Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act

Floor Speech

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.

I rise today in support of H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. This legislation is a product of months of negotiations, and includes significant contribution from Republicans, industry stakeholders, labor, the Government Accountability Office and the Department of Homeland Security's Inspector General.

I want to recognize the bipartisan efforts of my colleagues on the committee, most especially, Ms. Jackson-Lee, the chair, and Mr. Dent, the ranking member. They worked hard to produce a thorough, comprehensive, well-considered bill.

H.R. 2200 is the first measure to come to the House floor that fully authorizes the Transportation Security Administration since its establishment in 2001. Since that time, TSA has made significant strides and rolled out several important programs to address security challenges. As a result, today our transportation systems are more secure than they were on September 11, 2001. However, they are not as secure as they need to be.

With the change in administrations, TSA is at a critical crossroads in its 8-year history. H.R. 2200 steers TSA on a course to becoming an effective agency that works to enhance security in all our transportation sectors, partners with key stakeholders, and does a better job of utilizing technology to address gaps in security.

Mr. Chairman, this bill fulfills our constitutional responsibility to provide a thorough road map to TSA on where it should go the next 2 years. H.R. 2200 authorizes $15.6 billion for TSA for fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011. With these resources, the bill directs TSA, for the first time, to work to achieve greater parity between security efforts to protect aviation and surface transportation systems.

In the past few years, attacks on rail stations worldwide have underscored the vulnerabilities to these systems. In response, H.R. 2200 triples funding for surface transportation over what was provided in fiscal year 2009, and authorizes 300 more surface transportation inspectors.

Among its key provisions is the creation of a Transit Security Advisory Committee to provide greater stakeholder input and a Surface Transportation Security Inspection Office to train and manage inspectors.

The bill also strengthens security training for transportation security officers, flight attendants, all cargo pilots, surface transportation workers, and Federal flight deck officers.

I'm particularly pleased that we were able to include provisions to enhance flight attendants' training and reimbursement for pilots participating in Federal flight deck officers recurrent training.

To bolster airport security and screening, H.R. 2200 authorizes a demonstration project and plan for the implementation of a secure verification system for law enforcement officers flying while armed.

Further, it directs TSA to develop a strategic risk-based plan to enhance security of airport perimeter access controls and a demonstration program for biometric-based access control systems.

For too long we've been told that the wide-scale deployment of biometrics is too difficult and impractical. But just last week, Mr. Chairman, I saw biometrics, including readers, in use in Argentina at a port and a federal building. This bill embraces the promise of this and other 21st-century technologies to address our security challenges.

Additionally, there are a number of other noteworthy provisions that grew out of extensive committee oversight that covers such programs as Registered Traveler, Secure Flight, and the TWIC program.

For example, the bill directs DHS to work with port operators to help workers who are waiting for TWIC cards to be escorted so they can continue to work. The TWIC provision also puts in place strict timelines and flexibility on how cards are transmitted.

A key theme that runs throughout the bill is greater stakeholder participation.

The Aviation Security Advisory Committee is codified in this bill. So, too, is the Air Cargo and General Aviation Working Groups.

General aviation, in particular, gets a great deal of attention in this bill. Members from both sides of the aisle have expressed serious concern about TSA's approach when it comes to general aviation. Until recently, TSA displayed a lack of understanding of the uniqueness of the general aviation environment. H.R. 2200 takes some major steps forward, with the authorization of a strong General Aviation Working Group and the establishment of a new grant program for security improvements to general aviation airports.

Finally, H.R. 2200 makes key improvements to air cargo and checked baggage security. Specifically, H.R. 2200 eliminates the use of bag match as an alternative means of checked baggage screening.

It also directs TSA to develop a process to consider reimbursement claims by airports who invested in in-line explosive detection equipment on a promise that TSA would defray the costs.

With respect to air cargo, it requires TSA to report on the status of the Certified Cargo Screening Program.

TSA, Mr. Chairman, has testified that the 100 percent screening requirement for passenger planes will not be achieved by 2010 because TSA has had to expend extensive resources on trying to negotiate international agreements with foreign authorities on inbound international cargo. TSA, as a domestic security agency, lacks jurisdiction or expertise to negotiate such agreements. Achievement of this requirement is, therefore, dependent upon assistance from CBP, the State Department and others, and, most specifically, foreign governments.

