Next Generation Radiation Screening Act Of 2008

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Mississippi?

There was no objection.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this measure, and yield myself such time as I may consume.

I rise today to express my strong support for H.R. 5531, the Next Generation Radiation Screening Act of 2008, and I ask my colleagues to support this bill. I would like to congratulate Ranking Member King for offering this legislation. I thank him for continuing to work in a bipartisan manner in accepting some of our recommendations to improve the bill in his amendment in the nature of a substitute, which passed out of our committee unanimously.

This legislation reflects the committee's oversight of next generation radiation portal monitors. It fits well within our package of DHS authorization bills, since H.R. 5531 will greatly improve DHS's operational effectiveness in the areas of border and port security, domestic preparedness, and nuclear detection.

Specifically, H.R. 5531 will put in motion a plan to deploy next generation radiological detection technology at our ports of entry to help more effectively and more efficiently scan cargo as it enters the United States. Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, as well as rogue nations, have made clear their plans to obtain fissile material and aspirations to detonate a radiological or nuclear device in the United States.

Events around the world continue to sharpen our focus on this growing threat. Just last year, it was reported that Pakistan was expanding its nuclear program, constructing new facilities capable of producing weapons grade plutonium. In November of last year, three men were arrested in Slovakia for illegally possessing highly enriched uranium. That same month, a coordinated attack took place in South Africa's most secretive nuclear facility, where a laptop containing sensitive information was stolen, only to be recovered during a shoot-out with guards.

It is imperative that we implement the best, most effective technology at our disposal to protect the American people from attack. This bipartisan legislation requires firm benchmarks for the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office to measure progress and to ensure that only the best technology is installed at our borders.

It also requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to clearly define what he considers a significant increase in operational effectiveness, the standard required by law to procure and deploy Advanced Spectroscopic Portals, or ASPs.

The Department expects to complete its certification this fall. H.R. 5531 will ensure the certification criteria are clearly laid out and quantified before a final decision is made. The bill also authorizes $40 million for the Securing the Cities Initiative, which my committee strongly supports. The initiative employs the concept of defense in-depth, and deploys an array of detection technologies, both stationary and mobile, throughout New York City, for added layers of security.

This initiative shows what is possible when Federal, State, and local authorities cooperate. Certainly, it is a model that can be replicated in other major U.S. cities.

H.R. 5531 will ensure that both the ASP program and the Securing the Cities Initiative are operationally effective and cost-effective too. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

In closing, I once again want to express my strong support for H.R. 5531, the Next Generation Radiation Screening Act of 2008. I again thank Ranking Member King for offering this legislation and for continuing to work in a bipartisan manner as we move legislation to make our country more secure.

This bill will help to ensure the state-of-the-art technology that allows our Customs and Border Protection officers to effectively and efficiently scan cargo is procured and deployed. This was the promise of the Advanced Spectroscopic Portal Monitors program.

We have to make sure that the ASP delivers and provides significant improvement of operational effectiveness. Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups are interested in attacking us with dirty bombs, and we must do everything we can to find and intercept these materials. That means looking for materials not just at our borders and ports, but inside the United States too, and that is why authorizing the Securing the Cities Initiative is so important.

I am proud to support this critical bill that also advances the important process of providing congressional input to improve the Department. H.R. 5531 represents an important step in protecting the country from nuclear terrorism, and I urge my colleagues to support it.

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