[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 155 (Wednesday, December 5, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H6646-H6647]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FORMER PRESIDENTS PROTECTION ACT OF 2012
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 6620) to amend title 18, United States Code, to
eliminate certain limitations on the length of Secret Service
Protection for former Presidents and for the children of former
Presidents.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 6620
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 ``Former Presidents Protection
Act of 2012''.
SEC. 2. ELIMINATING CERTAIN LIMITATIONS ON THE LENGTH OF
SECRET SERVICE PROTECTION FOR FORMER PRESIDENTS
AND FOR THE CHILDREN OF FORMER PRESIDENTS.
(a) Former Presidents.--Section 3056(a)(3) of title 18,
United States Code, is amended by striking ``unless the
former President did not'' and all that follows through
``warrant such protection''.
(b) Children of Former Presidents.--Section 3056(a)(4) of
title 18, United States Code, is amended by striking ``for a
period'' and all that follows through ``comes first''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 6620, currently
under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 6620, the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012,
amends Federal law to uniformly provide lifetime Secret Service
protection to all of America's former Presidents.
I want to thank the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy) and the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Scott) for sponsoring this commonsense,
bipartisan legislation.
America has a responsibility to protect its Presidents and their
families, and not simply while they serve in office. We also have a
duty to ensure the ongoing safety of those who serve in America's
highest elected office after they leave office.
In 1958, Congress first authorized Secret Service protection for
former Presidents, which was limited to a reasonable period of time
after a President leaves office. Congress expanded this to lifetime
protection in 1965.
But in 1994, Congress once again limited Secret Service protection
for former Presidents, this time to 10 years after a President leaves
office. This 10-year restriction applied to Presidents who took office
after January 1, 1997.
The role of a former President has changed throughout the years.
Former Presidents now have a global presence, and they are often seen
as de facto representatives of the United States.
Whether it's former President Carter's work in peace negotiations
with other countries or President Clinton's global initiative, former
Presidents have a valuable role in using their experience and knowledge
to help the U.S. in both a public and private capacity.
The world has changed dramatically since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The threats to American personnel and interests continue as terrorists
wage a war against the United States. Arbitrarily limiting Secret
Service protection to 10 years may have made sense in 1994, after the
Cold War had ended and before the war on terror had begun.
In a world where Americans who serve the public interest are
considered targets, we must make sure that the safety and security of
our former Chief Executives is not jeopardized. H.R. 6620 recognizes
that those who serve as President are symbols of America and American
freedoms and deserve to be protected.
There are only a handful of Americans who will be called upon to
serve this country as President. These individuals represent America,
not only while serving in office, but remain in the public
consciousness long after they leave. H.R. 6620, simply recognizes that
unique role and reinstates lifetime protection for all of our former
Presidents.
I want to again thank Mr. Gowdy and Mr. Scott for their work on this
issue, and I urge my colleagues to support the bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Ladies and gentlemen, H.R. 6620 is a commonsense bill that will
ensure the continued safety of our Presidents after they leave the
White House by extending the ability of the Secret Service to protect
former Presidents; and I'm proud to join with the chairman, Mr. Smith,
of Judiciary, in support of this bill.
For Presidents who didn't serve prior to 1997, current Federal law
provides that the Secret Service's protection terminates 10 years after
the President leaves office. The 10-year limitation was enacted in
1994, when the nature of threats to former Presidents was more limited.
But times have changed, and it's an unfortunate fact that former
Presidents will require Secret Service protection for the rest of their
lives. Therefore, this bill would simply restore the law to its prior
form.
When a President of the United States completes his term, he remains
a symbol of our Nation. Sadly, our Presidents who've worked hard to
protect us from those who would harm our Nation may, themselves,
continue to be in harm's way even after they complete their terms in
office.
Most former Presidents remain prominently in the public eye,
continuing to represent our country in significant ways and providing
leadership on important issues. We should recognize and encourage their
continued service by providing them with the protection they need.
This bill would also expand the Secret Service's authorization to
protect the children of former Presidents until they reach 16 years of
age. This also makes good sense under the current circumstances.
I want to recognize the Secret Service for their excellent and
tireless job that they perform in protecting our national leaders. The
men and women of the Secret Service conduct themselves with valor,
while carrying out the protective function of their agency. They
provide protection for a variety of people and events, including the
President and special national security events as well.
The Secret Service has other important functions which also deserve
recognition. For example, the investigative role of the Secret Service
has expanded greatly, from protecting the
[[Page H6647]]
currency against counterfeiting, to investigating a wide variety of
crimes related to this country's financial institutions and credit
systems.
{time} 1010
I, too, join in commending the gentleman from South Carolina, a
member of our committee, Trey Gowdy, for his special work on this bill;
and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6620.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume
to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy), who is the sponsor of
this legislation.
