[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 101 (Wednesday, June 18, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H5510-H5513]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CIVIL AIR PATROL HOMELAND SECURITY SUPPORT ACT OF 2007

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1333) to amend the Homeland Security Act 
of 2002 to direct the Secretary to enter into an agreement with the 
Secretary of the Air Force to use Civil Air Patrol personnel and 
resources to support homeland security missions, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1333

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CIVIL AIR PATROL STUDY.

       (a) Study.--The Comptroller General of the United States 
     shall conduct a study of the functions and capabilities of 
     the Civil Air Patrol to support the homeland security 
     missions of State, local, and tribal governments and the 
     Department of Homeland Security. In conducting the study, the 
     Comptroller General shall review the process by which the 
     Civil Air Patrol may provide assistance to the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security, other Federal agencies, and States to 
     support homeland security missions by--
       (1) providing aerial reconnaissance or communications 
     capabilities for border security;
       (2) providing capabilities for collective response to an 
     act of terrorism, natural disaster, or other man-made event, 
     by assisting in damage assessment and situational awareness, 
     conducting search and rescue operations, assisting in 
     evacuations, transporting time-sensitive medical or other 
     materials; or
       (3) such other activities as may be determined appropriate 
     by the Comptroller General in the conduct of this review.

[[Page H5511]]

       (b) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall submit 
     to the Committees on Homeland Security and Transportation and 
     Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs of 
     the Senate a report containing the findings of the review 
     conducted under subsection (a). The report shall include--
       (1) an assessment of the feasibility and cost-effectiveness 
     of using Civil Air Patrol assets for the purposes described 
     in subsection (a); and
       (2) an assessment as to whether the current mechanisms for 
     Federal agencies and States to request support from the Civil 
     Air Patrol are sufficient or whether new agreements between 
     relevant Federal agencies and the Civil Air Patrol are 
     necessary.
       (c) Report to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after 
     completing the study under this section, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall review and analyze the study and 
     submit to the Committees on Homeland Security and 
     Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 
     Representatives and the Committee on Homeland Security and 
     Governmental Affairs of the Senate a report on such review 
     and analysis, which shall include any recommendations of the 
     Secretary for further action that could affect the 
     organization and administration of the Department of Homeland 
     Security.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Dent) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi.


