J. Correa

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3691 will make traveling easier for millions of airline passengers traveling throughout the United States whose primary language is not English. By creating signage that meets the needs of all travelers, this bill will improve the travel experience for many. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3691, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3675) to require a review of Department of Homeland Security trusted traveler programs, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3675, the Trusted Traveler Reconsideration and Restoration Act of 2019. Millions of people have applied for a variety of DHS Trusted Traveler Programs such as TSA's PreCheck program and CBP's Global Entry, Nexus, Sentri, and FAST programs. Once approved, enrollment in these programs allows travelers to go through expedited screening while allowing DHS officers to focus on higher risk travelers. While I commend DHS for taking steps to focus on high-risk travelers, I am troubled by examples of travelers who meet all the security requirements for enrollment but are unable to enroll. Misidentification or misinformation impairs DHS' ability to appropriately make determinations on eligibility and limits the public's willingness to participate in these programs. This bill seeks to strengthen the DHS Trusted Traveler Programs by requiring the GAO to conduct a study of them. Specifically, the bill requires GAO to evaluate the identity matching process as well as the redress process for individuals who believe they have been wrongly disqualified from these programs. Such a review will help ensure that the Trusted Traveler Programs are working more efficiently and that individuals seeking to participate are subject to consistent processes that ensure fair treatment for all. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank Mr. Katko for his leadership on this measure. I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from Tennessee closes. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, our citizens expect that DHS' Trusted Traveler Programs are operated in a consistent manner and that DHS properly identifies those individuals that are low-risk travelers. This bill will provide insight into DHS' identity matching process and ensure that individuals seeking to participate are subject to consistent processes that ensure fair treatment. We also want DHS to focus its time and resources on individuals who are high risk. This bill will ensure that the programs that DHS uses to vet individuals are executed effectively. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Katko) for introducing this bill. Mr. Speaker, I urge the bill's passage, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3526) to authorize certain counter terrorist networks activities of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3246 aims to ensure that families receive consistent information regarding the screening process for baby supplies and nursing products. This bill will enable parents to properly prepare the supplies necessary to care for their children when traveling while ensuring passenger security through the screening process. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Taylor for this fine piece of legislation, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3246) to require GAO review of certain TSA screening protocols, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3246, the Traveling Parents Screening Consistency Act. The stress of traveling through our airport checkpoints is very familiar to all of us. This experience can be especially burdensome on parents traveling with children. Too often, these families aren't given clear direction and guidance on how to ensure that they meet TSA guidelines while bringing baby supplies and nursing products through the screening process. Parents across the country are often left confused and inconvenienced as they encounter different interpretations of TSA's policies at different airports. In some cases, parents have discarded expensive baby formula and other items after being instructed that such items cannot be brought through security when, in fact, they are allowed under TSA policy. TSA must do better for these families by creating commonsense policies and clearly communicating with them to ensure parents are able to properly care for their children while traveling. H.R. 3246, provides more certainty and protections to parents traveling with baby supplies, such as breast milk and formula. This bill will help improve traveling experiences for families, while enforcing security standards for everyone traveling throughout our Nation's airports. I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3694) to require the Transportation Security Administration to implement training for frontline Administration personnel regarding the screening of pregnant women and families with young children at passenger screening checkpoints, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3694, the Helping Families Fly Act. Traveling through the airport can be a stressful time for many of our travelers. Pregnant women and families with young children sometimes experience more difficulty when traveling, especially during the screening process. TSA's current screening procedures must be improved to ensure that these families are supported and have an easier experience flying through America's airports. This bill will improve the screening process for pregnant women and their families by requiring security personnel to undergo training specific to the concerns and needs of these specific travelers. Additionally, this legislation requires TSA to increase awareness of security procedures and guidelines by utilizing various forms of communication to keep families informed of the different options they may have during the screening process. This includes providing passengers, upon request, support specialists for women and families and adequate opt-out options to allow passengers to undergo alternative screening procedures. In short, this bill helps to improve TSA operations and support the millions of pregnant women and young families who travel throughout our Nation's airports. