[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 720 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
H.R.720
One Hundred Fourteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
the sixth day of January, two thousand and fifteen
An Act
To improve intergovernmental planning for and communication during
security incidents at domestic airports, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Gerardo Hernandez Airport Security
Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary''
means the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation
Security) of the Department of Homeland Security.
(2) Administration.--The term ``Administration'' means the
Transportation Security Administration.
SEC. 3. SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE AT AIRPORTS.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall, in consultation
with other Federal agencies as appropriate, conduct outreach to all
airports in the United States at which the Administration performs, or
oversees the implementation and performance of, security measures, and
provide technical assistance as necessary, to verify such airports have
in place individualized working plans for responding to security
incidents inside the perimeter of the airport, including active
shooters, acts of terrorism, and incidents that target passenger-
screening checkpoints.
(b) Types of Plans.--Such plans may include, but may not be limited
to, the following:
(1) A strategy for evacuating and providing care to persons
inside the perimeter of the airport, with consideration given to
the needs of persons with disabilities.
(2) A plan for establishing a unified command, including
identification of staging areas for non-airport-specific law
enforcement and fire response.
(3) A schedule for regular testing of communications equipment
used to receive emergency calls.
(4) An evaluation of how emergency calls placed by persons
inside the perimeter of the airport will reach airport police in an
expeditious manner.
(5) A practiced method and plan to communicate with travelers
and all other persons inside the perimeter of the airport.
(6) To the extent practicable, a projected maximum timeframe
for law enforcement response to active shooters, acts of terrorism,
and incidents that target passenger security-screening checkpoints.
(7) A schedule of joint exercises and training to be conducted
by the airport, the Administration, other stakeholders such as
airport and airline tenants, and any relevant law enforcement,
airport police, fire, and medical personnel.
(8) A schedule for producing after-action joint exercise
reports to identify and determine how to improve security incident
response capabilities.
(9) A strategy, where feasible, for providing airport law
enforcement with access to airport security video surveillance
systems at category X airports where those systems were purchased
and installed using Administration funds.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall report to the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
findings from its outreach to airports under subsection (a), including
an analysis of the level of preparedness such airports have to respond
to security incidents, including active shooters, acts of terrorism,
and incidents that target passenger-screening checkpoints.
SEC. 4. DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ON BEST PRACTICES.
The Assistant Secretary shall--
(1) identify best practices that exist across airports for
security incident planning, management, and training; and
(2) establish a mechanism through which to share such best
practices with other airport operators nationwide.
SEC. 5. CERTIFICATION.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and
annually thereafter, the Assistant Secretary shall certify in writing
to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate that all screening personnel have participated in practical
training exercises for active shooter scenarios.
SEC. 6. REIMBURSABLE AGREEMENTS.
Not later than 90 days after the enactment of this Act, the
Assistant Secretary shall provide to the Committee on Homeland Security
of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation of the Senate an analysis of how the Administration
can use cost savings achieved through efficiencies to increase over the
next 5 fiscal years the funding available for checkpoint screening law
enforcement support reimbursable agreements.
SEC. 7. SECURITY INCIDENT RESPONSE FOR SURFACE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS.
(a) In General.--The Assistant Secretary shall, in consultation
with the Secretary of Transportation, and other relevant agencies,
conduct outreach to all passenger transportation agencies and providers
with high-risk facilities, as identified by the Assistant Secretary, to
verify such agencies and providers have in place plans to respond to
active shooters, acts of terrorism, or other security-related incidents
that target passengers.
(b) Types of Plans.--As applicable, such plans may include, but may
not be limited to, the following:
(1) A strategy for evacuating and providing care to
individuals, with consideration given to the needs of persons with
disabilities.
(2) A plan for establishing a unified command.
(3) A plan for frontline employees to receive active shooter
training.
(4) A schedule for regular testing of communications equipment
used to receive emergency calls.
(5) An evaluation of how emergency calls placed by individuals
using the transportation system will reach police in an expeditious
manner.
(6) A practiced method and plan to communicate with individuals
using the transportation system.
(c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall report to the
Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the
findings from its outreach to the agencies and providers under
subsection (a), including an analysis of the level of preparedness such
transportation systems have to respond to security incidents.
(d) Dissemination of Best Practices.--The Assistant Secretary shall
identify best practices for security incident planning, management, and
training and establish a mechanism through which to share such
practices with passenger transportation agencies nationwide.
SEC. 8. NO ADDITIONAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this Act, and this Act shall be carried out using amounts otherwise
available for such purpose.
SEC. 9. INTEROPERABILITY REVIEW.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Assistant Secretary shall, in consultation with the
Assistant Secretary of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications,
conduct a review of the interoperable communications capabilities of
the law enforcement, fire, and medical personnel responsible for
responding to a security incident, including active shooter events,
acts of terrorism, and incidents that target passenger-screening
checkpoints, at all airports in the United States at which the
Administration performs, or oversees the implementation and performance
of, security measures.
(b) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the completion of the
review, the Assistant Secretary shall report the findings of the review
to the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.