[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 165 (Monday, December 19, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PASSPORT SERVICES ENHANCEMENT ACT OF 2005

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                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON-LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Sunday, December 18, 2005

  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the 
Passport Services Enhancement Act of 2005, H.R. 4501. This bill would 
amend the Passport Act of June 4, 1920, to authorize the Secretary of 
State to establish and collect a surcharge to cover the costs of 
meeting the increased demand for passports as a result of actions taken 
to comply with section 7209(b) of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism 
Prevention Act of 2004. I am pleased that we will be funding this 
security measure required by the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism 
Prevention Act. I look forward to a time when all of the security 
measures in that Act have been funded.
  The failure to fully fund the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism 
Prevention Act is an indication that Congress has not allotted enough 
resources to deal with the requirements for security in the fight 
against terrorism. Another example is the failure to enact my Rapid 
Response Border Protection Act of 2005, H.R. 4044, which would provide 
critical resources and support for the men and women who secure our 
borders, which is essential to our defense against terrorism.
  The resources and support in my bill would include the addition of 
15,000 Border Patrol agents over the next five years, which would 
increase the number of agents from 11,000 to 26,000. With more than 
8,000 miles of land and coastal borders to patrol continuously, it is 
evident that this increase is desperately needed if any semblance of 
control is to be achieved. The Secretary of the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) would be required to respond rapidly to border crises by 
deploying up to 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents to a State in 
which a border security emergency has been declared by the Governor. It 
also would include 100,000 more detention beds to ensure that those who 
are apprehended entering the United States unlawfully are sent home 
instead of being released into our communities. It would assist in 
cracking down on the problem of fraudulent documents used to enter 
unlawfully and remain in the United States by adding specialized 
enforcement agents and establishing cooperative mechanisms with State 
and local law enforcement agencies. And it includes provisions for 
critical equipment and infrastructure improvements, such as additional 
helicopters, power boats, police-type vehicles, portable computers, 
reliable radio communications, hand-held GPS devices, body armor, and 
night-vision equipment.
  Those who object to the cost of such security measures need to recall 
the enormous costs, not just in monetary terms, of the last terrorist 
attacks. As Benjamin Franklin wisely noted nearly 270 years ago, ``an 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.'' The total cost of my 
border security bill would only be a very small fraction of the amount 
being spent fighting terrorism overseas. If we want to prevent another 
terrorist attack on American soil, we must be prepared to devote 
whatever resources are necessary to keeping terrorists out of our 
country. This legislation is designed to help provide more resources 
for the now required greater utilization of the U.S. passport because 
of the 9/11 tragedy. Americans will need more passports and the State 
Department will need more staff. The same can be said for our border 
security taking short cuts and scrimping on homeland security as this 
only serves as an open invitation to future disastrous attacks.

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