and sisters and urge them to fund the President's 2021 budget which does provide the money that would allow TSOs to be properly paid and not capped.

I remind everybody that it was the Obama human capital experts who had a blue-ribbon study that recommended that we not move the TSA employees back to title V because it would, in fact, cut their pay and limit many of their benefits.

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

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

The Acting Chair (Mr. Brown of Maryland). Without objection, the gentleman is recognized for 5 minutes.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chair, we have consistently seen reporting and data highlighting the unique health and well-being challenges of Federal air marshals. This amendment is a commendable effort to examine the issue, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment.

Here is another example of a messaging amendment that doesn't fix the veterans' hiring problem in the underlying bill. All this does is restate the veterans preference language in title 5. It does not restore the full veterans preference that exist under current law.

I don't understand why the majority keeps restating this instead of fixing the underlying bill and allowing the veterans preference--which is broader--to remain in place without the impediment imposed by this underlying bill.

So, Mr. Chairman, I oppose the amendment, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I want to restate that the underlying bill restricts the veterans preference in the hiring that exists now. Under current law, all veterans are given preference in hiring at the TSA. Under the underlying bill, it would be restricted to those veterans who had a rank of O3 or less. Only they would get preferences. I don't think this is where this Congress wants to go.

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

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the bill, although I am not opposed to the amendment.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, as the gentlewoman from Virginia has just stated, the administration has already taken some proactive steps to deal with this threat; however, we need to remain vigilant when it comes to dealing with counterintelligence threats and concerns in the Federal workforce. I think this amendment does that.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I reserve the balance of my time.

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

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, I claim the time in opposition to the amendment, although I am not opposed to it.

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Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Mr. Chairman, this amendment recognizes that the coronavirus is a serious public health threat and that the TSA has a responsibility to educate its personnel as to how they should protect themselves. I can't imagine why anybody would oppose it.

Mr. Chairman, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back the balance of my time.

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