[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 77 (Thursday, May 10, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 9, 2007

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 1684) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of Homeland 
     Security for fiscal year 2008, and for other purposes:

  Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Chairman, since the Department of Homeland Security 
was initially created in 2003, Congress has been unable to pass a 
single authorization bill for the Department. Today marks an important 
accomplishment, as the 110th Democratic Congress will pass a bill that 
finally brings much-needed accountability to DHS.
  Along with containing provisions to ensure full funding of security 
grants that go to our Nation's first responders; and to restore rights 
to DHS workers, providing them with the same protections received by 
employees of every other department and agency within our government; I 
am pleased to see this bill contain a provision requiring stronger 
oversight of the US-VISIT program.
  Although Congress mandated this border management tool 11 years ago, 
US-VISIT is a completely broken program at DHS because there have been 
few attempts to develop an exit component and complete this important 
program.
  Instead, DHS appears to be using the funds to create a vast and 
unauthorized database of personal information about every visitor to 
this country.
  As the representative from one of the most highly diverse districts 
in America--a district that is both a home and a popular destination 
for many thousands of people originally from other countries--I am 
highly concerned about this program. Congress intended to create a 
border management tool, not a massive list of personal information 
about law-abiding visitors.
  Again, I am pleased to see that this bill imposes greater oversight 
of this and other ineffective programs at DHS.