                             General Leave

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent 
that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Mississippi?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this 
measure, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, the Civil Air Patrol has been in existence for 
decades, providing assistance to governments at the Federal, State and 
local levels in times of need.
  Civil Air Patrol was established in 1941, just days before the 
Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. From that moment on, Civil Air Patrol 
has stood ready to supplement America's military operations. And over 
the years, it has shown itself to be a faithful partner to the 
Department of Defense. Therefore, it stands to reason that Civil Air 
Patrol could also partner with the Department of Homeland Security.
  That is the thinking behind H.R. 1333 introduced by Representative 
Charlie Dent, a member of the Committee on Homeland Security. H.R. 1333 
directs the Government Accountability Office to examine the 
capabilities of the Civil Air Patrol to support DHS's activities across 
the country.
  The bill was unanimously adopted by the Subcommittee on Emergency 
Communications, Preparedness and Response on April 30. Then on May 20, 
the full committee approved H.R. 1333 unanimously.
  Civil Air Patrol is a great example of how patriotic Americans can 
contribute to the security of this Nation and their communities. As 
someone who served as a volunteer firefighter, I appreciate that kind 
of dedication. There is no doubt in my mind that the Civil Air Patrol 
is a United States treasure. In fact, during any given year, the Civil 
Air Patrol is responsible for nearly 95 percent of Air Force-directed 
search and rescue missions.
  This Government Accountability Office study, called for in this bill, 
will improve Congress' and the administration's understanding of how 
Civil Air Patrol can provide homeland security assistance. The GAO 
study will also help Congress assess whether the operational structure 
in place for coordination between the Civil Air Patrol and its 
government and non-profit partners is sufficient and optimal for the 
security of our Nation.
  Additionally, the bill calls for GAO to report on the cost-
effectiveness of using Civil Air Patrol assets for homeland security 
missions and help Congress understand whether the current mechanism for 
Federal agencies and States to request Civil Air Patrol support are 
adequate.
  Finally, the bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
review and analyze GAO's study and report to Congress as to which GAO 
recommendations warrant further action.
  I commend my colleague, Mr. Dent, and his partner in this endeavor, 
the chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, 
Preparedness and Response, Mr. Cuellar, for developing this thoughtful 
bill. I support H.R. 1333 and its underlying goals and urge passage.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I do rise today to support H.R. 1333, the Civil Air 
Patrol Homeland Security Act of 2007. And this legislation, which I 
introduced on March 6, 2007, has the bipartisan support of 56 Members 
of Congress.
  I would first like to thank our good friend and colleague, Chairman 
Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, as well as Ranking Member Pete King of 
the Homeland Security Committee, as well as Chairman Oberstar and 
Ranking Member Mica of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee 
for their cooperation and support in bringing this legislation to the 
floor today.
  I also want to especially thank the subcommittee chairman, Henry 
Cuellar, who chairs the Subcommittee on Emergency Communications, 
Preparedness and Response on which I serve as the ranking member for 
his support of this legislation throughout this process and throughout 
this 110th Congress. I want to thank Chairman Cuellar especially.
  H.R. 1333, as amended, would require the Government Accountability 
Office, the GAO, to conduct an expansive review to determine how the 
Civil Air Patrol may be used to support the homeland security missions 
of State, local and tribal governments, and the Department of Homeland 
Security.
  Specifically, the GAO will review how the Civil Air Patrol may 
provide aerial reconnaissance or communications capabilities for border 
security; assist in damage assessments and situational awareness; 
search and rescue operations, evacuations and the transport of time-
sensitive medical or other materials; or perform any other activities 
as determined by the GAO.
  This review will provide greater information regarding the cost-
effectiveness of using Civil Air Patrol assets for homeland security 
purposes at all levels of government. It will also help us understand 
whether the current process for States and the Federal Government to 
request Civil Air Patrol assistance is overly bureaucratic, limiting 
the effectiveness of this important resource in times of crisis.
  Aviation assets have traditionally played an important role in border 
security, the interdiction of contraband, search and rescue operations, 
evacuations, and after-action analyses that must be performed in the 
wake of a catastrophic event.
  A Civil Air Patrol force of 57,000 volunteers and 500 planes across 
the country stands ready to assist in those important missions.
  The Civil Air Patrol has a long history of service to this Nation. 
The organization was founded at the outbreak of the Second World War, 
during which it served as a vital watchdog along the coastlines of 
America, protecting us from the threat of German U-boats that patrolled 
our shores. They even engaged U-boats during that war as well, sinking 
a few.
  Since then, the Civil Air Patrol has regularly assisted States in 
search and rescue operations and emergency response. The Civil Air 
Patrol indicates that it would welcome the opportunity to play an 
expanded role in homeland security operations, as that role would be 
defined by the Comptroller General, the Department of Homeland 
Security, and the United States Congress.
  I urge my colleagues to support this legislation and help ensure that 
we are effectively utilizing all available resources for responses to 
catastrophic events.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar), the chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Emergency Communications, Preparedness and Response.
  Mr. CUELLAR. Madam Speaker, I also want to thank Chairman Bennie 
Thompson who has done a great job as the chairman. He has allowed what 
I call the free market of ideas to work

[[Page H5512]]

