Supporting the Gerardo Hernandez Security Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. TED LIEU of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 720, the Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015, and in
tribute to the bill's namesake.

On November 1, 2013, a gunman opened fire in Los Angeles
International Airport, killing TSA Officer Gerardo Hernandez and
wounding three others before being apprehended. Mr. Hernandez's death
was the first time a TSA officer had been killed in the line of duty
since the agency's creation following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The tragic shooting at LAX jolted the city of Los Angeles and
underscored the need to increase airport preparedness throughout the
country. I believe the legislation we are voting on today is an
important step in meeting that need.

H.R. 720 is a bipartisan bill that will direct the Department of
Homeland Security to identify best practices for airport incident
planning and to give necessary technical assistance to all airports
under TSA's security supervision. The bill aims to verify that each of
these airports have individualized working plans for responding to
security incidents, including active shooters, acts of terrorism, and
incidents that target passenger-screening checkpoints. The Department
will be required to submit a report to Congress detailing its outreach
findings so that Congress can continue its oversight role on this
issue.

We owe it to Mr. Hernandez and his family to ensure that our airports
are prepared and passengers protected. I urge my colleagues to join me
in support of H.R. 720.

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