[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 5 (Tuesday, January 9, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H49-H50]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SCREENING AND VETTING PASSENGER EXCHANGE ACT OF 2017

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass 
the bill (H.R. 4581) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to 
develop best practices for utilizing advanced passenger information and 
passenger name record data for counterterrorism screening and vetting 
operations, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 4581

       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 ``Screening and Vetting 
     Passenger Exchange Act of 2017''.

     SEC. 2. PASSENGER SCREENING BEST PRACTICES.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 270 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall develop best practices for utilizing advanced passenger 
     information and passenger name record data for 
     counterterrorism screening and vetting operations.
       (b) Considerations.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall, to the greatest extent practicable--
       (1) make available to certain countries, including visa 
     waiver program countries under section 217 of the Immigration 
     and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1187), the best practices 
     required under subsection (a); and
       (2) provide assistance to such countries in implementing 
     such best practices.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) and the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Correa) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Pennsylvania.


                             General Leave

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days 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 Pennsylvania?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today to voice my full support for H.R. 4581, the Screening 
and Vetting Passenger Exchange Act of 2017. This legislation directs 
the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop best practices for 
utilizing advanced passenger information, or API, and passenger names 
record data, or PNR, for counterterrorism screening and vetting 
operations.
  It also enables the Secretary to share those practices with our 
allies, including countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, 
and to provide assistance in implementing these practices in those 
countries.
  Having access to API, which is biographic information, and PNR data, 
which is data about reservation and itinerary information, allows our 
homeland security professionals to confirm the identities and travel 
patterns of potential criminals and terrorists before they enter the 
United States.
  Allowing our men and women on the front lines to fight against 
terrorism, to work with Visa Waiver Program countries to make sure that 
they rise to the same standards only increases the safety of our 
Nation, the safety of all Americans traveling abroad, and the safety of 
all people across the globe. This legislation is a step in the right 
direction toward addressing further potential emerging threats.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support our Nation's 
Homeland Security by supporting my bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 4581, the Screening and Vetting Passenger 
Exchange Act of 2017.
  Mr. Speaker, the Screening and Vetting Passenger Act of 2017 requires 
the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and share best practices 
for using data provided by passengers in screening and vetting 
operations with our allies around the world.
  Since 2014, more than 75 million international travelers have come to 
the United States. In recent years, especially during the Obama 
administration, great strides were made to use the information 
furnished by these incoming travelers to advance security screening and 
vetting processes.
  Building upon the Department's 2017 last point of departure security 
enhancements that sought to raise the bar in physical screenings at 
overseas airports with direct flights to the U.S., this bill will 
further reinforce security measures and seek to provide our overseas 
partners with the capabilities to advance their own vetting and 
screening.
  No country is immune from terrorism, and this bill will ensure that 
the DHS can be a valued partner to nations that work with us.
  By providing best practices on passenger screening, H.R. 4581 seeks 
to ensure that terrorists seeking to inflict harm are not allowed to 
travel without detection.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this measure, and 
I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, it is my honor to yield 3 minutes to 
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the Homeland 
Security Committee.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the 
Screening and Vetting Passenger Exchange Act. I want to thank 
Congressman Fitzpatrick for bringing this important legislation. The 
United States is currently experiencing one of the highest terror 
threat environments since 
9/11.
  Despite crushing the caliphate in Iraq and Syria, ISIS continues to 
demonstrate its capability to inspire attacks on the West, including in 
the homeland. The two terror attacks in New York City late last year 
are stark reminders of this reality and the threat facing the United 
States. Given the nature of this evolving threat, I established a task 
force on denying terrorists entry into the United States last year and 
I appointed Representative Mike Gallagher to head up the effort.
  I would like to thank all of the members of the task force for their 
hard work in making this effort a success. I charged this task force 
with examining how terrorists might infiltrate the homeland, 
identifying challenges with current U.S. Government information sharing 
and vetting procedures, and reviewing the screening agencies' structure 
and bureaucracy.

  After completing its review, the task force issued a report outlining 
its findings and providing seven recommendations designed to address 
the identified gaps. These recommendations were the basis for several 
of the bills we are considering today. As evidenced by the recent spate 
of attacks, there is a large population of radicalized individuals in 
Europe who are willing to commit violence in the name of terrorist 
groups like ISIS. We must remain vigilant and cannot forget many of 
these individuals are just one flight away from the United States.
  Given the seriousness of this threat, we must do more at home and 
abroad to screen and vet people seeking to enter the United States. The 
bills we are considering today will enhance our capabilities by 
improving information sharing and promoting efficiencies in the 
screening and vetting process, helping ensure the homeland is the best 
secured against terrorist infiltration.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close and I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, this bill seeks to make international travel more secure 
and fosters a strong relationship between our country and our allies. 
All nations must increase their vigilance with respect to security 
screening. There are thousands of ISIL foot soldiers who may seek to 
enter the Western world and other nations to carry out their attacks. 
This legislation seeks to harness the United States' best practices and 
capabilities to advance the safety of the global aviation community as 
we face an agile and evolving enemy.

[[Page H50]]

  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1415

  Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Fitzpatrick) that the House suspend 
the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4581.
  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. FITZPATRICK. 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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