[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 32 (Monday, February 29, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H1010-H1013]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        AMPLIFYING LOCAL EFFORTS TO ROOT OUT TERROR ACT OF 2016

  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 4401) to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
provide countering violent extremism training to Department of Homeland 
Security representatives at State and local fusion centers, and for 
other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4401

       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 ``Amplifying Local Efforts to 
     Root out Terror Act of 2016'' or the ``ALERT Act of 2016''.

     SEC. 2. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM TRAINING.

       (a) Authorization of Training.--The Secretary of Homeland 
     Security is authorized to provide training for personnel, 
     including Department of Homeland Security personnel, State, 
     local, tribal, and territorial representatives at State and 
     major urban area fusion centers for the purpose of 
     administering community awareness briefings and related 
     activities in furtherance of the Department's efforts to 
     counter violent extremism, identify and report suspicious 
     activities, and increase awareness of and more quickly 
     identify terrorism threats, including the travel or attempted 
     travel of individuals from the United States to support a 
     foreign terrorist organization (as such term is described in 
     section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1189)) abroad.
       (b) Coordination.--To the extent practicable, in providing 
     the training under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
     coordinate with the heads of other Federal agencies engaged 
     in community outreach related to countering violent extremism 
     and shall also coordinate with such agencies in the 
     administration of related activities, including community 
     awareness briefings.

     SEC. 3. COUNTERING VIOLENT EXTREMISM ASSESSMENT.

       (a) Assessment Required.--Not later than 120 days after the 
     date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security, in consultation with appropriate State,

[[Page H1011]]

     local, tribal, and territorial representatives, shall assess 
     the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security to support 
     countering violent extremism at the State, local, tribal, and 
     territorial levels. Such assessment shall include each of the 
     following:
       (1) A cataloging of departmental efforts to assist State, 
     local, tribal, and territorial governments in countering 
     violent extremism.
       (2) A review of cooperative agreements between the 
     Department and such governments relating to countering 
     violent extremism.
       (3) An evaluation of departmental plans and any potential 
     opportunities to better support such governments that are in 
     furtherance of the Department's countering violent extremism 
     objectives and are consistent with all relevant 
     constitutional, legal, and privacy protections.
       (b) Submission to Congress.--Not later than 150 days after 
     the date of the enactment of this Act and consistent with the 
     protection of classified information, the Secretary of 
     Homeland Security shall submit to the appropriate 
     congressional committees the findings of the assessment 
     required under subsection (a) together with any related 
     information regarding best practices for countering violent 
     extremism at the State, local, tribal, and territorial 
     levels.

     SEC. 4. DEPARTMENT-SPONSORED CLEARANCES.

       Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of 
     this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall notify the 
     appropriate congressional committees of the number of 
     employees of State, local, tribal, and territorial 
     governments with security clearances sponsored by the 
     Department of Homeland Security. Such notification shall 
     include a detailed list of the agencies that employ such 
     employees, the level of clearance held by such employees, and 
     whether such employees are assigned as representatives to 
     State and major urban area fusion centers.

     SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON ADDITIONAL FUNDING.

       No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to 
     carry out this Act.

     SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) The term ``appropriate congressional committees'' 
     means--
       (A) the Committee on Homeland Security and the Permanent 
     Select Committee on Intelligence of the House of 
     Representatives; and
       (B) the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental 
     Affairs and the Select Committee on Intelligence of the 
     Senate.
       (2) The term ``violent extremism'' means ideologically 
     motivated international terrorism or domestic terrorism, as 
     such terms are defined in section 2331 of title 18, United 
     States Code.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. 
Keating) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in 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 Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Just 3 short years ago, a group of domestic terrorists were plotting 
attacks in my hometown in northwest Georgia. Federal law enforcement 
was informed that these terrorists were trying to obtain pipe bombs and 
other improvised explosive devices. Once detonated, these weapons could 
have destroyed property, disabled utilities, and potentially taken 
innocent human life.
  Because of the imminent threat, a Federal drug task force had to move 
quickly to intercept the suspects before they could carry out their 
attack. With such a short time to react to such a volatile situation, 
logic would suggest that Federal law enforcement would notify and 
enlist the assistance of the local sheriff's office.
  Considering the raid was to take place in the parking lot of a busy 
shopping center adjacent to a hospital, having local law enforcement 
assistance was clearly justified. However, there was one problem. The 
sheriff didn't have the proper security clearance; so, he was not 
authorized to be briefed on the details of the case.
  To stop these would-be terrorists, the FBI had to move quickly and 
could not wait for a waiver to brief the sheriff or to get approval to 
enlist his assistance. This bureaucratic hurdle put the FBI, our local 
law enforcement, and the community at greater risk.
  Unfortunately, Mr. Speaker, this scenario plays out way too often 
across the Nation. While our FBI and Homeland Security agents are doing 
an exemplary job of countering terrorist activities, their resources 
are being stretched very thin. With the threat of terrorism on the 
rise, we must find a way to provide these agents with additional 
resources.
  This is why I have introduced H.R. 4401, the ALERT Act. The 
Amplifying Local Efforts to Root Out Terror Act removes bureaucratic 
barriers and paves the way for the Federal Government to enhance State 
and local law enforcement involvement in fighting the war on terrorism.
  By providing the tools and training needed to combat terrorism on 
multiple levels, this act will provide more efficient cooperation and 
coordination with State and local officials.
  Local law enforcement is crucial to our security, and they are too 
often overlooked as a valuable asset in fighting against terrorism. 
Through this legislation, the Department of Homeland Security will be 
authorized to train State and local law enforcement in the best methods 
used in combating evolving terrorist threats.
  Proper security clearances are also vital for our local law 
enforcement officials so they may assist with countering terror 
activity as well as receiving notification of pending threats in their 
local jurisdictions.
  This bill requires the Department to keep Congress apprised of the 
number of security clearances issued to State and local law enforcement 
so we can assess whether further congressional action is needed.
  Because fighting terrorism is not a singular effort of the Federal 
Government, the ALERT Act provides increased community awareness of 
ongoing threats.
  Radicalization is also a clear and present danger to Americans. The 
number of cases of homegrown terrorism is growing nationwide. Since 
September 11, 2001, there have been 139 homegrown jihadist plots.
  Community involvement in countering violent extremism has proven to 
be effective, as more than 75 percent of U.S. foreign fighter arrests 
have involved tips from local sources, such as community members, 
relatives, or friends. This bill will provide even more resources to 
root out terrorists before they can act.
  As we are moving into a new era of terrorism that directly threatens 
our own communities, we must reevaluate how we meet the current threat. 
Today everyone has a part to play in protecting against terrorism: the 
neighbor next door and the local police officer.
  While this legislation will not in itself end the threat of terrorism 
against our Nation, it will allow for the better use of valuable 
resources already within our communities.
  I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 4401, the Amplifying Local Efforts to Root 
Out Terror Act, or the ALERT Act, of 2016.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the latest in a series of efforts by this 
Congress and, in particular, the Homeland Security Committee in a 
bipartisan manner to work to thwart terrorist threats in our country.
  Mr. Speaker, we work continuously to look back at the 9/11 Commission 
recommendations to make sure that we are fulfilling all of the areas of 
trouble that were identified by that commission where we can make 
ourselves more secure from terrorist threats.
  We also worked very hard as a committee looking at the Boston 
Marathon bombing. We worked on that and found out that information 
sharing was not as great as it should have been. In fact, it was one of 
the things that could have prevented that from occurring.
  The police commissioner of Boston testified in front of the committee 
and was asked: Did you know the information that the Federal law 
enforcement officials had?
  His answer was: No.
  Then he was asked: Would it have been helpful for you to know that?
  And he said: Of course.
  Yet, that information wasn't available.
  We have worked in the committee to make sure that information is 
shared at the local, regional, county, and State levels as well as the 
Federal law enforcement agency communities.
  We have worked together successfully with groups like the Joint 
Terrorism Task Force to make sure that

[[Page H1012]]

