[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 121 (Tuesday, September 11, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H5821-H5824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1630
     PUBLIC TRANSIT SECURITY AND LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT ACT

  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
pass the bill (H.R. 3857) to amend the Implementing Recommendations of 
the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to require the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to include as an eligible use the sustainment of specialized 
operational teams used by local law enforcement

[[Page H5822]]

under the Transit Security Grant Program, and for other purposes, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 3857

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Public Transit Security and 
     Local Law Enforcement Support Act''.

     SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION REGARDING USE OF GRANT FUNDS RELATING 
                   TO OPERATIONAL COSTS OF PUBLIC TRANSIT 
                   SECURITY.

       (a) In General.--Section 1406(b)(2) of the Implementing 
     Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 
     1135(b)(2)) is amended--
       (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) through (H) as 
     subparagraphs (F) through (I), respectively; and
       (2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following new 
     subparagraph (E):
       ``(E) specialized patrol teams, as defined by the Secretary 
     in coordination with the recipients of grants under this 
     section, including the sustainment of such teams without 
     fiscal year limitation, as long as the eligible public 
     transportation agency applying for grant funds to fund a 
     specialized patrol team submits a sustainment plan for 
     maintaining in future years the capability or capacity 
     achieved with the grant funds;''.
       (b) Effective Date.--The amendment made by subsection (a) 
     shall take effect on the date of enactment of this Act and 
     shall apply to grants made under section 1406 of the 
     Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 
     2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135) on or after such date.
       (c) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 1406(m)(1) of 
     the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act 
     of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135(m)(1)) is amended--
       (1) in subparagraph (D) by striking ``and'' at the end;
       (2) in subparagraph (E)--
       (A) by striking ``10 percent'' and inserting ``50 
     percent''; and
       (B) by striking the period and inserting ``; and''; and
       (3) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(F) $400,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 and 2013, 
     except that not more than 50 percent of such funds in each of 
     such fiscal years may be used for operational costs under 
     subsection (b)(2).''.

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


                             General Leave

  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include any extraneous material on the bill under 
consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of H.R. 3857, the 
Public Transportation Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act, 
which helps local law enforcement meet national security demands in a 
troubled economy.
  Today, we solemnly remember the tragedy which took place 11 years ago 
at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and New York City.
  I am personally reminded when I travel from my home in New York to 
D.C., I look toward the southern tip of Manhattan where the Twin Towers 
once stood.
  As we also remember the brave New York firefighters and police 
officers who ran into the inferno of the World Trade Center with no 
regard for their own safety, we should think about the brave spirit 
that lives on in every first responder. They are truly our last line of 
defense in an increasingly dangerous world, and we should make sure 
they are provided with access to all of the resources they need to keep 
us safe.
  In large metropolitan areas, public transit systems are among the 
most vulnerable targets. In New York City, the MTA carries over 8 
million people daily on its subways and buses throughout the five 
boroughs. The Transit Security Grant program provides funds to public 
transit agencies in high-risk areas for various security projects 
including the hiring of full-time personnel for specialized anti-
terrorist teams, K-9 units, mobile screening, and public awareness 
campaigns.
  The program is authorized by the Implementing Recommendations of the 
9/11 Commission Act of 2007 and administered by the Federal Emergency 
Management Agency in consultation with the Transportation Security 
Administration.
  Grant funds are used to create new specialized anti-terror teams, but 
until recently could not be used to sustain these teams unless the 
Department of Homeland Security provided a waiver. This forced law 
enforcement to face the uncertainty of the waiver process or risk 
losing vital security assets. Fortunately, the Secretary provided some 
relief last year so that a waiver was not required, but without this 
bill, there is nothing to stop the Department of Homeland Security from 
reinstating another bureaucratic waiver or process.
  H.R. 3857 streamlines the grant program to make it easier for the 
specialized security teams to receive funding. It authorizes the 
Department of Homeland Security to provide transit security grant 
programs to sustain teams and also eliminate the bureaucratic steps of 
requiring eligible transit agencies to apply for a waiver. This will 
help avoid countless hours of request, preparation, and review.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill because there is nothing 
more important than protecting our citizens.
  We must make it a priority to ensure that the brave men and women who 
work so hard to keep us safe have the resources they need as soon as 
they need it.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 
3857, the Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support 
Act, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  As the President stated in his weekly address, the anniversary of 9/
11 is a time to honor and commemorate first responders, the victims of 
the attacks, and the members of the Armed Forces serving at home and 
abroad. It's unfortunate that the Republican majority has decided to 
discontinue the House's tradition of doing just that by considering a 
resolution honoring the fallen and commending our Nation's bravest on 
this date.
  For years, majority leaders of both parties have introduced and 
scheduled consideration of a 9/11 resolution. Surely, if the House has 
the time to consider the 32 bills scheduled for consideration on the 
suspension calendar this week, it has the time to commemorate our 
Nation's first responders, the victims of 9/11, and our troops by 
considering a resolution doing just that.
  Even if some politicians would prefer not to mention it, our Nation 
is still at war with Afghanistan. Our troops are still in harm's way, a 
half a world away, fighting a war that was the direct result of the 
terrorist attacks of 9/11. Accordingly, I would urge the Republican 
leadership of the House to reconsider their decision to forego 
consideration of a 9/11 resolution this day.
  As to the legislation under consideration today, I support this bill 
that, thanks to an amendment offered by Representative Jackson Lee 
during committee consideration, authorizes $400 million for the Transit 
Security Grant Program. The Transit Security Grant Program provides 
funds to State and local jurisdictions that need help keeping their 
transportation systems secure.
  As State and local budgets continue to face the strain of recovering 
from the economic collapse that occurred during the previous 
administration, we have a responsibility to ensure that they have the 
funding needed to build and sustain the capacity to protect against a 
terrorist attack. As amended, H.R. 3857 does just that.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. TURNER of New York. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as she 
may consume to the gentlelady from Houston, Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).
  Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me thank Mr. Turner and the ranking 
member, Mr. Thompson, for their courtesies of yielding to me and allow 
me to take this moment on the floor on 9/11 to again acknowledge the 
Members of Congress who this morning joined each other, if you will, 
two Houses, that came together, on the east steps to be able to 
acknowledge those who were lost, and I would like to say those

