[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 94 (Tuesday, June 24, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5732-H5733]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




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  IAIP will provide vertical as well as the horizontal information flow 
that will allow our security forces, including our local community 
first responders, to respond as quickly and effectively as possible in 
executing their mission. As the Department of Homeland Security moves 
forward in accomplishing its mandate to make America safer, the 
Director of Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection will 
have to play an integral role in assuring our intelligence agencies 
share information with each other as well as with the State and local 
law enforcement agencies and first responders.
  I would like to thank Secretary Ridge and his department staff for 
their assistance and cooperation with our efforts in Congress to assure 
the Department of Homeland Security accomplishes this dual task of 
protecting against future terrorist attacks and preparing our Nation 
for our Nation's emergency response should an attack unfortunately 
occur. As Secretary Ridge and the Department of Homeland Security 
continue their work in this unchartered area, I look forward to a 
continued successful and productive relationship and urge support for 
H.R. 1416.
  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida 
(Mr. Lincoln Diaz-Balart), the vice chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Legislative and Budget Process under the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002 represented a monumental undertaking to reorganize 
multiple Federal agencies with various jurisdictions. This legislation, 
as amended by the Select Committee on Homeland Security, is an 
important step in the committee's oversight of the newly created 
department. Among other things, the technical corrections in H.R. 1416 
further clarify the powers and duties of the Secretary of Homeland 
Security and the Attorney General.
  Further, the gentleman from California's (Chairman Cox) mark 
addressed concerns raised about the original bill's language that would 
have potentially placed jurisdiction of the Bureau of Citizenship and 
Immigration Services under the Under Secretary of Border and 
Transportation. These corrections provide guidance and more 
accountability by creating a clearer chain of command.
  By abolishing the INS and reorganizing its functions, the Homeland 
Security Act I think made tremendous strides toward achieving a 
delicate balance between protecting our country from those who might do 
it harm and those properly seeking admission into the United States.
  I look forward to continuing to work through the select committee 
under the leadership of the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) 
and also with the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Turner) and all of our 
colleagues to

[[Page H5733]]

