[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 178 (Wednesday, December 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    INTELLIGENCE AUTHORIZATION ACT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2016 (H.R. 4127)

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 9, 2015

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, last June the House voted on a partisan 
Intelligence Authorization, H.R. 2596. Along with 178 of my colleagues, 
I voted against that authorization. Since June, negotiations among 
Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate Intelligence 
Committees have taken place resulting in the improved bill before us 
today, H.R. 4127.
  This bipartisan compromise ensures that the Intelligence Community 
will have the funding and resources they need to keep America safe, 
maintain necessary intelligence capabilities, and counter a myriad of 
threats, including ISIL and cybersecurity. It strengthens Congressional 
oversight and provides strict authorizations and limitations on 
intelligence activities. Along with reforms included in the bipartisan 
USA Freedom Act of 2015 which was signed into law in June of this year, 
H.R. 4127 makes critical steps towards ensuring our intelligence 
programs are conducted responsibly and with strong accountability to 
maximize both security and privacy.
  As importantly, H.R. 4127 rectifies the inappropriate and unnecessary 
use of Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funding that was included 
in H.R. 2596 to circumvent the Budget Control Act funding caps. This 
correction will allow for more stable budgeting for the Intelligence 
Community for the remainder of the fiscal year.
  However, this bill unfortunately continues to contain provisions that 
will prevent the closure of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay. 
While I strongly oppose measures to prevent the closure of the 
detention center, the provisions in H.R. 4127 have already been 
codified into law in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2016.
  Ensuring that our Intelligence Community has the resources, support 
and tools they need is critical to our national security. We must also 
ensure that strong privacy protections are included to ensure that we 
safeguard our civil liberties. While not perfect, this compromise is 
much improved from the bill that left this House in June and therefore 
earns my support.

                          ____________________