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I have no more speakers, and I am prepared to close after the gentleman from Tennessee closes. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3694 will improve the traveling experience for pregnant women and young families traveling throughout our Nation's airports. By improving the awareness and skills of our security personnel, and providing more resources and support for our families, we will help ensure that our Nation's airports provide a safe, fair, and efficient traveling experience for all. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Arizona for offering this good legislation. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 3694, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3722) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize a Joint Task Force to enhance integration of the Department of Homeland Security's border security operations to detect, interdict, disrupt, and prevent narcotics, such as fentanyl and other synthetic opioids, from entering the United States, and for other purposes.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on this measure.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, every day, in communities across this country, synthetic opioids kill Americans in shocking numbers. H.R. 3722 will take a step forward by addressing this epidemic, which is one of the most severe ever facing our country. The opioid crisis, having already claimed hundreds of thousands of American lives over the past two decades, has evolved into a new and even more dangerous phase. The first periods of the crisis were characterized by the overuse of prescription opioids and heroin. Devastating as these stages were, the current phase is even more deadly still. Fentanyl and other synthetic opioids are coming into our country from laboratories in China and Mexico and are wreaking havoc on communities across the entire country. These extremely potent chemicals frequently cross our borders through legal channels such as international mail facilities, sometimes in small packages, and are difficult to detect or interdict. The bill now before us aims to address part of this challenge. The Joint Task Force to Combat Opioid Trafficking Act, sponsored by Representative Jim Langevin, passed through the House on a voice vote during the 115th Congress before stalling in the Senate. This Congress, the bill, once again, passed out of the Committee on Homeland Security with unanimous consent. The core of this bill will require the Department of Homeland Security to stand up a joint task force dedicated to preventing synthetic opioids from reaching our borders. The joint task force model allows DHS to ensure that the strengths and capabilities of its various components are all leveraged to maximum effect. Steps such as improved screening procedures, greater targeting of suspicious senders, and better information-sharing processes can all aid our law enforcement agencies in halting the ongoing flow of synthetic opioids across our borders. Unlike the existing authority governing DHS joint task forces, this bill will allow DHS and the private sector the opportunity to collaborate on this challenge. Private-sector partners also have strengths and capabilities that can greatly enhance joint efforts to prevent legitimate commercial activities from being exploited by bad actors. The crisis at hand requires innovative solutions. A greater focus on increased collaboration between DHS, its components, and private-sector partners all could go a long way in addressing a major driver of this crisis. Mr. Speaker, I urge my House colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Langevin).

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Rhode Island.

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, our country faces a severe and ongoing crisis, with newly developed synthetic opioids causing tremendous suffering to our families, individuals, and entire communities throughout the country. The collaboration between private companies and the government that will be possible through this legislation will prove to be a crucial component in the task of stopping the flow of fentanyl across our borders. H.R. 3722 is a bipartisan and targeted solution to address this most urgent need. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Mr. CORREA

Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3106, the Domestic and International DATA Act. I am proud to join the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson), the chairman, my colleague and friend, in support of this most important legislation. This bill improves our understanding of the Federal Government's response to the threat of domestic terrorism at a time that extremist- related attacks in the United States are on the rise. In May 2017, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a joint intelligence bulletin that predicted that the number of white supremacist movement attacks were likely to continue to present a lethal threat in the future. Tragically, that prediction has proven to be true. After the horrific acts of domestic terrorism committed in Charlottesville and the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh, I urged my congressional colleagues to take action to counter hate crimes and domestic terrorism. Chairman Thompson's H.R. 3106 helps increase transparency and research on domestic terrorism. By requiring the Homeland Security and Justice Departments to publish an annual public report on terrorism, this bill will provide information that will help policymakers develop and execute evidence-based counterterrorism strategies. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 3106.