Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. MAXINE WATERS of California. I thank the gentlewoman for the
time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H.R. 720, the Gerardo Hernandez
Airport Security Act of 2015. I would like to thank Congressman John
Katko, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Transportation Security of
the House Committee on Homeland Security, for reintroducing this bill.
I was proud to join him as an original cosponsor.

I would like to thank Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul,
Ranking Member Bennie Thompson, and our Subcommittee Ranking Member
Kathleen Rice for supporting this bill and bringing it to the floor for
a vote.

Mr. Speaker, this bipartisan bill was originally introduced last year
in response to the horrific November 1, 2013, shooting incident at Los
Angeles International Airport in my congressional district.

This bill is named in honor of Gerardo Hernandez, the Transportation
Security officer who was killed in the line of duty on that tragic day.
As we debate this bill, we offer our deepest condolences to the family
of Gerardo Hernandez, and we honor all of the TSOs, police officers,
and other first responders who risked their lives to stabilize the
situation and protect the public during that terrible incident.

Following the LAX shooting incident, Congress conducted several
hearings on the incident, including a field hearing in my district on
March 28, 2014. These hearings revealed serious security lapses which
interfered with response efforts, such as emergency phones and panic
buttons that did not work properly, problems in coordination between
various police and fire departments, and incompatible radio systems.
These security failures are unacceptable.

The Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security Act requires the Department of
Homeland Security to conduct outreach to airports to verify that they
have working plans to respond to security incidents, including active
shooter incidents, acts of terrorism, and incidents that target
passenger screening checkpoints like the one where Officer Hernandez
was killed.

It is imperative that major airports like LAX have state-of-the-art
emergency response systems. The safety and security of our Nation's
airports, and of all of the workers and travelers who pass through
them, is of paramount importance. I urge my colleagues to support this
bill and send it to the President's desk.

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