Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014

Floor Speech

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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4802, a bill I am pleased to cosponsor.

The shooting at LAX last November not only took the life of Officer Hernandez but also served as a stark reminder of the dangers that the men and women on the front lines of securing our aviation sector face.

Unarmed and exposed, Transportation Security Officers perform the often thankless task of screening 1.8 million passengers per day.

They do so with limited workplace protections and the great responsibility of preventing another terrorist attack on the scale of 9/11.

Given their vulnerability and the critical role they play in protecting our homeland, it is essential that airports and the law enforcement agencies that protect them have the resources, training, and plans in place to ensure a swift and effective response to a security incident.

In March, as the Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I had the opportunity to participate in a site visit and field hearing at Los Angeles International Airport that focused on the tragic November 1, 2013 shooting.

We learned that while the response of the individual police officers was heroic, the overall response at LAX left much to be desired.

Panic buttons at the checkpoint were not in working order.

The emergency phone Transportation Security Officers have been trained to use did not display the location of the incident to the command center.

Police, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel responding could not communicate via interoperable radios.

The bill before us today represents a bipartisan effort to remedy many of these issues.

Additionally, during Committee consideration of the bill last month, Representative PAYNE offered an amendment to the bill requiring TSA to conduct a nationwide assessment of the interoperability capabilities of emergency responders at airports.

I am pleased that the amendment was adopted and is included in the bill before the House today.

Such an assessment will help inform future efforts to address communications gaps at airports.

Before yielding back, I am compelled to point out that it has been over eight months since Officer Hernandez was shot and killed, leaving his wife without a husband and his children without a father.

Members on both sides of the aisle have expressed their condolences to the Hernandez family for their loss.

Indeed, we did so in person during our visit to LAX in March.

What we have not done, however, is provided the Hernandez family with all the potential benefits due when an officer dies in the line of duty.

Under current law, the families of individuals serving a public agency in an official capacity as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or chaplain receive compensation if their loved one is killed in the line of duty.

The same is true for families of employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and members of rescue squads or ambulance crews.

Unfortunately, the law has not been updated to include Transportation Security Officers within the definition of what constitutes a public safety officer.

As a result, the families of TSOs who are killed in the line of duty are not eligible for funds from the Public Safety Officer's Benefits Program.

While I am pleased the Appropriations Committee has included language in its Homeland Security bill addressing this issue for the Hernandez family, I would note that the legislation has not come to the House floor.

There is another, more direct effort underway. H.R. 4026, a bill introduced by Representative Brownley of California, would address this issue directly by designating Officer Hernandez, and his fellow Transportation Security Officers as public safety officers.

That bill, which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, has thirty-seven cosponsors.

Unfortunately, not a single Republican has signed on to support the measure.

I implore my colleagues to support that legislation so that the families of the men and women on the front lines of protecting our aviation sector are properly compensated should tragedy strike.

With that Mr. Speaker, I urge support for H.R. 4802.

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