[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 106 (Monday, June 25, 2018)]
[House]
[Pages H5629-H5630]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SECURING PUBLIC AREAS OF TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES ACT OF 2018

  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill 
(H.R. 5766) to improve the security of public areas of transportation 
facilities, and for other purposes.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 5766

       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 ``Securing Public Areas of 
     Transportation Facilities Act of 2018''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act:
       (1) Public and private sector stakeholders.--The term 
     ``public and private sector stakeholders'' has the meaning 
     given such term in section 114(u)(1)(C) of title 49, United 
     States Code.
       (2) Surface transportation asset.--The term ``surface 
     transportation asset'' includes facilities, equipment, or 
     systems used to provide transportation services by--
       (A) a public transportation agency (as such term is defined 
     in section 1402(5) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 
     9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 
     1131(5)));
       (B) a railroad carrier (as such term is defined in section 
     20102(3) of title 49, United States Code);
       (C) an owner or operator of--
       (i) an entity offering scheduled, fixed-route 
     transportation services by over-the road bus (as such term is 
     defined in section 1501(4) of the Implementing 
     Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public 
     Law 110-53; 6 U.S.C. 1151(4))); or
       (ii) a bus terminal; or
       (D) other transportation facilities, equipment, or systems, 
     as determined by the Secretary.

     SEC. 3. PUBLIC AREA SECURITY WORKING GROUP.

       (a) Working Group.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
     shall establish a working group to promote collaborative 
     engagement between the Department of Homeland Security and 
     public and private sector stakeholders to develop non-binding 
     recommendations for enhancing security in public areas of 
     transportation facilities (including facilities that are 
     surface transportation assets), including recommendations 
     regarding the following topics:
       (1) Information sharing and interoperable communication 
     capabilities among the Department of Homeland Security and 
     public and private stakeholders with respect to terrorist or 
     other threats.
       (2) Coordinated incident response procedures.
       (3) The prevention of terrorist attacks and other incidents 
     through strategic planning, security training, exercises and 
     drills, law enforcement patrols, worker vetting, and 
     suspicious activity reporting.
       (4) Infrastructure protection through effective 
     construction design barriers and installation of advanced 
     surveillance and other security technologies.
       (b) Annual Report.--Not later than one year after the 
     establishment of the working group under subsection (a) and 
     annually thereafter for five years, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall report to the Committee on Homeland Security 
     of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
     Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the 
     working group's organization, participation, activities, 
     findings, and non-binding recommendations for the immediately 
     preceding 12-month period. The Secretary may publish a public 
     version of such report that describes the working group's 
     activities and such related matters as would be informative 
     to the public, consistent with section 552(b) of title 5, 
     United States Code.
       (c) Inapplicability of the Federal Advisory Committee 
     Act.--The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
     shall not apply to the working group established under 
     subsection (a) or any subsidiary thereof.

     SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.

       (a) In General.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall--
       (1) inform owners and operators of surface transportation 
     assets about the availability of technical assistance, 
     including vulnerability assessment tools and cybersecurity 
     guidelines, to help protect and enhance the resilience of 
     public areas of such assets; and
       (2) subject to the availability of appropriations, provide 
     such technical assistance to requesting owners and operators 
     of surface transportation assets.
       (b) Best Practices.--Not later than one year after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland 
     Security shall publish on the Department of Homeland 
     Security's website and widely disseminate, as appropriate, 
     best practices for protecting and enhancing the resilience of 
     public areas of transportation facilities (including 
     facilities that are surface transportation assets), including 
     associated frameworks or templates for implementation. Such 
     best practices shall be updated periodically.

     SEC. 5. REVIEW.

