[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 31, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H782-H784]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AIRPORT PERIMETER AND ACCESS CONTROL SECURITY ACT OF 2017
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 665) to modernize and enhance airport perimeter and access
control security by requiring updated risk assessments and the
development of security strategies, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 665
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 ``Airport Perimeter and Access
Control Security Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. RISK ASSESSMENTS OF AIRPORT SECURITY.
(a) In General.--The Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA) shall--
(1) not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, update the Transportation Sector Security Risk
Assessment (TSSRA) for the aviation sector; and
(2) not later than 90 days after such date--
(A) update with the latest and most currently available
intelligence information the Comprehensive Risk Assessment of
Perimeter and Access Control Security (in this Act referred
to as the ``Risk Assessment of Airport Security'') and
determine a regular timeframe and schedule for further
updates to such Risk Assessment of Airport Security; and
(B) conduct a system-wide assessment of airport access
control points and airport perimeter security.
(b) Contents.--The security risk assessments required under
subsection (a)(2) shall--
(1) include updates reflected in the TSSRA and Joint
Vulnerability Assessment (JVA) findings;
(2) reflect changes to the risk environment relating to
airport access control points and airport perimeters;
(3) use security event data for specific analysis of
system-wide trends related to airport access control points
and airport perimeter security to better inform risk
management decisions; and
(4) take into consideration the unique geography of and
current best practices used by airports to mitigate potential
vulnerabilities.
(c) Report.--The Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration shall report to the Committee on
Homeland Security of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate, relevant Federal departments and agencies, and
airport operators on the results of the security risk
assessments required under subsection (a).
SEC. 3. AIRPORT SECURITY STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration shall update the 2012
National Strategy for Airport Perimeter and Access Control
Security (in this section referred to as the ``National
Strategy'').
(b) Contents.--The update to the National Strategy required
under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) information from the Risk Assessment of Airport
Security; and
(2) information on--
(A) airport security-related activities;
(B) the status of TSA efforts to address the goals and
objectives referred to in subsection (a);
(C) finalized outcome-based performance measures and
performance levels for each relevant activity and goal and
objective under subparagraphs (A) and (B); and
(D) input from airport operators.
(c) Updates.--Not later than 90 days after the update is
completed under subsection (a), the Administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration shall implement a
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process for determining when additional updates to the
strategy referred to in such subsection are needed.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Katko) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Keating)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. KATKO. 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 materials 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. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 665, the Airport
Perimeter and Access Control Security Act, sponsored by my good friend
and colleague, Congressman Keating.
Over the course of the last year, we have seen a disturbing number of
attacks against airports and aircrafts overseas and around the world.
And in every instance, the integrity of the airport security
infrastructure and the insider threat have been of serious concern.
It is critical that we scrutinize the security effectiveness of our
Nation's airports and ensure that the public can have confidence that
their travels will be safe and secure during the high-threat
environment.
This important piece of legislation requires that the TSA's
comprehensive risk assessment of perimeter and access control security
is more regularly updated and that TSA conducts a sector-wide
assessment of airport access control vulnerabilities and mitigation
efforts, something TSA has not done across the board since 2012,
despite multiple security breaches at airports across the country.
We cannot solely focus on the effectiveness of our passenger
screening checkpoints, while allowing lapses in security around the
airport perimeter and within the sterile area of airport. A dead bolt
on a front door does no good if the back door is left wide open.
As partners on the Transportation and Protective Security
Subcommittee, Congressman Keating and I have seen firsthand disturbing
vulnerabilities at airports across the United States. I commend his
efforts to help enhance security for the American people.
While there may be gridlock and partisan bickering at times in other
places here in Washington, on the Homeland Security Committee, we all
share an unshakable commitment to ensuring the security of the
traveling public because we know that the consequence of failure is too
great.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Keating for introducing this
important legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise today in strong support of my legislation H.R. 665, the
Airport Perimeter and Access Control Security Act.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be joined by my colleague from New York
(Mr. Katko), as well as my colleagues, Ranking Member Thompson, and
Members Rice, Richmond, and Swalwell.
Since I first was elected to Congress in 2010, I have worked to
secure our Nation's airports from porous perimeters and unsecure access
control points.
Last year, at my request, the Government Accountability Office
released an independent report of all airports within the
Transportation Security Administration's presence.
While TSA has made some progress in assessing risks at airport
perimeters and access control security points, the GAO report revealed
that the agency had not taken emerging threats or the unique makeup and
design of individual airports into consideration.
More and more, we have seen that terrorists are targeting the soft
areas in our airport perimeters and within the airport itself.
Terrorists are looking for these soft targets. We have seen it in
Europe. We have seen these tragedies in Brussels. We have seen it in
Istanbul. And, sadly, we have seen it here at home in Fort Lauderdale.
Updating the risk assessment of airport secured with information that
reflects the current threat ensures that TSA bases its decision on the
latest information, enabling it to focus limited resources to the
highest priority risks to airport security.
The TSA's efforts to access, really, our entire airport security
around the country, has been, frankly, inadequate. The numbers are
startling. From 2009 to 2015, TSA conducted comprehensive risk
assessments at only 81 of the 437 commercial airports nationwide--or 19
percent. Some years, this really represented only 3 percent of the
airports that were assessed at all.
The Airport Perimeter and Access Control Security Act will make law
the recommendations from the independent report and increase safety at
airports nationwide. Further, this bill incorporates the input of major
airport operators--whose concerns for lack of individualized security
strategy we heard from firsthand.
Last year, the Associated Press revealed that there had been at least
268 perimeter security breaches at 31 major U.S. airports. From 2004 to
2015, their investigation found that intruders breached airport fences,
on average, every 13 days.
This figure includes a fatal incident, a tragic incident that I
investigated before I came to Congress as a district attorney when
Delvonte Tisdale, a teenager from North Carolina, snuck onto the tarmac
at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport and stowed away undetected
in a wheel well of a commercial 737 on a flight to Boston.
The figures I mentioned really don't account for the many unreported
instances of perimeter breaches, including things like trespassers or
people that scale the fences around the perimeter.
We are lucky that all of these individuals did not harbor nefarious
intentions. But that does not mitigate the risk posed by such behavior
at airports, employees and others, and the passengers and travelers who
rely on TSA officers and the airport operators for their security.
As you may recall, this legislation passed the House of
Representatives with the support of my colleagues last year and has
been a long time coming.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I commend my colleague for
his unwavering dedication to this issue. His passion has shown through
in the committee hearings and throughout my time with him in Congress
and I commend him for it. I look forward to working on this and other
issues with him moving forward.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 665.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
Mr. Speaker, I thank everyone that worked so hard to make this bill a
reality, and to have the success it did last year, and, hopefully, go
all the way and get enacted into law this year.
The recent tragedies demonstrated at airports remain a steady target
for terrorists and nefarious actors. This bipartisan legislation will
close loops in the airport security practices and procedures and bring
us closer to ensuring that the access control points and the perimeters
of all of the unique designs are as secure as possible.
Passage of H.R. 665 is an important step in the safety of passengers,
pilots, and the airport employees.
I thank the chairman of the Transportation Subcommittee again, Mr.
Katko; the full committee ranking member, Mr. Thompson; and
Representatives Rice, Richmond, and Swalwell for joining me in
requesting this report and in supporting this legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 665.
Mr. Speaker, 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. Katko) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 665.
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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