[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H32-H34]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DOMESTIC EXPLOSIVES DETECTION CANINE CAPACITY BUILDING ACT OF 2017
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
pass the bill (H.R. 4577) to establish a working group to determine
ways to develop a domestic canine breeding network to produce high
quality explosives detection canines, and for other purposes, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4577
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 ``Domestic Explosives
Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Behavioral standards.--The term ``behavioral
standards'' means standards for the evaluation of explosives
detection working canines for certain factors, including
canine temperament, work drive, suitability for training,
environmental factors used in evaluations, and canine
familiarity with natural or man-made surfaces or working
conditions relevant to the canine's expected work area.
(2) Medical standards.--The term ``medical standards''
means standards for the evaluation of explosives detection
working canines for certain factors, including canine health,
management of heredity health conditions, breeding practices,
genetics, pedigree, and long-term health tracking.
(3) Technical standards.--The term ``technical standards''
means standards for the evaluation of explosives detection
working canines for certain factors, including canine search
techniques, handler-canine communication, detection testing
conditions and logistics, and learned explosive odor
libraries.
SEC. 3. DOMESTIC CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland
Security, acting through the Administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration, shall establish a
working group to determine ways to develop a decentralized
domestic canine breeding network to produce high quality
explosives detection canines and modernize canine training
standards.
(b) Working Group Composition.--The working group
established under subsection (a) shall be comprised of
representatives from the following:
(1) The Transportation Security Administration.
(2) The Science and Technology Directorate of the
Department of Homeland Security.
(3) National domestic canine associations with expertise in
breeding and pedigree.
(4) Universities with expertise related to explosives
detection canines and canine breeding.
(5) Domestic canine breeders and vendors.
(c) Chairpersons.--The Administrator for the Transportation
Security Administration shall approve of two individuals from
among the representatives of the working group specified in
subsection (b) to serve as the Chairpersons of the working
group. One such Chairperson shall be from the entities
specified in paragraphs (1) and (2) of such subsection, and
the other such Chairperson shall be from the entities
specified in paragraphs (3), (4), and (5) of such subsection.
(d) Preliminary Standards and Recommendations.--Not later
than 180 days after the establishment of the working group
under subsection (a), such working group shall submit to the
Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration
preliminary behavioral standards, medical standards, and
technical standards for the domestic canine breeding network
and canine training described in such subsection, including
recommendations on how the Transportation Security
Administration can engage stakeholders to further the
development of such network and training.
(e) Strategy.--Not later than 180 days after submission of
recommendations to the Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration under subsection (c), the
Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Homeland
Security of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a
strategy for expanding the domestic canine breeding network
described in
[[Page H33]]
subsection (a), based on such recommendations.
(f) Consultation.--In developing the strategy required
under subsection (e), the Administrator of the Transportation
Security Administration shall consult with the Under
Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of
Homeland Security, the Commissioner for U.S. Customs and
Border Protection, the Director of the United States Secret
Service, and the heads of other Department of Homeland
Security components determined appropriate by the
Administrator to incorporate, to the extent practicable,
mission needs across the Department for an expanded domestic
explosives detection canine breeding network that can be
leveraged to help meet the Department's operational needs.
(g) Sunset.--The working group established under subsection
(a) shall terminate on the date that is two years after the
submission of the strategy required under subsection (e).
SEC. 4. ACQUIRING BASELINE CAPACITY.
(a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the
submission of recommendations to the Administrator of the
Transportation Security Administration under section 3, the
Administrator shall issue baseline behavioral standards,
medical standards, and technical standards for explosives
detection canines.
(b) Standards.--The baseline behavioral standards, medical
standards, and technical standards referred to in subsection
(a) shall be incorporated, as appropriate, into all
statements of work for the Transportation Security
Administration explosives detection canine contracts and
reflect the detection capabilities required to effectively
mitigate terrorist threats. Such standards may be revised by
the Administrator of the Transportation Security
Administration, as necessary.
SEC. 5. NONAPPLICABILITY OF FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.
The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall
not apply to the working group established under this Act.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Vela) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Alabama.
General Leave
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that
all Members have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and to include any extraneous material on the bill under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Alabama?
There was no objection.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of passage of my bill, H.R.
4577, the Domestic Explosives Detection Canine Capacity Building Act of
2017.
This legislation creates a working group on behavioral, medical, and
technical standards for explosives detection working dog breeding and
training programs.
This group will consist of the Transportation Security
Administration, the Office of Science and Technology, private sector
canine vendors and breeders, industry associations, leading
veterinarians, and academics with firsthand knowledge of the subject
matter.
The group's final report on standards should reflect the latest in
canine science and will be presented to the TSA Administrator for
further breeding development as well as canine procurement.
