Gerrardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014
Floor Speech
Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 4802, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2014. As chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security's Subcommittee on Transportation Security, I introduced this bipartisan bill to improve the state of preparedness at our Nation's airports in response to the shooting that occurred at Los Angeles International Airport in November of last year.
The shooting that occurred at LAX, which took the life of Transportation Security Officer Gerardo Hernandez and wounded three other people, served as a tragic wake-up call to the relative ease with which someone can wreak havoc in one of our Nation's busiest airports.
In March of this year, the Subcommittee on Transportation Security conducted a site visit and field hearing at LAX to examine the response to the incident and better understand the actions that have been taken to improve incident response in the wake of this tragedy. Subsequently, my subcommittee held a followup hearing to receive testimony from additional representatives of the law enforcement and airport communities on security incident response.
Over the course of these activities, through this process, the subcommittee found that while the Federal, State, and local response to the LAX shooting was heroic and swiftly executed, there is room for improvement in how airport operators, TSA, and other stakeholders coordinate the response and communicate in the crucial moments after a major security incident like this.
Based on months of careful review and stakeholder input by the subcommittee, as well as detailed after-action reports by the Los Angeles World Airports and TSA, H.R. 4802 would require the Transportation Security Administration to provide assistance to all airports where TSA performs or oversees screening to verify that each airport has detailed, practiced plans for responding to security incidents. This includes plans for evacuating travelers, establishing unified command, testing radio equipment, and conducting joint exercises among responding agencies.
This legislation would also make TSA a clearinghouse for security incident response and communications best practices, which was a key recommendation from testimony the subcommittee received in May. In addition, the bill would require TSA to certify to Congress that all screening personnel have participated in an active shooter training, which is a requirement TSA appropriately instituted on its own following the LAX shooting.
The bill will also require TSA to assess whether interoperable communications capabilities exist among responding agencies at airports where TSA performs or oversees screening. We know interoperability is an ongoing challenge among many first responders, despite billions being spent to achieve better communications since 9/11, but, at this point, no one has done an overall assessment to determine what weaknesses exist in terms of communications at our Nation's airports.
Finally, the bill requires TSA to examine how it can increase its reimbursement of law enforcement officers who protect the screening checkpoints.
These men and women are the front line of defense in protecting the traveling public. While TSA's funding for law enforcement reimbursement has decreased in recent years, the critical role these officers play at our airport checkpoints has never been more important.
This bill is a necessary step towards countering the threats facing our Nation's airports, without placing an undue burden on airport operators, law enforcement, or the taxpayers. In fact, according to TSA, the cost of providing assistance to airports will be incidental and would not require additional appropriations. This bill, nonetheless, makes it clear to TSA that no new funding is being authorized to carry out any of the provisions of this bill and that existing appropriations should be used to carry out this act.
I want to thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. MIKE MCCAUL, for his support of this bill and for moving it through the full committee, as well as the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Thompson, and the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Richmond, for cosponsoring this legislation and for working with us to produce this important legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member, Mr. Richmond, for his kind comments and for the great working relationship we enjoy on this committee. It is a privilege to work with him.
Mr. Speaker, with the threats to our Nation's transportation system constantly evolving, we must work to ensure that airport security is prepared to respond effectively and efficiently to a variety of security threats. The shooting at LAX was a tragedy that will not soon be forgotten by those of us who are committed to enhancing security at our Nation's airports and protecting the traveling public. This bill will provide for more extensive collaboration and coordination between airports, law enforcement, first responders, and TSA, which will result in safer airports across the country.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to honor the memory of Transportation Security Officer Hernandez and support this important, bipartisan legislation.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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