well. That is if a Member comes up with an idea, we will go through the 
process and after that if it is a good idea and will protect our 
homeland, he has given us an opportunity to come up with and move those 
ideas; so thank you, Mr. Chairman.
  One of the ideas is of course H.R. 1333 which is the one that Ranking 
Member Charlie Dent has brought forward. It is an idea that would allow 
us to supplement the security of our country. So I certainly want to 
thank Mr. Dent for the idea and of course for moving this great idea 
forward.
  I support this particular bill because it allows the GAO to conduct a 
study to determine how the Civil Air Patrol can help support our 
homeland security missions. The Civil Air Patrol has long served our 
Nation. The Civil Air Patrol began at the onset of World War II, 
patrolling the coastlines of America, protecting the shores of our 
great Nation from foreign threats.
  Since that time, the Civil Air Patrol has regularly assisted States, 
and that includes also my State of Texas, with search and rescue 
operations and emergency response. The Civil Air Patrol welcomes this 
opportunity to play an expanded role in homeland security operations as 
that role will be defined by the Comptroller General, the Department of 
Homeland Security, and of course by the United States Congress.
  This study will give the Secretary of Homeland Security the ability 
to consider the use of the Civil Air Patrol to provide aerial 
assistance to the Department of Homeland Security agencies that are 
responsible for protecting America against illegal entry and 
trafficking of people and contraband.
  Being from Laredo, Texas, and representing Webb, Starr, Zapata and 
Hidalgo counties on the border, I do understand why we need this 
assistance. And I think the way it has been crafted by Mr. Dent, this 
will allow Homeland Security to use these extra assets on the border to 
give us the extra protection that we need to make sure that we protect 
ourselves. So I certainly feel that the Civil Air Patrol can not only 
provide protection on the border, but also respond to acts of 
terrorism, natural disasters and other man-made events by assisting in 
damage assessment, search and rescue operations, and evacuations.
  I thank my colleague, Charlie Dent, and my chairman, Chairman Bennie 
Thompson. I know Michael McCaul will also speak about how this will 
help in Texas, and other efforts. Again, I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 1333.
  Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I would just like to confirm with the 
majority whether they have any additional speakers at this time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I have no additional 
speakers. If the gentleman from Pennsylvania has no speakers, I am 
prepared to close.
  Mr. DENT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to 
close.
  I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Chairman 
Thompson and Chairman Oberstar and Chairman Cuellar, for their 
bipartisan support and leadership on this important issue in helping us 
move this legislation forward.
  I also want to point out that I had a few interesting experiences on 
the border with Chairman Cuellar. I visited Laredo, Texas, on two 
separate occasions with him, and I looked at what our Border Patrol was 
up to. I noticed there was a lack of aviation assets. In fact, Chairman 
Cuellar and I had a rather exciting visit on a helicopter in Laredo, 
Texas, and we got a good look at the border areas, and witnessed the 
lack of aviation assets on that border.

