Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Senate amendment to H.R. 2719, the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act.
For years, both as chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, I have been troubled by the way TSA goes about technology acquisition. Time and again, taxpayer dollars have been wasted on technologies that either do not work or cannot be upgraded to meet the agency's need.
I have also been troubled by TSA's apparent inability to effectively manage its inventory of security-related technology and meet its goals for contracting with small and disadvantaged businesses.
The bill before us today addresses these concerns through greater transparency and accountability. In this age of tight budgets, TSA cannot purchase technologies on a whim and outside of robust acquisition controls. Under H.R. 2719, of which I was proud to be an original cosponsor, TSA will be required to develop and publish a multiyear technology investment plan that will guide the agency's security-related technology purchases.
This plan will give both the agency and Congress a clear understanding of how taxpayer dollars will be allocated in future years.
The bill also requires BREAK IN TRANSCRIPTTSA to develop a plan for managing its inventory of security-related technologies. Last year, the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General found that TSA had more than 17,000 items in its warehouse inventory, at an estimated cost of $185 million. The IG concluded that TSA may be able to put approximately $800,000 per year to better use by managing its inventory more effectively.
For fiscal year 2012, TSA's goal for prime contracting with small businesses was set at 23 percent; yet the agency barely reached 16 percent. While TSA improved its performance in 2013, it still failed to meet its goal for prime contracting with small businesses.
To address TSA's chronic problems meeting its small business contracting goal, the bill requires TSA to consult with other Federal agencies that get small business contracting done and done right. Under H.R. 2719, TSA will be required to develop an action plan for improving its performance and report to Congress on its progress in implementing the plan.
For too long TSA has relied upon the same limited number of companies to
develop and produce the security-related technologies it puts into the field. Doing so comes at the peril of small and minority-owned businesses that are essential to innovation. This dynamic also results in additional cost to taxpayers due to a lack of competition in the marketplace.
H.R. 2719 received the unanimous support of the Committee on Homeland Security and this full House later last year. The Senate amendment to this bill that we are considering today makes minor and beneficial modifications.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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