[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 48 (Monday, March 20, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H2212-H2213]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
TRANSPARENCY IN TECHNOLOGICAL ACQUISITIONS ACT OF 2017
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 1353) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to
require certain additional information to be submitted to Congress
regarding the strategic 5-year technology investment plan of the
Transportation Security Administration.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1353
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 ``Transparency in
Technological Acquisitions Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. INFORMATION REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED TO CONGRESS
UNDER THE STRATEGIC 5-YEAR TECHNOLOGY
INVESTMENT PLAN OF THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Additional Information Required.--Section 1611 of the
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 563) is amended--
(1) in subsection (g)--
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking
``biennially'' and inserting ``annually'';
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'';
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking the period and inserting
``; and''; and
(D) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(3) information about acquisitions completed during the
fiscal year preceding the fiscal year during which the report
is submitted.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new subsections:
``(h) Notice of Covered Changes to Plan.--
``(1) Notice required.--The Administrator shall submit to
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House of
Representatives notice of any covered change to the Plan by
not later than 90 days after the date on which the change is
made.
``(2) Definition of change.--In this subsection, the term
`covered change' means an increase or decrease in the dollar
amount allocated to the procurement of a technology or an
increase or decrease in the number of a technology.''.
(b) Report on Equipment in Operation Post-Life-Cycle.--Not
later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration shall submit to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate and the Committee
on Homeland Security of the House of Representatives a report
describing any equipment of the Transportation Security
Administration that is in operation after--
(1) the end of the life-cycle of the equipment specified by
the manufacturer of the equipment; or
(2) the end of the useful life projection for the equipment
under the strategic 5-year technology investment plan of the
Transportation Security Administration, as required by
section 1611 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C.
563).
(c) Notice to Airports and Airlines.--Upon the enactment of
this Act, the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration shall notify airports and airlines of any
changes to the 5-year technology investment plan of the
Transportation Security Administration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Florida (Mr. Rutherford) and the gentlewoman from New York (Miss Rice)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Florida.
General Leave
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
to include any extraneous material in the Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1353, the Transparency in
Technological Acquisitions Act of 2017. I commend the gentlewoman from
New York (Miss Rice) for introducing this very important bill.
Over the course of the last Congress, the Transportation and
Protective Security Subcommittee conducted rigorous oversight of TSA's
technology and equipment acquisition process, and they found it fraught
with waste and inefficiencies. The committee also found that TSA fails
to effectively communicate its procurement needs with the private
sector.
Our government relies upon private sector innovation to develop
security technologies. However, that innovation comes with a price tag,
and we cannot reasonably expect the private sector to spend millions of
dollars in research and development of new emerging technologies
without greater transparency and communication, both with the TSA and
the Department of Homeland Security, as to exactly what their future
needs and technology investments will be in the future.
This bill will provide greater transparency into TSA's acquisition
plan, allowing for industry to better meet emerging needs, and enable
better congressional oversight.
I urge my colleagues to support this important piece of legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Miss RICE of New York. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1353, the Transparency in
Technological Acquisitions Act of 2017.
Mr. Speaker, last Congress, I served as the ranking member of the
Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee, and we held
multiple hearings on TSA's acquisition processes.
In the course of conducting oversight and engaging with stakeholders,
we learned that deficiencies in TSA's planning for technology
investments were causing serious issues for technology companies who
produce products to meet the Agency's needs.
Under the Transportation Security Acquisition Reform Act, TSA was
required to develop a 5-year technology investment plan. Stakeholders
widely supported this strategy and welcomed the release of TSA's first
5-year plan in August of 2015, but that support eroded when the budget
request for the same year did not align with the acquisition schedule
in the 5-year plan.
The purpose of the plan was to give businesses the time and certainty
they need to align their resources and planning to meet TSA's
technology needs. Security technology manufacturers looked at the plan
and invested significant resources in the technology that TSA planned
to acquire, but then they saw the budget request and found that TSA had
shifted direction and no longer planned to procure that technology.
That lost investment of time and resources hurts all technology
manufacturers, but it can completely destroy small businesses and
discourage small-business owners from working with the Federal
Government.
My bill, H.R. 1353, will help solve this problem by requiring TSA to
report to Congress on their 5-year plan annually instead of biennially,
and it will require TSA to notify Congress and all relevant
stakeholders of any changes or updates to the plan.
These commonsense steps will help ensure that there is ongoing
engagement between TSA and industry stakeholders so that manufacturers
of all sizes can continue to meet TSA's technological needs and
continue to innovate and address security vulnerabilities.
Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this legislation.
I want to thank Subcommittee Ranking Member Bonnie Watson Coleman,
Congressman Keating, and Subcommittee Chairman John Katko for
[[Page H2213]]
being original cosponsors of this bipartisan legislation.
H.R. 1353 was unanimously approved by the full Committee on Homeland
Security earlier this month. Enacting my bill will ensure that TSA's
technology objectives are more closely aligned with the industry's
stakeholders that produce technologies to help TSA meet those
objectives.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the Chair for his support, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, I first want to congratulate my
colleague, Miss Rice, for what I think is a great bill that is going to
bring some accountability to TSA.
Once again, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, as a senior member of the House
Committee on Homeland Security I rise in support of H.R. 1353, the
``Transparency in Technological Acquisitions Act.''
This bipartisan bill requires the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) to provide more frequent and detailed updates on
its strategy to invest in security technology.
The five-year investment plan includes information such as:
1. Transportation security risks and gaps that could be addressed by
technology
2. Current and expected trends in domestic and international travel
3. Opportunities for public-private partnerships and collaboration
with small and disadvantaged companies, other government agencies,
university centers of excellence and national laboratories
4. Resources required to protect technology from cyber theft,
diversion, sabotage or attack
5. Potential effects on commercial airline passengers.
This bill would require the updates to be submitted annually and to
include information on acquisitions made during the previous fiscal
year.
Requiring TSA to provide annual updates on the acquisition plan and
to notify Congress and industry stakeholders about any changes to the
plan which will provide much-needed clarity, certainty, and
transparency.
In 2015, TSA screened more than 708 million passengers, which is more
than 1.9 million per day.
Of the 2,653 firearms discovered in carry-on bags, 82.8 percent were
loaded.
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport ranked 3rd among
airports with the most firearms discovered in 2015.
This last January, Esteban Santiago shot and killed five people
inside Fort Lauderdale airport using a firearm stored in his luggage.
Terrorism and cyberattacks are likely to remain a reality for the
transportation industry for the foreseeable future.
It is absolutely critical that we invest in minimizing transportation
safety security risks to keep our citizens safe.
I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 1353.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Fitzpatrick). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Rutherford) that the
House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1353.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. RUTHERFORD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further
proceedings on this motion will be postponed.
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