information is shared on a daily basis, on a weekly basis, and, in a 
policy sense, even on a monthly basis, looking back and making sure 
that we have a seamless system.
  Mr. Speaker, we had an initiative that I joined with my colleague 
from Georgia on as well as four other Members of this House where we 
traveled to look at the issue of foreign terrorist fighters and the 
threat to our country resulting from their actions.
  Sadly, in the United States, there are over 200 people who have been 
identified as leaving this country to fight for ISIL in Syria and Iraq. 
Yet, we went through not only the Middle East, but through Europe with 
our allies there, to see what threats were there in terms of using 
those countries as portals into the United States, making sure that not 
only the 200-plus people from the U.S., if they came back, would be 
able to deal with their threats, but also the threats imposed by other 
countries coming back to the U.S.
  We found out that in Istanbul, for instance, at the airport there, 
there are 61 million flights in that airport alone. That is probably 11 
times, roughly, the whole population of my State of Massachusetts. 
Think of that. We found out that there wasn't security measures in 
place there that we take for granted in our own country.
  We also worked hard with our allies in Europe so that they would do 
the basics and have passenger name records there so that we could trade 
information to find out who is boarding these planes. We are glad to 
report that the European Union has acted on that and that has been 
closed. They are working on areas with the exterior borders that we 
talked to them about in our trip.
  We also have been successful as a Congress to work on the visa waiver 
country issue to make sure that those areas where people are coming 
back and have traveled to Syria and Iraq are vetted the way they should 
be vetted.
  We also realize that not only do we have to fight this war on 
multiple fronts, but we know that back home the threat of domestic 
violent extremists remains the number one threat, according to every 
expert. We know from the work that we have done collectively that we 
could do more on that front in preventing it.
  We were told about fusion centers, which are tremendous assets to our 
security at the local, State, or Federal level, where we worked 
together gathering and compiling information on a realtime basis. Yet, 
those fusion centers and the employees there wanted to do more.
  They were telling us how they could do more if they were given more 
training, more coordination, and more information to deal with at the 
local and State level. It would create a great multiplier effect with 
the frontline law enforcement people that would make our country safer.
  Along those lines, the gentleman from Georgia put in legislation that 
I am proud to be a lead sponsor on to make sure that the Department of 
Homeland Security is there authorizing and providing these resources 
through the fusion centers to our State and local counterparts.
  And I think that translating that not only as information to stop and 
coordinate activities reacting to terrorist acts, but working at the 
root cause of sharing information that they can use and apply at the 
root level to prevent that kind of activity, puts those people closer 
to the community in a position where they can do more. To me, that is 
one of the most important things we can do as a Congress, to make sure 
that that work is being done.
  This is a very important bill. It is a bill that I think, once again, 
we are seeing the role of Congress in making sure that things don't 
fall between the cracks in terms of our national security, make sure 
that the resource is there for our local and State counterparts.
  I favor this bill because I think it is one of those areas that we 
found most in need of amplification. I hope this bill is passed.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Washington (Mr. Reichert).
  Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and 
thank him for his hard work on this legislation, along with Mr. 
Keating.
  After listening to both of you speak on this legislation, I am really 
happy that you get it, that you understand it. This is a great piece of 
legislation that we are about to enact.
  I can speak from some experience, Mr. Speaker. I appreciate that Mr. 
Loudermilk has asked me to speak this evening on this bill.
  I was in law enforcement for 33 years. I started out in a patrol car 
and went through various stages of assignments and finally became the 
sheriff in King County, which is Seattle, Washington.
  Some of the scenarios that you heard two gentlemen speaking about 
tonight, I have actually been there, done that, and have experienced 
some of the frustration that they just described tonight.
  I know there are going to be some sheriff's deputies and police 
officers across the country tonight rejoicing in this bill. It will 
relieve much frustration and also provide some much-needed relief in 
creating that partnership between Federal and local law enforcement 
agencies.
  I am in strong support of the ALERT Act. Today terrorism is not 
something that is in foreign countries. It is not somewhere outside of 
the United States. It is not outside our borders. It is right here. It 
is right here in Washington, D.C. It is right here in Seattle, 
Washington, as I said, where I come from.

                              {time}  1645

  Our sheriff's deputies and police officers have worked with the 
Federal agencies over these past few years, especially since 2001, in 
following up on hundreds and thousands of leads every day--of which the 
public, of course, is not aware--of possible threats and terrorism 
threats to our local communities.
  I have had the opportunity to work with almost every Federal law 
enforcement agency that you can think of since 1972, when I joined the 
sheriff's office--leaving it in 2005 to come here. I had some great 
experiences and some not so great experiences. It especially relates 
back to the sharing of information, and it relates back to the 
inadequacy of our training and of our ability to connect to the Federal 
agencies in order to really form a true partnership and a true bond and 
a true trust.
  If we can't, as Federal and local agencies, trust each other to share 
that information--and I know part of the effort here in the ALERT Act 
is to build that trust and to have the same training and the same 
information so we can protect the citizens of this country. That is our 
job, and that is what this law is designed to do.
  We also need the partnership, the trust, of our communities because 
as we go out and investigate these leads and investigate these tips of 
possible terrorist attacks, we are interviewing people who live in our 
communities. They need to trust us. They need to respect, I should say, 
not only us here in Congress, but they need to respect our law 
enforcement agencies and officers across the country.
  Most of all, our law enforcement agencies need to respect them. That 
is when we will have that trust by which we can share information and 
truly come together. The cops cannot protect this country alone. The 
community cannot protect this country alone. They cannot protect their 
neighborhoods alone, let alone our country; but we have given more and 
more responsibility to our local officers, and they are being spread 
thin.
  I think that is why, ladies and gentlemen and Mr. Speaker, we are 
divided today. Cops and community are divided. We don't have that 
interaction any longer, and that trust that we have built over many, 
many years is now beginning to erode. I think that this bill goes a 
long way in building that trust and relationship between the Federal 
agencies and the local agencies and in providing that training.
  Most of all, what I appreciate about this legislation is that you 
have called attention to the fact that local law enforcement is key and 
is absolutely vital, absolutely critical, to protecting this country 
and that we are asking them to participate in the defense of our 
homeland. Not only that, but at the same time, we are asking them to 
answer those emergency calls--and I am going to mention, if you will 
allow me a moment--as Officer Ashley Guindon did on her first day as a 
sheriff's deputy, and she died. That is what we are talking about here: 
life and