                              {time}  1245

  And so that certainly helped inspire this legislation.
  Also, I'd like to point out too that there are a lot of good ideas 
that come from places other than Washington, D.C. When I was back in my 
district some time ago I remember a constituent of mine named David 
Miller, who is an octogenarian; he served during the Second World War, 
a pilot. He said to me, he talked about the use of the Civil Air Patrol 
during the Second World War and suggested, why don't you get them more 
engaged for various homeland security initiatives, particularly border 
security? I thought it sounded like a reasonable idea, and I looked 
into it and, of course, that's why we're here today dealing with 
legislation to further examine this very important issue. I thank David 
Miller for his foresight, just being a good citizen and making 
recommendations to his elected representative.
  Also I would like to point out another former member, Lester Wolf of 
New York, had also been a strong advocate of greater utilization of the 
Civil Air Patrol. He served in, I think, the Long Island area of New 
York and was quite strong on this need for this type of legislation.
  As well as a man named Bob Minert who is the executive director of 
the Pennsylvania wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Again, I want to thank 
all of them for their interest and leadership and helping get us to 
where we are today.
  I would just like to say that the GAO study that this legislation 
requires will help Congress assess the current capabilities of the 
Civil Air Patrol to assist the Federal Government and our State and 
local partners in conducting homeland security missions. The review 
will help us determine whether the current mechanisms to utilize the 
Civil Air Patrol as a force multiplier in various missions, including 
search and rescue and border security, are sufficient to meet today's 
needs.
  As we saw after September 11 and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, in a 
catastrophic event, this country must be able to dramatically increase 
the number of response assets, while ensuring that Federal, State and 
local resources are well coordinated. By examining how various 
resources like the Civil Air Patrol may contribute to a mission prior 
to an event, we will help strengthen our Nation's security and 
resiliency.
  I would like to thank everybody involved with this legislation, all 
my colleagues, and the 56 co-sponsors of this legislation. I urge my 
colleagues to support this bill and help to strengthen the performance 
of Homeland Security missions in the Department of Homeland Security.
  Madam Speaker, at this time I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself as much 
time as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 1333. I strongly believe that 
the GAO report required under H.R. 1333 will provide us with the 
information needed to reach the right decision on the question of 
whether a formal relationship between DHS and CAP will serve our 
Nation's homeland security interests.
  Certainly, over the past 60 years, Civil Air Patrol has shown itself 
to be a faithful partner to the Department of Defense. It is 
conceivable that the Civil Air Patrol could contribute to border 
security, search and rescue and responsive activities at DHS.
  Additionally, it would be interesting to know whether the Civil Air 
Patrol can provide emergency transport for sensitive medical materials. 
I would also be interested to know whether the Civil Air Patrol area 
reconnaissance and communications capability can enhance our border 
security and DHS's ability to have situational awareness of natural 
disasters and other manmade events. The GAO study called for in this 
bill will answer these core capability questions.
  For this reason, I support H.R. 1333, and urge its passage.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong 
support of H.R. 1333, Civil Air Patrol Homeland Security Support Act of 
2007, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Pennsylvania, 
Representative Dent. This important legislation is a first step for the 
Committee on Homeland Security to understand how the Civil Air Patrol 
can provide necessary Homeland Security assistance.
  The Civil Air Patrol is a prime example of how Americans can get 
involved to support our Nation's preparedness and response to 
emergencies as well as our Nation's great history of civil aviation and 
aerospace education. The Civil Air Patrol is a 501(c)(3) non-profit 
organization and also serves as the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, when 
given an Air Force assignment for a Federal support mission. The Civil 
Air Patrol flies missions in one of two ways: they are either assigned 
an Air Force mission, wherein they fly on behalf of the Federal 
Government as the Air Force Auxiliary, or they fly in their non-profit 
status based on requests from State and local governments or other 
organizations, many of which have MOU's with the Civil Air Patrol that 
govern their partnerships. As such, the Civil Air Patrol

[[Page H5513]]

performs a vital service for this Nation, one which must be further 
examines and utilized.
  Over the course of any given year, the Civil Air Patrol is 
responsible for conducting over 90 percent of the Nation's inland 
search and rescue operations on behalf of the Air Force. In fiscal year 
2007 alone, the Civil Air Patrol helped save 103 lives. Beyond that 
capacity to execute search and rescue missions, the. Civil Air Patrol 
can also provide emergency transport for sensitive medical materials 
and conducts low-altitude reconnaissance surveys for the Government. 
Even with the Civil Air Patrol is not in the air but working on the 
ground, their volunteers have pitched in to assist with disaster 
response.
  This important legislation will require that the GAG examine how the 
Civil Air Patrol's proficiency in aerial reconnaissance and 
communications can enhance our border security. It furthermore will 
assess the Civil Air Patrol's experience in conducting damage 
assessment and enhancing situational awareness and how that might be 
utilized to improve our Nation's collective response to an act of 
terrorism, natural disaster, or other man-made event. The GAG report 
produced by this legislation will be utilized to paint a clear picture 
of the cost-effectiveness of using Civil Air Patrol assets for homeland 
security missions and help this committee to understand whether the 
current mechanisms for Federal agencies and States to request CAP 
support are adequate.
  In this age of a global war on terror, it is imperative that we 
utilize aIl the assets available to us to secure our homeland. The 
Civil Air Patrol has been an invaluable resource for this Nation and 
embodies the volunteer service that makes our Nation great. I commend 
the Civil Air Patrol for their commitment to service and protecting 
this country, and I support this legislation that seeks to further 
examine how we might use them for their homeland security capacity.
  I wholeheartedly support this legislation and strongly urge all of my 
colleagues to join me in doing so.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1333, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``A bill to direct the 
Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the use 
of Civil Air Patrol personnel and resources to support homeland 
security missions, and for other purposes.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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