[[Page H5823]]

who still live in the backdrop of the tragedy, for many are still 
pained by the loss of their family members. As we know in New York the 
reading of the names, and, of course, the laying of the wreath that 
occurred today at the Pentagon.
  We cannot get those lives back, and what we recognize is that those 
lives represented places around the world, but it also represented moms 
and dads. Children today have grown up without those loved ones because 
of the horrific and heinous tragedy, and some might say America's 
naivete.
  But I am glad to live in a country that believes in her freedom. I am 
glad to live in a country of which we claim democracy and understand 
it, understand the freedom of speech and freedom of access, freedom of 
association. I would not want to live anywhere else.
  But we were pained on that day because they attempted to take our 
naivete away from us, our innocence. But I am glad that we came 
together, both in terms of allowing people now still to travel from the 
east to the west, from the north to the south, to have summer 
vacations, to lay out in the open sun. This is our Nation.
  I am grateful for having the privilege of serving on the Homeland 
Security Committee. I hold this flag just to indicate that this is a 
great Nation.
  I'd like to thank our early persons who led this committee. 
Certainly, Mr. Chris Cox, Mr. Jim Turner, the Homeland Security Select 
Committee and members who were on that committee.

                              {time}  1640

  I want to acknowledge my outstanding ranking member, Mr. Thompson, 
who has been a great leader on these issues. He has been diligent; he 
has been patriotic; he has been loving of this country, along with the 
chairman, Mr. King, who has worked for the common good as we have tried 
to work together. It has not been a perfect unity because we have had 
disagreements. Many of us disagree on the interpretation of democracy 
and civil liberties, but we all believe in one Nation under God, but 
more importantly, the security of this Nation. Mr. Thompson, I want to 
thank you for allowing me to serve with you and for your leadership.
  It is in that spirit that I rise today to speak to H.R. 3857, which 
amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 
2007.
  I might just say, Mr. Turner, that there were those of us who were 
here--and you come from New York, and so I know that more than likely 
there were people in and around your area, the Queens area, who lost 
their lives, or family members. So we acknowledge the regions that were 
impacted, from Boston to New York to Pennsylvania. And certainly those 
families whose family members were on those airlines, we understand, 
but cannot feel, the deep pain that they have today.
  The 9/11 Commission, of course, came about mainly through the many 
families that walked the halls. And let me, of course, acknowledge 
those families who even in their pain, again, came to the Halls of 
Congress and asked us to do something. So this particular legislation 
is amending the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to allow public 
transportation agencies to be eligible for grants for security 
improvements to be used for specialized patrol teams, including the 
sustainment of such teams without fiscal year limitation, as long as 
the agency applying for grant funds submits a sustainment plan for 
maintaining in future years the capability or capacity achieved with 
the funds. That is a good step. It allows local jurisdictions to expand 
their services as long as they're able to sustain it.
  In January 2007, soon after Democrats took control of the House after 
being in the minority, I joined with my colleagues across both sides of 
the aisle and we passed the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007. This 
legislative landmark was critical in strengthening our Nation's 
homeland security efforts. Specifically, the 9/11 Act established the 
Transportation Security Grant Program, which provides a vital source of 
funding for our transportation systems across the United States.
  Shortly thereafter, I remember a conference where the House and 
Senate came together, and I remember the opportunity to establish 
transportation security centers of excellence. I am grateful that we 
established one at Texas Southern University, among other Historically 
Black Colleges, where we looked at ways of improving transportation 
security.
  Having just been briefed by Texas Southern University, I know that 
they are finishing their work, and I want to thank the team that led on 
that program. Those funds were truly used productively, efficiently, 
and effectively to provide new technology, new techniques and vetting 
procedures on how we can truly secure America.
  Since the demise of Osama bin Laden--led by the outstanding military 
of the United States of America, guided, directed, of course, by the 
Commander in Chief, President Obama, and the excellent military 
leadership, the National Security Agency, that provided all of the 
guidance for this enormous task--it has been revealed in the public 
domain that terrorists continue to be interested in developing plots to 
sabotage mass transit systems, and of course the aviation system. This 
threat, however, is not new. Today, as I indicated, marks the 11th 
anniversary since the 9/11 attacks, and as such we must take every step 
to commemorate the men and women we lost on that day. We also have the 
responsibility to make sure that we do not allow another catastrophic 
loss of life like the one we faced that day.
  In the course of the years since 9/11 we have seen incidents in 
London and Spain, we've seen incidents in Mumbai, tragic incidents on 
mass transit. We have also seen the individual efforts that have been 
made to bring down another airline over American soil, or certainly en 
route to the United States of America. Therefore, it is imperative that 
Congress examine how the Department of Homeland Security and the 
Transportation Security Administration are addressing the current and 