       (a) Review.--Not later than one year after the date of the 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the 
     Transportation Security Administration 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 report that includes a review 
     of regulations, directives, policies, and procedures issued 
     by the Administrator regarding the transportation of a 
     firearm and ammunition, and, as appropriate, information on 
     plans to modify any such regulation, directive, policy, or 
     procedure based on such review.
       (b) Consultation.--In preparing the report required under 
     subsection (a), the Administrator of the Transportation 
     Security Administration shall consult with the Aviation 
     Security Advisory Committee (established

[[Page H5630]]

     pursuant to section 44946 of title 49, United States Code) 
     and appropriate public and private sector stakeholders.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Katko) and the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin) 
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 material 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 in support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public 
Areas of Transportation Facilities Act of 2018. This legislation will 
improve security coordination among transportation stakeholders by 
establishing a working group between the Department of Homeland 
Security and public and private stakeholders to develop recommendations 
for enhancing public area security of transportation facilities.
  H.R. 5766 directs that the working group focus on key areas including 
information sharing, interoperable communications, incident response, 
and the prevention of terrorist attacks through strategic planning and 
security exercises. Taking steps to improve upon these critical 
components to security preparedness and resiliency is directly 
correlated to America's ability to mitigate the constantly-evolving 
threat to our transportation system.
  The traveling public must be secure in all modes of transportation 
security, and the millions of Americans who utilize surface 
transportation networks every single day to travel to work and school 
rely upon strong Federal, State, local, and private sector 
collaboration.
  Over the last several years we have seen a marked increase in attacks 
to public areas of transportation networks. From airports like LAX in 
Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Istanbul, Brussels, to mass transit hubs 
in New York City, London, Madrid and Belgium, we have witnessed 
horrific scenes of attack in crowded public spaces of transportation 
systems.
  I am glad this bill seeks to improve upon the resiliency, 
preparedness, and overall security infrastructure of these networks, 
which are absolutely crucial to our economy and the American way of 
life.
  The free movement of people and goods across the United States must 
never be stymied by violent extremism. That is why it is incumbent upon 
those of us in Congress to ensure that Homeland Security and TSA are 
doing all they can to promote effective collaboration among the litany 
of stakeholders charged with securing the traveling public.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 
his focus on this important issue. I also thank the chairman of the 
full committee, Mr. McCaul, for seeing this bill through the markup 
process.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of H.R. 5766, the Securing Public Areas of 
Transportation Facilities Act of 2018.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 was introduced to address the growing risk of 
terrorist attacks in the public areas of transportation facilities.
  In recent years, there has been a growing appreciation that public 
areas of airports and transportation facilities, where crowds tend to 
gather, have become soft targets for terrorists. We have seen that 
internationally and domestically, as there have been violent incidents 
in public airport areas in Brussels, Los Angeles, New Orleans and Fort 
Lauderdale. Last year, there was an attempted attack on New York City's 
transit system as well.
  H.R. 5766 seeks to bolster protection for the public-facing sides of 
transportation systems. It does so, in part, by authorizing a working 
group to streamline communication and collaboration between the 
Department of Homeland Security and key stakeholders. Additionally, it 
directs DHS to disseminate technical assistance to operators such as 
vulnerability assessment tools and cybersecurity guidelines.
  Finally, H.R. 5766 requires TSA to review its regulations, policies, 
and procedures regarding the transportation of firearms and ammunition 
and submit a comprehensive report to Congress on its findings and any 
planned modifications. The presence of firearms and ammunition in 
public areas of transportation facilities is a timely concern.

                              {time}  1945

  In January 2017, an arriving airline passenger in Fort Lauderdale 
retrieved a gun and ammunition from his checked bag and opened fire on 
travelers in the baggage claim area, killing five people and injuring 
six others.
  In 2017 alone, TSA reported that its officers discovered 3,957 
firearms at security checkpoints, 84 percent of which were loaded.
  Mr. Speaker, given the prevalence and availability of guns in this 
country, the very least we can do is evaluate TSA's policies for 
transporting them and ensure that they are sensible and tailored to the 
risk.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this bipartisan 
legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Rhode 
Island for supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5766 is an important piece of legislation that has 
strong support on both sides of the aisle. It is nice to see the 
bipartisanship once again. It directs meaningful, sensible action to 
help enhance the security of public-facing areas.
  Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 5766, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, my time on the Homeland Security Committee 
over the past 3\1/2\ years has been a true testament to bipartisanship: 
trying to get the right things done, putting aside political 
differences to keep the country as safe and secure as we possibly can.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to support the bill of my colleague from 
New Jersey (Mr. Payne). I urge my colleagues to support the 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 New York (Mr. Katko) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 5766.
  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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