Christopher Carney

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I might consume. I rise in support of H.R. 1617, the Department of Homeland Security Component Privacy Officer Act of 2009. This legislation will give the Department of Homeland Security the resources it needs to accurately assess how its programs will impact the privacy of Americans. The Department's Chief Privacy Officer was the first ever statutorily created Federal privacy officer. The goal when establishing this office was for it to serve as the gold standard for other Federal agencies as they sought to fulfill their missions, while ensuring that privacy was protected. Building on the original intent of the privacy officer, this bill would make the Department the first Federal agency with statutorily created privacy officers in its component agencies. This will put the Department at the forefront of individual privacy protection and will expedite privacy impact assessments awaiting completion and approval at the Department of Homeland Security. The bill arose from a Government Accountability Office study, internal discussions with the Department's Office of Privacy, and publications released by the DHS Chief Privacy Officer. The act requires the Component Privacy Officers to, among other things: Serve as the main point of contact between their component head and the DHS Chief Privacy Officer; draft and review Privacy Impact Assessments and Federal Register notices published by their component; monitor the component's compliance with all applicable Federal privacy laws and regulations; and conduct supervision of programs, regulations, policies, procedures, or guidelines to ensure the component's protection of privacy. The presence of a full-time Component Privacy Officer would ensure that privacy considerations are integrated into the decision-making process at each of the DHS's components. This body approved this commonsense measure during the previous Congress, and I urge my colleagues to continue to support this much- needed legislation so that DHS can effectively protect everyone's right to privacy. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close after the gentleman closes.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on the matter under consideration, I believe in the privacy that we are after.

Mr. CARNEY. I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, public trust in the Department's ability to protect personal privacy rights is abysmally low. The last administration's habit of bringing in the privacy office at the 11th hour is not the proper way to blend in the privacy protections and appropriate safeguards before policies and programs are under way. Although we trust the new administration to do better, we must also acknowledge that privacy protections have to begin at the component level. This bill will provide each Department of Homeland Security component that handles personally identifiable information with its own privacy officer that will report up to both its component head and to DHS headquarters. Further, the bill will balance the need for greater accountability of privacy rights associated with personally identifiable information while enhancing the safety of our Nation. I therefore urge my colleagues to support this measure.

Mr. CARNEY. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1148) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a program in the maritime environment for the mobile biometric identification of suspected individuals, including terrorists, to enhance border security.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include therein extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 730) to strengthen efforts in the Department of Homeland Security to develop nuclear forensics capabilities to permit attribution of the source of nuclear material, and for other purposes.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I submit for the Record an exchange of letters between the chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security and the distinguished chairs of the Committees on Foreign Affairs and Science and Technology. Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, March 20, 2009. Hon. Bennie G. Thompson, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Ford House Office Building, Washington, DC. Dear Mr. Chairman: I am writing to you regarding H.R. 730, the Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act, introduced on January 27, 2009, by Congressman Adam B. Schiff. This legislation was initially referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and, in addition, to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. In the interest of permitting your Committee to proceed expeditiously to floor consideration of this important legislation, I am willing to waive further consideration of H.R. 730. I do so with the understanding that by waiving consideration of the bill, the Committee on Foreign Affairs does not waive any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill which fall within its rule X jurisdiction. Further, I request your support for the appointment of Foreign Affairs Committee conferees during any House-Senate conference convened on this legislation. I also ask that a copy of this letter and your response be placed in the committee report for H.R. 730 and in the Congressional Record during consideration of this bill. I look forward to working with you as we move this important measure through the legislative process. Sincerely, Howard L. Berman, Chairman.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California, the author of the bill, Mr. Schiff.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve.

Mr. CARNEY. I do not believe we have any more speakers.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 30 seconds to the gentleman from California (Mr. Schiff).

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself as much time as I might consume. Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of H.R. 730, the Nuclear Forensics and Attribution Act. I would like to congratulate Congressman Schiff, Emerging Threats Subcommittee Chairwoman Yvette Clarke, and her predecessor, Jim Langevin, for the thoughtful approach they have taken on this critical homeland security concern. I would like to thank our members on the other side as well. This is a bipartisan issue that certainly does not cross party lines. It affects everyone. Given the catastrophic consequences of a nuclear weapon, it is imperative that the U.S. have a state-of-the-art nuclear forensics capability. While a nuclear bomb is commonly referred to as a weapon of mass destruction, a radiological dirty bomb is better described as a weapon of mass disruption. A dirty bomb, if detonated, will likely kill few people. The main damage it would cause would be economic because it could render important commercial areas unusable due to radioactive contamination. In either case, we must build and sustain a nuclear forensics capability and workforce to address the nuclear and radiological threats that we face today. That is why I urge a ``yes'' vote on H.R. 730.

Mr. CARNEY. I yield back my time.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the 2008 Pennsylvania State championship boys cross-country team, the Elk Lake Warriors. I am blessed to have five terrific kids, all of whom attend Elk Lake, and my oldest three boys are all cross-country runners. The cross-country team's victory is remarkable for many reasons, it's only the third State championship that Elk Lake has ever won. But what I found truly remarkable was their inspirational path to victory. Not one runner on the team won an individual medal at the State meet, but working together, they won the State title, an incredible lesson for us all. They each gave it their all and demonstrated an incredible dedication to each other and their team; they were victorious. As we know, our Nation is facing incredible challenges right now. It is all too easy to forget the simple value of pulling together and putting aside our differences in difficult times. I am confident that if we all heed the lessons offered by a small rural school in Pennsylvania, we will succeed. And once again, my congratulations to the 2008 State champions, the Elk Lake Warriors.

Mr. CARNEY

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 195) recognizing and honoring the employees of the Department of Homeland Security on its sixth anniversary for their continuous efforts to keep the Nation safe.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support House Resolution 195, a measure to honor the employees of the Department of Homeland Security and to mark the sixth anniversary of the Department's creation. The Department of Homeland Security was tasked with the Herculean responsibility of coordinating with State, local, and tribal entities to prevent future terrorist attacks, secure our borders, and to prepare for and respond to events of national significance. Comprised of 22 different Federal agencies and employing over 223,000 of our finest Federal employees, DHS quickly became one of the largest Federal departments. Twenty-four hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, employees of the Department of Homeland Security are working to prevent and prepare for any threat to our country. At this very moment they are patrolling our skies, securing our borders, sailing our coastal waters, and screening people and cargo entering our country. They are also collaborating, cooperating, and coordinating with State, local, and tribal governments and first responders in all 50 States and our territories to ensure we can respond to any future large-scale events either man-made or natural. These dedicated Homeland Security employees are working tirelessly to improve the safety for all Americans and are doing a commendable job. Department of Homeland Security employees stand willing, ready, and able to respond should catastrophe strike. They work long hours to deter, detect, and prevent acts of terrorism against the homeland. They can be sure that Congress will continue to conduct vigorous oversight of management at DHS, but I cannot stress how much we truly appreciate the work of the dedicated DHS employees working to protect the safety of all Americans. My thanks to Congressman Bilirakis for introducing the resolution and to the Speaker for the time on the floor today. I encourage my colleagues to support House Resolution 195 as we honor the employees of the Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. As you have heard, Mr. Bilirakis and I discussed the Department of Homeland Security and the importance of the employees and the incredible talents that they represent in protecting us 24/7/365. It's actually the most important job we have in this country right now. They are keeping the borders safe. They are making sure we are not attacked, and they have prevented the attacks since 9/11. That in combination with our support will make them the finest domestic force that we have. I encourage every Member of this body to vote for H. Res. 195.