evolving threat to our transportation systems and continue to support 
programs that have yielded a positive security impact, such as TSA's 
Transportation Security Grant Program. I have seen in my own transit 
system the utilization of these funds. I've seen the utilization, as it 
has been very effective in canine units.
  Let's come together around recognizing that the security of America 
is holistic--first, of course, the frontliners, meaning the United 
States military; then, of course, the men and women who overlap in 
jurisdiction under Homeland Security, the many different law 
enforcements that every day work on the border, work on internal 
enforcement, work at airports, coalesce and collaborate with the FBI 
and DEA and ATF, and others, around the question of security.
  I am glad these programs are being expanded for security purposes, 
for efficiency purposes, for utilization of our tax dollars in the 
right way. That is why I am pleased to see that the majority and the 
ranking member, along with members of the Democratic part of the 
committee, at my request and submission of an amendment, accepted my 
amendment during committee consideration to authorize $400 million for 
the Transportation Security Grant Program for FY12 and FY13. This 
funding will ensure that transportation agencies have the resources 
needed to secure our public and mass transit system. I would argue that 
it complements what we're doing in aviation, which, together, maintains 
the nucleus, if you will, of transportation security.
  So I'm hoping that this will move quickly through the United States 
Senate and find itself on the President's desk. It is crucial. I then 
hope that my colleagues can come together for us to put on the floor a 
Transportation Security Administration reauthorization. We've done it 
before; I know we can do it now. And I ask my colleagues to come 
together in the name not only of security, but of the families, the 9/
11 Commission, who now bear the brunt of that tragic day, along with so 
many others.
  Thank you to our first responders, and of course to the men and women 
who now serve around the world and those who have come home. I ask my 
colleagues to support H.R. 3857.
  H.R. 3857, ``Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement 
Support Act--Amends the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 
Commission Act of 2007 to allow grants to eligible public 
transportation agencies for security improvements to be used for 
specialized patrol teams, including the sustainment of such teams 
without fiscal year

[[Page H5824]]

limitation, as long as the agency applying for grant funds submits a 
sustainment plan for maintaining in future years the capability or 
capacity achieved with the funds.''


                      Tuesday, September 11, 2012

  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3857, the Public Transit 
Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act.
  Mr. Speaker, In January 2007, soon after Democrats took control of 
the House, I, along with my colleagues across both sides of the aisles, 
championed the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007.
  This legislative landmark was critical in strengthening our Nation's 
homeland security efforts. Specifically, the 9/11 Act established the 
Transportation Security Grant Program which provides a vital source of 
funding for our transportation systems across the United States.
  Since the demise of Osama bin Laden, it has been revealed in the 
public domain that terrorists continue to be interested in developing 
plots to sabotage mass transit systems.
  This threat, however, is not new.
  Today marks the 11th anniversary since the 9/11 attacks. And as such, 
we must take every step to commemorate the men and women we lost on 
that day.
  We also have the responsibility to make sure that we do not allow 
another catastrophic loss of life, like the one we faced that day.
  Therefore, it is imperative that we, Congress, examine how the 
Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security 
Administration are addressing the current and evolving threat to our 
transportation systems and continue to support programs that have 
yielded a positive security impact, such as TSA's Transportation 
Security Grant Program.
  Which is why I am pleased to see that the Majority, at my request, 
accepted my amendment during Committee consideration to authorize $400 
million for the Transportation Security Grant Program (TSGP) for FY 12 
and FY 13.
  This funding will ensure that transportation agencies have the 
resources needed to secure our public and mass transit systems.
  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers. If the 
gentleman from Mississippi has no further speakers, I am prepared to 
close once the gentleman does.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as 
I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on this day, above all others, we turn our thoughts to 
those who were lost in the tragic events of 9/11. It is unfortunate 
that the Republican leadership of the House has decided not to continue 
this body's tradition of considering a resolution to commemorate first 
responders, the victims of the attack, and members of the Armed Forces 
serving at home and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in calling for the 
consideration of a 9/11 resolution, and in support of H.R. 3857. H.R. 
3857 authorizes funds critical to ensuring our Nation's transportation 
systems are secure. It does so to the tune of $400 million, dollars 
that State and local jurisdictions desperately need.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support the 
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Turner) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 3857, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. 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, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.

                          ____________________