Homeland Security Progress

I would like to take a moment to talk briefly about some of the accomplishments of the Homeland Security Committee in this Congress. At the beginning of this Congress, the Speaker appointed me to the Committee tasked with keeping Americans safe here at home. These accomplishments build on a record of bi-partisan efforts over the last nine years to take concrete steps, establish preventative policies, and respond to new threats.

A great example is H.R. 2200, Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act, which was unanimously passed by the House on June 4, 2009. The bill is still pending Senate action.

In the 111th Congress, the House continues to enhance aviation security oversight by focusing on three priorities:

* The effective implementation of screening and vetting programs at the Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) (such as the Secure Flight passenger watchlist matching system implementation and the screening of cargo on passenger aircraft);
* Improved processes in TSA's evaluation and approval of screening and detection technologies that will enhance the agency's mission; and
* Strengthened cooperation between the Department and transportation industry stakeholders.

Since the beginning of this Congress, the House Committee on Homeland Security has conducted oversight hearings to take a closer look at the Department's efforts to comply with the first air cargo-screening deadline in the 9/11 Act; evaluated policies aimed at enhancing security across general aviation; and assessed the viability of the Registered Traveler program.

I was proud to support this bill, because I believe surface transportation security needs to be on equal footing with aviation at TSA. This bill furthers this important objective.

The Committee has also made progress on H.R. 5498, WMD Prevention and Preparedness Act of 2010.

The purpose of this bill is to enhance homeland security by improving efforts to prevent, deter, prepare for, detect, attribute, respond to, and recover from an attack with a weapon of mass destruction (WMD) and for other purposes.

This bill addresses the range of actions necessary to counter the WMD threat - including the threat of a biological attack - as identified through the House Committee on Homeland Security's oversight work and the recommendations given by the Commission on the Prevention of WMD Proliferation and Terrorism in their final report, entitled "World At Risk." The bill addresses the elements of this security and emergency management framework - prevention and deterrence, preparedness, detection, attribution, response, and recovery.

The House has also passed the Chemical and Water Security Act of 2009. The Senate is still working on the bill.

This bill codifies the risk-based, performance-based approach to securing chemicals that DHS has administered since 2007 and includes provisions to ensure seamless transition from the current DHS regulations.

Through H.R. 2868, facilities are regulated by DHS based upon several factors, including the threats posed to them; their vulnerabilities; and the consequences that would follow from an attack on them.

H.R. 2868 requires the EPA Administrator to establish risk-based performance standards for community water systems serving more than 3,300 people and other exceptional public water systems that the EPA Administrator determines, in her discretion, pose a security risk.

This bill also amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, more commonly known as the Clean Water Act, to enhance the security of operations at wastewater treatment works (i.e., sewage treatment facilities) from intentional acts that may substantially disrupt the ability of the facility to safely and reliably operate, or have a substantial adverse impact on, critical infrastructure, public health or safety, or the environment.

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