Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I support H.R. 347, as amended by the Senate, which will assist the Secret Service in performing its protective duties.

The bill before us today will help the Secret Service carry out its role in protecting the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries. Current Federal law prohibits individuals from entering or remaining in areas cordoned off as "restricted'' because of protection being provided by the Secret Service.

This bill would simply clarify that the prohibition under the existing statute only applies to those who do not have lawful authority to be in those areas. The bill would also add the White House and Vice President's residence to the definition of restricted areas protected under current law.

The Senate made minor changes to the bill, including expanding the bill's protections to areas in which the Secret Service is protecting a person by the direction of a Presidential memorandum.

I support this amendment. This bill will assist the Secret Service, which did not have this protective function when it was created.

The role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly since it was established in 1865 to fight the counterfeiting of U.S. currency.

The Service became part of the Treasury Department in 1883 and took on many additional investigative responsibilities with respect to safeguarding the payment and financial systems of the United States. It wasn't until 1894 that the Secret Service first started protecting our Presidents; and that protective role with respect to the President, Vice President, and other dignitaries has grown substantially since that time.

The men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor and professionalism while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the President and national special security events.

The Secret Service has other important functions which also deserve recognition. For example, the investigative role of the Secret Service has expanded greatly from protecting the currency against counterfeiting to investigating a variety of crimes related to this country's financial institutions and credit systems.

I commend the gentleman from Florida, Representative Tom Rooney, for his work on this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 347.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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