[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 101 (Tuesday, June 23, 2015)]
[House]
[Pages H4572-H4574]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUNSHINE ACT OF 2015
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1637) to require annual reports on the activities and
accomplishments of federally funded research and
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development centers within the Department of Homeland Security, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1637
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 ``Federally Funded Research
and Development Sunshine Act of 2015''.
SEC. 2. ANNUAL REPORTS ON PROJECTS OF FEDERALLY FUNDED
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS WITHIN THE
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
annually submit to the Committee on Homeland Security, the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the
Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental
Affairs, the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, and the Committee on Appropriations of the
Senate a list of ongoing and completed projects that
federally funded research and development centers within the
Department of Homeland Security have been tasked to complete.
(b) Prohibition on New Authorization of Funding.--This
section shall be carried out using amounts otherwise
appropriated or made available to the Department of Homeland
Security. No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. RATCLIFFE. 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 Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1637, the
Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored to represent 700,000 north and east Texans.
They have sent me here to Washington to pull the curtain back and shine
a light into this Federal bureaucracy.
Mr. Speaker, we all know that Federal agencies can be inefficient,
ineffective, and resistant to oversight. They don't like to be held
accountable, not by the American people or by individuals like me who
are elected to represent those folks here in Congress.
As a committed conservative who is fighting to secure the American
homeland, I believe that increased transparency is a national security
issue, and because of that, every taxpayer dollar that we spend must be
scrutinized.
We have to evaluate the government's programs and activities to see
if they are worthwhile and to craft reforms that eliminate waste and
bolster our national defense. A sluggish national security apparatus
simply won't suffice. The American people deserve more.
Congress can't even begin to conduct effective oversight and cut
waste, fraud, and abuse if we don't know what is going on behind closed
doors. That is why I introduced H.R. 1637. This bill will increase
transparency at the Department of Homeland Security by directing the
Secretary to give Congress a detailed account each year of the ongoing
and completed projects that federally funded research and development
centers, or FFRDCs, within the Department of Homeland Security have
been assigned.
FFRDCs conduct specialized research and development for the Federal
Government. The two FFRDCs within the Department of Homeland Security
provide independent analysis of homeland security issues. Currently,
the Homeland Security Committee is expected to oversee these FFRDCs;
yet the committee doesn't even receive an account of the status of
ongoing or completed projects. It is hard to be a vigilant steward of
hard-earned taxpayer dollars when you have a blindfold on.
My legislation will enable the committee to have visibility into the
scope of FFRDC projects that the DHS has tasked them to meet their
mission needs. This detailed accounting will allow committee members to
have insight into current research and development projects and be able
to further scrutinize them, thereby increasing oversight and
transparency of the entire Science and Technology Directorate operation
at DHS.
Mr. Speaker, it is important that Congress is aware of the Department
of Homeland Security's research and development efforts and funding
priorities to ensure that it is meeting the mission needs of its
components, and this bill today will shed light on those activities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this commonsense bill. I
think that we all agree that we can support increased transparency and
a stronger, more secure homeland.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology,
Washington, DC, June 23, 2015.
Hon. Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing concerning H.R. 1637, the
``Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of
2015,'' which your Committee ordered reported on May 20,
2015.
H.R. 1637 contains provisions within the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology's Rule X jurisdiction. As a
result of your having consulted with the Committee and in
order to expedite this bill for floor consideration, the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology will not seek a
sequential referral. This is being done on the basis of our
mutual understanding that doing so will in no way diminish or
alter the jurisdiction of the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology with respect to the appointment of conferees,
or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject
matters contained in the bill or similar legislation.
I would appreciate your response to this letter confirming
this understanding, and would request that you include a copy
of this letter and your response in the Congressional Record
during the floor consideration of this bill. Thank you in
advance for your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Lamar Smith,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Homeland Security,
Washington, DC, June 23, 2015.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Smith: Thank you for your letter regarding
H.R. 1637, the ``Federally Funded Research and Development
Sunshine Act.'' I appreciate your support in bringing this
legislation before the House of Representatives, and
accordingly, understand that the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology will not seek a sequential referral on the
bill.
The Committee on Homeland Security concurs with the mutual
understanding that by foregoing a sequential referral of this
bill at this time, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology does not waive any jurisdiction over the subject
matter contained in this bill or similar legislation in the
future. In addition, should a conference on this bill be
necessary, I would support a request by the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology for conferees on those
provisions within your jurisdiction.
I will insert copies of this exchange in the Congressional
Record during consideration of this bill on the House floor.
I thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Sincerely,
Michael T. McCaul,
Chairman.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as
I may consume, and I rise in strong support of H.R. 1637, the Federally
Funded Research and Development Act of 2015, and.
Mr. Speaker, this legislation would require the Department of
Homeland Security to prepare annual status reports on the research
activities of federally funded research and development centers, or
FFRDCs, on behalf of the Department.
{time} 1700
DHS looks to these institutions that are largely operated by
universities and not-for-profit organizations to help meet special
long-term research and development needs.
In addition to the two FFRDCs that DHS sponsors, there are 17
national labs managed by the Department of Energy that provide research
and technical assistance in support of the Nation's homeland security.
Among the areas of research expertise offered by these labs are
critical
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infrastructure protection; cybersecurity; chemical, biological, and
nuclear forensics; biodefense countermeasures; biodetection; and
emergency preparedness.
I believe that timely and regular information about how DHS is
utilizing these institutions is important to assessing progress on a
wide range of homeland security challenges. That is why I support H.R.
1631 and urge passage.
I want to commend members of the Homeland Security Committee on the
bipartisan nature in which this legislation has been crafted. It is
important for us to know how DHS is using federally funded research and
development centers to address homeland security challenges.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. RATCLIFFE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I, once again, urge my colleagues to support this
strong, commonsense bipartisan piece of legislation, and I yield back
the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the Homeland
Security Committee, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1637, the
``Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015.''
I support this bipartisan legislation which requires annual reports
on the activities and accomplishments of federally funded research and
development centers within the department of Homeland Security.
The bill requires that the secretary of Homeland Security annually
submit to Congressional oversight committees a list of ongoing and
completed projects lead by federally funded research and development
centers within the Department of Homeland Security have been assigned
or completed.
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) act as a
vehicle for special research and development contracting within the
federal government.
The FFRDCs provide DHS with independent and objective advice and
quick response on critical issues throughout the Homeland Security
Enterprise.
Homeland Security Systems Engineering and Development Institute
(HSSEDI) and Homeland Security Studies and Analysis Institute (HSSAI)
perform high-quality research and provide advice that is authoritative,
objective and free from conflicts of interest caused by competition.
I support H.R. 1637, which provides much needed transparency on the
research conducted by the Department of Homeland security.
I urge all of my colleagues to join me in strong support of the
suspension bill, H.R. 1637, the ``Federally Funded Research and
Development Sunshine Act of 2015.''
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1637.
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.
____________________