This bill is common sense. Canines are far more efficient than any
machine and much more cost effective. The use of detection canines by
the TSA is critical in keeping passengers over American skies safe.
With this in mind, why then, Madam Speaker, does the TSA procure the
majority of its canines from European vendors in conjunction with the
Department of Defense?
American canine breeders produce exceptional working dog lines, but
the TSA's arcane procurement rules and training requirements create
barriers to entry for American breeders and especially private sector
vendors.
With the passage of H.R. 4577, the TSA will be required to
incorporate findings and standards from the working group into its
procurement process to create greater consistency and transparency for
private sector vendors.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this
commonsense bill and pass H.R. 4577, and I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. VELA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 4577, the Domestic Explosives Detection
Canine Capacity Building Act of 2017.
In recent years, the volume of air travel has steadily risen, with 42
million people traveling domestically in the last days of 2017 alone.
Last year, the worldwide number of people flying rose to a historic
high of 4 billion passengers.
The high visibility of the aviation sector makes it a persistent
target for terrorists who wish to carry out attacks and inflict harm
upon U.S. citizens. As such, the TSA must continue to collaborate with
stakeholders and better incorporate proven security tools into security
operations. One of the tools that we know to be effective is canine
detection teams, particularly in detecting and protecting against
explosive threats.
In a May 2017 hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security last
year, the Director of the Threat Assessment Division within the
Transportation Security Administration attested to the value of
aviation screening canine teams, saying: ``Canines are incredibly
effective. They can do things we can't even measure with machines.''
The legislation before us today, H.R. 4577, would require the TSA to
establish a working group of stakeholders to determine ways to develop
a domestic canine breeding network to produce explosives detection
canines and modernize canine training standards.
Today, the demand for trained and certified dogs is huge, with more
and more security stakeholders coming to appreciate the explosive
detection capabilities of our four-legged friends. This heightened
demand has led to a shortage, presenting challenges for the U.S.
Government in the procurement of suitable canines.
In testimony before the committee, the TSA and various stakeholders
have cited these challenges and expressed concern regarding how to best
address this shortage. That is why this legislation is so important.
The working group mandated in this legislation draws from authorities
on explosives detection canines and homeland security missions,
including the Transportation Security Administration, the Department of
Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, national
domestic canine associations, academic experts, and domestic canine
breeders and vendors.
The knowledge and expertise offered by this diverse group of
representatives will ensure that the DHS can implement an effective and
impactful strategy to further the development of explosives detection
canine teams.
For these reasons, Madam Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to
support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko), who is the chairman of the
Transportation and Protective Security Subcommittee of the Committee on
Homeland Security.
Mr. KATKO. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of my
colleague's bill, H.R. 4477, the Domestic Explosives Detection Canine
Capacity Building Act of 2017.
This bill will help develop a domestic program through which the DHS
and the TSA can acquire high-quality explosives detection canines from
the United States. Currently, too much money is spent on too few
canines because we are forced to compete for dogs from other countries
in this high-demand threat environment.
Mr. Rogers' bill will help mitigate threats to aviation security by
working to build our capacity here at home while proliferating the use
of highly capable explosives detection canines. In a time when threats
to homeland security are rapidly evolving, these dogs represent one of
our greatest security tools in detecting explosives in surface and
aviation transportation systems.
Madam Speaker, I thank Mr. Rogers for his leadership on this issue,
and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. VELA. Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close, and I yield myself
the balance of my time.
H.R. 4577 will jump-start conversations on how to increase the supply
of canines and better integrate them in the TSA's layered security at
airports
[[Page H34]]
and surface transportation hubs. Canines have become an invaluable
asset to the DHS in fulfilling its many important missions and goals.
Even prior to the inception of the Department, canines were utilized
by law enforcement and first responder agencies for decades, proving to
be one of the most effective and versatile tools in detecting threats
and protecting the homeland.
Terrorists are working hard to exploit vulnerabilities in our
transportation system, and the U.S. must utilize all of our available
resources to combat these threats. Canines are undoubtedly one such
resource, providing a robust and reliable layer of security and giving
Americans peace of mind.
If enacted, H.R. 4577 would better position the TSA to achieve and
maintain a reliable supply of canines to deploy to not only airport
terminals, but also to cargo operations and mass transit systems.
As such, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R.
4577, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. ROGERS of Alabama. Madam Speaker, this is an area that we have
spent a lot of time on in the Committee on Homeland Security over
several years, and I can state without equivocation that there is no
technology that is more effective at detecting explosives in our
transportation systems than these canines.
It is a shame that we have allowed ourselves to become so heavily
dependent on European providers for this very essential asset. This
bill will go a long way in helping our country establish its own
production of these essential assets for our use in keeping our country
safe and secure.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes,'' and I yield back
the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 4577, 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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