Fast Redress Act Of 2009

Floor Speech

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

H.R. 559, the Fair, Accurate, Secure, and Timely Redress Act--or the FAST Redress Act--was first introduced by Representative Clarke in the last Congress. Ms. Clarke is to be commended for her effort in steering this legislation through the House in a cooperative, bipartisan way.

H.R. 559 was marked up and was approved on a bipartisan basis by the Committee's Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee in the last Congress. Last June, the bill was unanimously passed by the House, but unfortunately, it was not signed into law. With our new President, I believe this bill will soon become law.

Everyone complains about the lack of sanity in the watch list process, but few have dared to wade into all the ins and outs of the system. Representative Clarke has done just that, and this legislation is the product of her thoughtful undertaking.

As you know, Mr. Speaker, this issue is of great concern to me as well. We must have prudent security policies, and these policies must ensure that people are not improperly identified as potential terrorists or are on any watch list or database. This bill promotes security while also protecting civil liberties. President Obama's swearing-in began a new era in our homeland and national security policies, and smart legislation, like these measures before us today, will be well served by our new leadership.

Certainly, the practice of watch-listing individuals plays an important role in identifying possible terror suspects. It is important to keep in mind that the watch list is only as good as the information on it. Without accurate, complete and reliable information, the purpose of a watch list is frustrated, and the database becomes unreliable.

Fixing the watch list and reducing misidentifications is a particularly difficult challenge. To meet this challenge, all of the intelligence and law enforcement components that populate the list need to come together and need to agree to clean it up. Unfortunately, this has not happened.

Since February 2007, over 32,000 Americans have sought redress through the DHS Traveler and Redress Inquiry Program, also known as DHS TRIP. Each individual voluntarily provides personal information to establish his or her identity. When there is a determination that this person is not a threat, his name is placed on a cleared list that is maintained by the Transportation Security Administration. This cleared list is populated with names of individuals who have the same or similar names as someone on the no fly or selectee list, but they have proven that they are not the people on the list. The cleared list is then only shared with the airlines for screening purposes, not with all other agencies that use the watch list.

Under H.R. 559, the updated information would be shared throughout DHS and with other Federal agencies that use the terrorist watch list or database. This would ensure that individuals who are cleared under the redress process are not stopped as potential terrorists by other Federal agencies.

Specifically, H.R. 559 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish the Office of Appeals and Redress to provide a timely and fair redress process. The Office of Appeals and Redress is directed to maintain a comprehensive cleared list that contains the names of individuals who have been misidentified and who have corrected erroneous information. The comprehensive cleared list would be made available to those who would use the terrorist watch list or database to resolve misidentification.

The bill directs TSA, CBP, the Coast Guard, and other DHS components to reference the Comprehensive Cleared List when assessing the security risk of an individual. This will ensure that individuals, such as our esteemed colleague from Georgia, Congressman John Lewis, will not be repeatedly stopped or delayed or will not have to seek redress from different components in the same Federal agency. Importantly, the measure includes protections to ensure that personally identifiable information is handled in accordance with privacy laws. Once enacted, individuals who go through the trouble of clearing their names will not have to repeat the exercise again and again.

With the inauguration of President Obama, America enters a new chapter, and this bill moves our security policies forward in a manner that protects our homeland and our civil liberties.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of every John Lewis and others who are frequently misidentified on the watch list, I urge swift passage of this bill.

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

Mr. Speaker, while the practice of watch listing individuals plays an important role in identifying possible terrorist suspects, we must keep in mind that the watch list is only as good as the information on it. Without accurate, complete, and reliable information, misidentifications persist. The database becomes unreliable, and the purpose of the watch list is frustrated leaving America vulnerable.

For the watch list to truly be cleaned up, there needs to be direction from the Obama administration to all of the consumers of the list throughout the Federal Government that the way the list is populated and maintained needs reformed. The intelligence community, Federal law enforcement, and DHS must all come together in order to revamp the watch list. In the absence of reform, America needs an immediate remedy. The FAST Redress Act provides just that.

I urge swift passage of this bill, H.R. 559. Ensuring that business travel and other Americans can fly without being misidentified against a terrorist watch list will also stimulate the economy. Air travel is already distressed. Inter-rhetoric against a solid stimulus bill does little to make things right.

Mr. Speaker, this bill moves our security policies forward in a manner that protects our homeland and our civil liberties.

I encourage the passage of the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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