[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 105 (Monday, July 29, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1461]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1461]]
                     HOMELAND SECURITY ACT OF 2002

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SAXBY CHAMBLISS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 25, 2002

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 5005) to 
     establish the Department of Homeland Security, and for other 
     purposes:

  Mr. CHAMBLISS. Mr. Chairman, the Federal Law Enforcement Training 
Center in Glynco, Georgia, provides critical training for a range of 
federal law enforcement personnel as well as state, local, foreign, and 
private sector security personnel. I want to associate myself with the 
remarks of my colleague from Georgia, Mr. Kingston, who has so 
effectively lead the effort to ensure that FLETC has adequate resources 
and support to continue to do its job so well.
  In the war on terrorism, FLETC's role will become even more 
important. Training at the center has grown significantly since it 
first opened in 1970 and now serves the training needs of over 70 
federal agencies in all three branches of government with 25 thousand 
graduates annually. The proposal we are discussing today will put nine 
law enforcement and security functions in the Department of Homeland 
Security. FLETC trains security personnel in each of these agencies and 
through its well-established network offers a unique training resource 
to all levels of federal, state, and local law enforcement. Newer roles 
for FLETC include training our air marshals and, hopefully, our pilots 
to provide an additional layer of aviation security.
  I strongly support the Kingston amendment. We need to ensure that we 
have a robust law enforcement and security force that can effectively 
provide security for our nation. The men and women who conduct this 
critical training at FLETC are an integral part of our national 
security. While the bill transfers FLETC to the Department of Justice, 
this important amendment will ensure that we minimize the impact to its 
operations as much as possible and allow the important work taking 
place at FLETC to continue. I hope that my colleagues will join us in 
doing all we can to enhance the ability of FLETC to quickly and 
flexibly respond to the new training demands of the war on terrorism.

                          ____________________