To ensure that TSA meets the statutory 100 percent screening requirement, section 201 of the bill gives TSA up to 2 more years to negotiate agreements on inbound international cargo. Enactment of H.R. 2200, therefore, will help TSA put needed focus on working to meet mandates for screening all cargo transported between U.S. airports on passenger planes, whether originating in the U.S. or abroad.

This provision in no way eliminates the 100 percent screening requirement. Instead, it sets TSA up for success and is responsive to the real-world challenges of implementing the mandate in jurisdictions where TSA has no jurisdiction.

Mr. Chairman, I look forward to our work today, and I encourage my colleagues to pass H.R. 2200 in a swift, bipartisan fashion in order to better ensure the security of all Americans.

Mr. Chairman, I submit for the Record exchanges of letters on this legislation.

Mr. Chair, I rise to address concerns put forth in the Minority Views section of the Committee Report for H.R. 2200. Specifically, I want to address the Minority's assertion that the Majority rejected consideration of proposed amendments during committee consideration of the bill.

As is its custom, the Committee used a roster for amendments during both full and subcommittee consideration of the TSA Authorization bill. Each amendment submitted to be placed on the roster was considered by the Committee unless the sponsor decided to withdraw it from consideration.

Each of the twenty amendments filed prior to the Full Committee markup were placed on the roster for Committee consideration. Of the twenty amendments filed, thirteen were sponsored by Minority Members. All but two of the thirteen amendments filed for the roster by Minority Members were offered. Of the eleven amendments offered by Minority Members for committee consideration, eight were agreed to and included in the reported version of the bill.

H.R. 2200, the TSA Authorization Act, is the product of months of bi-partisan cooperation and negotiations. Provisions proposed by the Minority were included in the bill at each and every stage of its consideration. Contrary to the assertion in the Minority Views, at no point during Committee consideration did the Majority prevent the Minority from putting forth amendments for consideration.

In closing, I would remind the Chair that the Committee on Homeland Security has a strong record of working in a bi-partisan fashion to ensure sound homeland security legislation is put before the House. As Chairman, I am committed to ensuring that practice continues.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my manager's amendment which makes a few perfecting changes to H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration authorization bill. My amendment helps make the bill even more comprehensive by addressing five areas.

First, in the area of public transportation security assistance, my amendment improves the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Grant Program by streamlining the award process. My amendment ensures accountability and transparency by requiring annual reports from TSA on the status of outstanding grant awards. It was developed in response to concerns expressed by public transportation agencies about when the clock should start ticking on the grant performance period. Under my amendment, it doesn't begin until grantees are actually able to access their awards. Additionally, this amendment would prohibit cost sharing for transportation security grants to ensure that grants are awarded efficiently and fairly. It also provides public transportation agencies with the tools and support they need to conduct comprehensive risk assessments in order to better secure their systems.

Second, Mr. Chair, this amendment tackles the question of whether TSA needs to be reorganized to get TSA away from behaving like the Aviation Security Administration. Specifically, it requires an honest assessment of creating two equal positions at the deputy assistant secretary level, one for surface transportation security and one for aviation security. It also articulates a sense of congress that the creation of a deputy assistant secretary for surface transportation security will provide the focused leadership and resource management necessary to secure surface transportation in a manner commensurate with aviation security.

Third, in the area of pipeline security, the amendment contains a provision offered at the markup by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis). This provision instructs the Comptroller General to study the roles and responsibilities of DHS and the Department of Transportation with respect to pipeline security in order to better secure our pipelines against intentional breaches.

Fourth, Mr. Chair, regarding workforce improvement, the amendment instructs the DHS Secretary to study the feasibility and merits of establishing a centralized advanced aviation training facility.

Finally, Mr. Chair, the amendment contains a provision to address the special needs of travelers with artificial metal implants.

The amendment contains a provision requiring TSA to establish a program to screen passengers with metal implants.

I urge my colleagues to support this amendment that makes key improvements to an already robust security bill.

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