continue to strike an important balance that we did in the example 
mentioned of Immigration and Border Control. Under the leadership of 
the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox), we are taking the first 
of many steps to ensure that the Department of Homeland Security is 
appropriately organized to not only help prevent terrorist attacks 
through heightened security and preparedness but also to respond 
effectively in times of need.
  Our successes, Mr. Speaker, will depend much on the foundation which 
we have laid in the framework for this new department, and we will 
continue to work to ensure that we do so as effectively as possible.
  Mr. TURNER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
consume.
  Let me thank the gentleman from California (Chairman Cox) for his 
leadership on this bill and his continued effort to try to mold our 
committee into one that will accomplish the goal that we all have of 
building a secure America. I know that when we look at where we are now 
there are many deficiencies, and we must recognize that the oversight 
responsibility of our committee is perhaps the most challenging of any 
committee in the Congress. The reorganization of 22 agencies molded 
into one Department of Homeland Security is a landmark change designed 
to be sure that the focus of those agencies is on protecting America, 
and so I am pleased that the chairman and I and members of our 
committee have worked closely together to take on the responsibility of 
oversight which is so critical, ensuring that we mutually achieve the 
goal that we have in mind.
  We all know that we must set the priorities. The priorities for 
homeland security can never be set unless the Department of Homeland 
Security carries out that vital function of determining the threats and 
matching them against the vulnerabilities, and I am pleased that the 
chairman has provided the leadership that we need to move forward in 
that area.
  There is much to be done, Mr. Speaker, and we must move faster and we 
must be stronger than we are today if we are going to ensure a secure 
America. This legislation is but a small step in that direction, and I 
am pleased to join with my colleagues in support of H.R. 1416.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of the time.
  I want to return the thanks and congratulations to the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Turner), the ranking member, for his leadership and work on 
this important legislation.
  The bill that we are bringing before the House today represents the 
extraordinary scope of responsibilities of the Department of Homeland 
Security. Although this is a technical corrections bill, it amends 
portions of the Homeland Security Act concerning the breadth of the 
responsibilities of the department, including critical infrastructure 
protection, visa issuance, first responders, the military activities of 
the Coast Guard, information security, training for first responders to 
enforce border controls within the country, war risk insurance, arming 
flight deck crew on commercial airliners, and enforcing the Privacy 
Act. Each of these subjects is touched upon in the bill, H.R. 1416, 
that is now before us.
  This committee is going to continue its aggressive oversight. We are 
going to continue legislating and improving the Homeland Security Act 
itself, and we are going to continue authorizing ever more resources, 
both financial and information, as we fight the war against terrorism.
  Between last year and the current appropriations cycle, the Congress 
has authorized and enacted over $17 billion in funding for homeland 
security. We have increased funding for first responders over 1,400 
percent. Just this year, a few months ago, we added $3.5 billion 
additional in a supplemental spending bill for first responders, and 
later today on the floor we will make appropriations for the next year 
with an additional $4.4 billion for first responders.
  Beyond money we need to provide information, as the ranking member 
and I have both stressed here on the floor, we need to share that 
intelligence information between the Intelligence Community and law 
enforcement in Washington, and we need to share between Washington and 
our State and local law enforcers.
  Mr. Speaker, I am confident that we can win the war on terrorism. I 
know we are in this for the long haul, but the preparations that this 
Congress is making today will stand this country in good stead for 
years to come. I urge support for H.R. 1416.
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1416, the 
Homeland Security Technical Corrections Act of 2003. This is the first 
bill from our new but very important Select Committee on Homeland 
Security and I want to thank our chairman and ranking member for their 
leadership through the difficult waters of protecting our homeland.
  The establishment of the Homeland Security Department on March 1 was 
only the beginning of an ongoing process in defending our homeland 
against terrorism, as is this technical corrections bill, which we are 
debating today.
  There are still areas where lines of responsibility need to be 
clarified and cemented, and certain processes need to be streamlined 
and made more first responder friendly.
  The Homeland Security Act is one which treats the Territories fairly, 
but there is one issue involving the need to ensure that Indian tribal 
governments are included amongst the governmental entities that are 
consulted with respect to activities carried out by the Secretary of 
the Department of Homeland Security that still needs to be corrected.
  I sought unsuccessfully to address this problem during markup of H.R. 
1416 in our committee but I expect that it will be resolved 
successfully when the bill gets over to the other body.
  I urge my colleagues to support passage of H.R. 1416.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning in support of H.R. 
1416. The bill makes various technical corrections to the Homeland 
Security Act of 2002, which we passed in the wake of the September 11 
terrorist attacks to better equip our Nation to prepare for and respond 
to future disasters, whether natural or man-made.
  Since passage of that bill last year, we have come a long way, but 
there is much work to be done. We now have a Department of Homeland 
Security, employing close to 200,000 people and assuming the 
responsibilities of dozens of former Federal agencies. We have 
sharpened the Nation's focus on the crucial issue of homeland security 
and given Federal, state, and local officials and first responders the 
tools to better meet our pressing security needs.
  But as the ranking member of the Select Committee on Homeland 
Security, Mr. Turner, has said, we must move faster, and we must be 
stronger. When it comes to protecting our citizens, making progress is 
simply not enough.
  One of the most critical shortcomings facing us is the failure of the 
Department of Homeland Security's Intelligence Directorate to fulfill 
its role as the nerve center of the new agency. The intelligence unit 
was intended to be the very heart of DHS, and its effective operation 
is indispensable to the success of every other division of the 
department. This directorate is tasked with collecting and analyzing 
intelligence information from our nation's intelligence community, and 
then mapping the perceived threats against our vulnerabilities.
  It is this process that should be creating the information on which 
all of our homeland security decisions are based. Instead, decisions 
are being made, resources are being allocated and priorities are being 
set without the benefit of this all-important analysis. Meanwhile, the 
Intelligence Directorate is woefully unprepared to undertake its 
responsibilities. We must correct this state of affairs immediately if 
DHS is ever to operate as intended.
  So, Mr. Speaker, while I rise in support of this technical 
corrections bill, I also want to stress how many more significant 
issues remain to be addressed. I hope the administration and this 
Congress will turn their attention to them without delay.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from California (Mr. Cox) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1416, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. COX. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.




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