Mr. GOWDY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to first thank Chairman Lamar
Smith. This may be my last opportunity to thank him for his service as
chairman of the Judiciary Committee, not just for this bill but for the
work he's done in the full 2 years. He has done a fantastic job, and I
would like to thank the chairman for that.
Mr. Speaker, two things are clear: protection, security, and public
safety--those are the fundamental obligations of government; and,
secondly, we live in an increasingly dangerous world with increasing
threats against our citizens and targets that are viewed as high
profile. For those reasons, Mr. Speaker, and others, I earnestly
believe those who serve this country as President should never have to
worry about their personal safety.
Under current law, protection for President Obama and President
George W. Bush will cease after 10 years. Both men are young, enjoy
good health, and have long lives ahead of them post-Presidency. This
bill proposes to extend that security for the remainder of their lives.
There's an unintended anomaly, Mr. Speaker, that if current law were
not changed, Hillary Clinton, Barbara Bush and Laura Bush would receive
more protections by virtue of being First Lady than they would if they
had served as President themselves. So I hope my colleagues will make
sure that the person and the symbol of our Presidency is safe and
secure for the duration of their natural lives.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, before I yield to the distinguished
gentlelady from Texas, I would like to observe the great relationship
that has been formed on Judiciary between myself and the distinguished
gentleman from San Antonio, Texas. For 4 years he was the ranking
member on his side, while I was chair. We worked together. And for the
2 years he served as chair, I worked as his ranking member. We had a
cordial and, I think, important relationship in framing and putting
forward the issues for the Committee on the Judiciary, and I thank him.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Will the gentleman yield?
Mr. CONYERS. I will yield to the gentleman, with pleasure.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to thank the former
chairman of the Judiciary Committee himself for those generous comments
and say I've certainly enjoyed our working relationship over the last 6
years, and I know that that will continue as well.
Mr. CONYERS. I yield such time as she may consume to the gentlelady
from Texas, a senior member of Judiciary, Ms. Sheila Jackson Lee.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. This is an enormously positive exhibition
of the working relationship of the members of the House Judiciary
Committee. And I thank both the chairman and the ranking member for the
evidence of collegiality in these waning moments of the 112th Congress.
I'm going to follow my ranking member and acknowledge appreciation
for the service of Judiciary Committee Chairperson Lamar Smith, who
happens to be a tall Texan. And so we are delighted to thank him very
much for the work that he has done, and to join with an established
icon of Judiciary prominence in John Conyers. The two match well in
their excellence, and I thank the ranking member and the former
chairperson for his work and service. There is great work being done by
the Judiciary Committee, and I think it is enormously important that we
are the holders and protectors of the Constitution on behalf of not
only our Members but on behalf of the United States of America.
Now is not the time, but I do want to acknowledge and hope that the
House will consent at the appropriate time to acknowledge one of our
fallen of great prominence of this committee, someone who I sat in his
office as a baby Member of Congress, the Honorable Jack Brooks, who has
passed. I hope there will be an appropriate moment for us to honor him
before we leave today.
I rise to be able to thank the sponsor of this legislation--he
attracted my interest in it--to correct something that probably was
thought to be of good direction, but was not, in the limitation of the
coverage of the President and the President's children, the First
Family's children.
As a member of the Homeland Security Committee, let me say that we
are celebratory of the fact that we have not had another attack on our
soil since 9/11. If we look at it in a global perspective, we've not
fought a war on our soil since--I believe at least an intense one--
since the Civil War. But certainly we know that terrorism and danger
have taken a new direction in this country and the world. And for those
of us who spend time on these issues on a regular basis, this is a
forward-thinking and smart initiative to ensure that the security of
the men and/or women who have served as President of the United States
and their children can be fully protected.
Let me acknowledge, as well, the service of the men and women of the
United States Secret Service. And to be very frank, having jurisdiction
over the Secret Service and Homeland Security and having interacted
with them on a number of occasions, certainly we note that there was a
moment in this last year that did not reflect well upon the decades of
service of the United States Secret Service. But they have done their
job well. They have been dutiful servants and protectors of the men
that have held the highest office, along with the First Ladies and
their children. This legislation speaks to a modern-day world where you
never know where danger may approach someone and can be utilized in an
untoward manner, such as being held hostage and used to threaten the
sanctity and democracy and freedom of this Nation.
So this legislation reflects our smartness and astuteness in
correcting what was probably thought to be good but upon reflection
does not reflect on the goodness of this Congress, the goodness of the
American people, who respect the service of their public servants to
the highest office in this land.
With that, Mr. Speaker, I want to ask my colleagues to support the
underlying legislation. And as this exhibits our opportunity that we
can work together, I know that we'll find the right solution for
solving our issues of middle class tax cuts and the fiscal deadline and
make sure we move in a very positive direction.
Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for time, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, we have no further requests for
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 6620.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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