[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 2 (Friday, January 5, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E37-E38]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      IMPLEMENTING THE 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS ACT OF 2007

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 5, 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, the 9/11 Commission 
produced an unprecedented, bipartisan evaluation of how terrorists were 
able to exploit our nation's security on September 11, 2001. The 
Commissioners made 41 valuable recommendations on how to prevent such 
an attack from occurring again. Unfortunately, not all of those 
recommendations were fulfilled by Congress and the Bush Administration. 
As a result, the American people remain at-risk, and our nation remains 
unprepared for a major emergency. When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita 
slammed into the Gulf Coast, we were reminded again of how unprepared 
we still are to deal with national disasters--whether caused by nature 
or a terrorist attack.
  The ``Implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007,'' 
which I am introducing today, will make the United States more secure 
by closing many of the security gaps that continue to expose our nation 
to the risk of a terrorist attack.
  Enactment of this legislation will make it more difficult for 
terrorists to obtain nuclear materials, ensure that first responders 
finally have the equipment they need to respond to a disaster, 
airplanes will be more secure, our borders will be harder for 
terrorists to penetrate, our police and other local law enforcement 
will finally get the information they need about terrorist threats, and 
ports and other critical infrastructure will be made more secure. 
Perhaps most importantly, this bill makes these improvements in 
security without endangering our American way of life because it puts 
in place strong new privacy and civil liberties protections.
  Specifically, this bill provides much-needed support to the first 
responders at the State, local, and tribal levels who bear the brunt of 
the emergency response and preparedness burden. The 9-11 Commission 
recommended that homeland security funds designed to improve emergency 
preparedness be allocated based on risk, and that steps be taken to 
provide first responders with communications systems that are fully 
interoperable in an emergency. This bill fulfills these recommendations 
by providing for risk-based evaluation and prioritization of homeland 
security grants and enhanced accountability for grant distribution and 
use, so that federal aid will go where it is most needed. Moreover, it 
creates a stand-alone grant program to help States, local and tribal 
governments erect the interoperable communications systems that are so 
vital to effective emergency response. It also encourages the use of a 
unified command during an emergency, so that Federal officials work 
more closely with State, local, and tribal governments in preparation 
and response efforts.

  The 9/11 Commission found that many Federal agencies had information 
that could have led to the arrest and capture of the September 11th 
hijackers, but that this information did not reach the Federal, State, 
and local officials who could have acted on it. This bill acts on the 
9/11 Commission's recommendation to improve intelligence and 
information sharing between Federal authorities and their State and 
local counterparts. First, it establishes the Fusion and Law 
Enforcement Education and Training (FLEET) Grant Program to strengthen 
the capabilities of local fusion centers and to foster cooperation 
among State and local law enforcement officers. It also establishes the 
Border Intelligence Fusion Center Program, which will put experienced 
Federal border security personnel to fusion centers in border States to 
enhance collaboration. Additionally, it provides more State and local 
law enforcement officers with the opportunity to gain valuable 
experience working in Washington with Department of Homeland Security 
officials. Finally, it ensures the Department itself has the technology 
and organization needed to facilitate intelligence and information 
sharing.
  Our nation's aviation system, which was easily exploited by the 
September 11th hijackers, will also be made more secure through this 
bill. The 9/11 Commission found that more steps need to be taken to 
secure air cargo and checked baggage and to ensure airport checkpoints 
have the equipment necessary to detect explosives. This bill meets 
those concerns. First, it requires TSA to develop a system so that 100 
percent of air cargo carried on passenger aircraft is inspected by 
2009. Second, it provides for an additional billion dollars to be made 
available over the next four years to put modern baggage screening 
systems in place. It also creates an innovative new $250 million trust 
fund to address the risk of suicide bombers at the checkpoint by 
strengthening explosive detection at the checkpoint. The Department 
will also have to explain how it plans to undertake efforts to 
prescreen passenger

[[Page E38]]

names against terrorist watch lists, a task the airlines are still 
charged with doing over five years after 9/11. At the same time, a new, 
streamlined system will be put in place for innocent people to 
establish their identities and prevent them from being misidentified 
against ``No Fly'' or ``Selectee'' lists.
  One of the most frightening aspects of the terrorist attacks on the 
World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 is that the planes all 
took off from domestic airports, meaning that each of the hijackers was 
already in the United States. In response to these disconcerting facts, 
this bill strengthens accountability for plans to implement biometric 
verification of foreign nationals entering and exiting the United 
States, as well as improved integration of the Visa Security and 
Terrorist Travel Programs. Moreover, this measure authorizes badly 
needed support and personnel for the Human Smuggling and Trafficking 
Center, in order to enhance its ability to combat human smuggling, 
human trafficking, and terrorist travel.
  In addition to addressing domestic homeland security gaps, this bill 
also contains multiple provisions that deal with security concerns 
outside the United States. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 
2001, we have become increasingly aware of the growing threat posed by 
terrorists with access to nuclear materials and other weapons of mass 
destruction. This bill takes up those concerns by providing some of the 
building blocks needed to mitigate the international aspects of 
terrorism. This bill complements existing laws and provides resources 
to encourage international cooperation to stem proliferation of weapons 
of mass destruction. It also addresses the terrorism implications of 
the nuclear black market, and mandates that U.S. foreign assistance and 
arms sales be withdrawn from countries that condone or engage in 
nuclear proliferation networks.

  Another way that this bill protects against the threat posed by 
weapons of mass destruction is to strengthen security procedures for 
cargo entering the United States from foreign ports. Building upon the 
recently enacted SAFE Ports Act, this bill requires all cargo 
containers to be scanned before they reach U.S. ports within five 
years, and requires port security personnel to use the best technology 
available in scanning containers for radiation and density.
  While it addresses a number of security concerns, this bill would 
also strengthen protection of privacy rights and civil liberties. 
Although it was created in 2004 on the recommendation of the 9/11 
Commission, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board has been 
little more than a shell that has failed to live up to its promise and 
protect the basic freedoms of Americans. This bill would take three key 
steps toward making the Board a legitimate force of accountability and 
transparency in the federal government. First, it would remove the 
Board from the Executive Office of the President, making it an 
independent and autonomous body. Second, this bill would require all 
Board members to be confirmed by the Senate, which will minimize 
political influence by the President and other executive officials 
whose actions it oversees. Finally, this bill would empower the Board 
as the Chief Privacy Officer with the authority to subpoena witnesses 
and evidence, a key investigative tool that would greatly strengthen 
the Board's ability to uncover questionable or unlawful action.
  The best way to honor those who lost their lives because of the 
terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 is to make sure that kind of 
attack never happens again. Similarly, there must be a stronger 
commitment to giving first responders and communities the resources 
they need to respond quickly and vigorously to terrorist attacks and 
significant natural disasters. The 9/11 Commission did an exemplary job 
of locating weaknesses and making recommendations for strengthening 
homeland security. Now it falls to us, the U.S. Congress, to follow 
through on those recommendations. The 9/11 Commission Recommendations 
Act of 2007 is a critical step in fulfilling that mission, and I urge 
my colleagues in the House of Representatives to join me in supporting 
it.