[[Page H1013]]

death, service to our community, protecting this country.
  I thank the gentlemen for the hard work.
  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  In closing, I thank the gentleman from Georgia for his leadership on 
this.
  With regard to the gentleman from Washington State (Mr. Reichert), I 
was a district attorney for 12 years and had my own attached State 
police force. I worked with local law enforcement, and I understand 
just what he was talking about in terms of the need to communicate, to 
work together cohesively, and to share information. We are all safer 
when that occurs.
  Mr. Speaker, I started my day this morning in Boston. We met at the 
Federal Reserve. The ``we'' that met was something that, perhaps, you 
wouldn't have seen a few years ago but that we see today because of the 
efforts by Congress, the Homeland Security Committee, the gentleman 
from Georgia, and me in working together across the aisle and in making 
sure these things happen.
  It was a meeting on surface transportation threats and terrorist 
threats. We had our staff and the head of the FBI in our region there. 
We had the head of the ATF. We had our regional head of the TSA there. 
We had State officials, local officials, local police, regional police. 
We had authorities, like the transportation authorities, all present in 
the room--filling up the room--working together, sharing information. 
Yet we know we have to do a better job of making sure that occurs going 
forward.
  With regard to many of the things we worked on in the committee, some 
of those agencies made procedural changes. They adopted new priorities 
that they had not had before. There is the reporting to Congress on the 
information of foreign terrorist fighters from our European allies, as 
well as making sure that the Joint Terrorism Task Force is sharing 
information.
  With this legislation, we are making sure, going forward, that that 
is going to continue to be done because oftentimes, unfortunately, we 
react to a major crisis, respond, and provide the resources. Then, 
after a period of time, our attention wanes, and we are not constantly 
making sure that it is being done.
  This legislation will make sure that it is being done going forward, 
and it will make sure that these groups are reporting back to Congress 
on a regular basis so that we are in a position to know that it 
continues to go forward all the time because, as our attention and our 
resources and our defensiveness might wane, the threats by terrorists 
will always be there, unfortunately, in the world we share. This will 
make sure that the reporting back to Congress occurs as well.
  I am pleased to say that Congress has an integral role in this. We 
have crossed a very divided line, unfortunately, that we live with 
today from a partisan standpoint, and we will work together time and 
time again, because if we can't work together on issues of our national 
security, what can we work together on?
  I thank my colleague from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk). I thank the 
chairman of the committee, Mr. McCaul; the ranking member, Mr. 
Thompson; and all of the committee members for their efforts going 
forward. This ALERT Act will keep us safer, not just tomorrow, but in 
the decades ahead.

  I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Let me give a heartfelt thanks to my colleagues across the aisle, 
especially to my colleague from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating), who 
mentioned that we have spent a good amount of time together in 
traveling to the Middle East and to Europe, looking at terrorism.
  There was a time in our Nation's history when our focus on terrorism 
was isolated to areas overseas, but no longer. Terrorism is in our 
neighborhoods and it is in our communities. As you heard here today, 
from Massachusetts to Georgia to Washington State, there are no 
geographical boundaries on terrorism even within the United States.
  While this bill will not end terrorism, it will give critical tools 
to those who know their communities best. The local law enforcement 
officer who is on the beat every day knows his community better than 
anyone. When something isn't just right, he is the first one to notice 
it. It is critical that we provide them with the training, the security 
clearances, and the tools that they need to become a force multiplier 
for our Federal agents who are operating on very limited resources 
today. In fact, they are stretched very thin.
  Again, I thank all of those who are in support of this legislation. 
Of all I have worked on, I believe that this is one of the most 
important--that being the securing of our Nation so our children will 
have a nation that is free, safe, and full of opportunity. I urge my 
colleagues to support H.R. 4401.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Duncan of Tennessee). The question is on 
the motion offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Loudermilk) that 
the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4401, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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