Bob Goodlatte

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority whip.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Walorski).

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the National Computer Forensics Institute serves a vital purpose in preparing State and local law enforcement to combat computer and cybercrime, and I am pleased to support this legislation. The United States Department of Justice has declared that cybercrime ``is one of the greatest threats facing our country'' and that cybercrime has ``enormous implications for our national security, economic prosperity, and public safety.'' The Justice Department has also stated that ``the range of threats and the challenges they present for law enforcement expand just as rapidly as technology evolves.'' With this in mind, the National Computer Forensics Institute serves the vital purpose of providing legal and judicial professionals a free comprehensive education on current cybercrime trends, investigative methods, and prosecutorial and judicial challenges. The National Computer Forensics Institute is a 32,000-square-foot facility located in Hoover, Alabama. This Institute boasts three multipurpose classrooms, two network investigations classrooms, a mock courtroom, and a forensics lab. Special agents of the United States Secret Service staff the Institute and work diligently training attendees in modern counter- cybercrime procedures and evidence collection. When the attendees leave, they take with them the critical knowledge and equipment required to conduct autonomous and thorough cybercrime investigations at their home agencies. Since its creation in 2008, the Institute has earned praise for its work in preparing America's local law enforcement in how to deal with these important technology issues. Over the last 7 years, the Institute has instructed law enforcement professionals from every State in the country and from over 500 different law enforcement agencies. In fact, law enforcement in my own district has benefited from NCFI training, including Lynchburg Commonwealth's Attorney Mike Doucette and his staff. Each professional educated at the Institute is a force multiplier for the Secret Service. After successful completion of the program, the students can bring their new knowledge back to their local agency to inform their colleagues how to properly conduct computer forensic investigations. Mr. Speaker, I firmly believe that, for our Nation to successfully combat the cybercrime threat, we must support legislation such as H.R. 3490. I want to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe) for sponsoring this important legislation. Authorizing the existing National Computer Forensics Institute in Federal law will cement its position as a high-tech cybercrime training facility and will help law enforcement professionals nationwide in their efforts to combat cyber- and computer crimes. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Ratcliffe), the chief sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer).

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3490) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize the National Computer Forensics Institute, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 3490 currently under consideration.

Mr. GOODLATTE. At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1755) to amend title 36, United States Code, to make certain improvements in the congressional charter of the Disabled American Veterans, as amended.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Since 1920, Disabled American Veterans has been serving American veterans who were wounded in the line of duty. It provides free assistance to veterans and their families in obtaining Federal benefits and services earned through military service. It represents the interests of disabled veterans, their families, their widowed spouses, and their orphans before the Federal, State, and local governments. And it provides a structure through which disabled veterans can express their compassion for their fellow veterans through a variety of volunteer programs. The organization received a Federal charter in 1932. DAV is seeking the enactment of H.R. 1755, which will amend its charter to help clarify DAV's charitable mission, explain the educational component of its mission, and mandate the assignment of its assets to the Department of Veterans Affairs in the event of its dissolution. These changes will aid DAV in its transition to a 501(c)(3) organization. As the organization explains: For decades, DAV has been exempt from Federal taxation under section 501(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code . . . Donations to most 501(c)(4) organizations are not deductible for income or estate tax purposes. DAV is a rare exception, as it qualifies to receive deductible contributions as a ``war veterans'' organization. Many donors, even sophisticated donors, believe incorrectly that charitable deductions are available only for gifts made to a 501(c)(3) organization, more commonly known as a ``public charity.'' We believe that this misconception has been limiting DAV's opportunities to gain corporate support and major gifts, including bequests. There is no doubt that DAV's activities of service to wounded and disabled veterans would enable it to qualify as a public charity, exempt from taxation under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. To achieve that designation, the organization needs to make application to the Internal Revenue Service. The application requires that certain language be included in the ``organizing document,'' which, in our case, is the Federal charter. We can help DAV carry out its vital mission through this legislation. I commend Representative Miller for introducing the bill, and I urge my colleagues to support it. I reserve the balance of my time.

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

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous materials on H.R. 1755, currently under consideration.

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3279) to amend titles 5 and 28, United States Code, to require annual reports to Congress on, and the maintenance of databases on, awards of fees and other expenses to prevailing parties in certain administrative proceedings and court cases to which the United States is a party, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3279 currently under consideration.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins), a member of the Judiciary Committee and the chief sponsor of this legislation.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I would like to begin by thanking Representative Doug Collins and Constitution Ranking Member Steve Cohen for introducing this important government transparency legislation. Every year, pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act, the Federal Government, through settlement or court order, pays millions of dollars in legal fees and costs to parties to lawsuits and administrative adjudications that involve the Federal Government. However, despite the large amount of taxpayer dollars paid out each year, the Federal Government no longer comprehensively keeps track of the amount of fees and other expenses awarded pursuant to the Equal Access to Justice Act. Nor does the government compile and report on why these fees and expenses were paid and to whom these costs were awarded. This is because, in 1995, Congress repealed the Department of Justice's reporting requirements and defunded the Administrative Conference of the United States, the agency charged with reporting this basic information to Congress. The Administrative Conference was reestablished in 2010, but the requirements to report on fee and cost payments have not been reenacted. Accordingly, there has been no official governmentwide accounting of this information since fiscal year 1994--over 20 years ago. This lack of transparency is troubling, given that the Equal Access to Justice Act is considered by many to be the most important Federal fee-shifting statute. Fundamentally, the act recognizes that there is an enormous disparity of resources between the Federal Government and individuals and small businesses who seek to challenge Federal actions. Congress enacted the Equal Access to Justice Act to provide individuals, small businesses, and small nonprofit groups with financial incentives to challenge the Federal Government or defend themselves from lawsuits brought by the Federal Government. As the Supreme Court has noted, the act was adopted with the ``specific purpose of eliminating for the average person the financial disincentive to challenge unreasonable governmental actions.'' But how can we know if the act is working well toward this end if we have no data on the awards? Without the data this bill requires the Administrative Conference to compile and report, we have nothing more than anecdotal evidence as to whether the act is providing some measure of relief to the financial disincentive to seeking judicial and administrative redress against the Federal Government. The legislation we are considering today will end this lack of transparency and restore the reporting requirements that were repealed in 1995. I want to once again thank Representatives Collins and Cohen for introducing this bill, and I urge my colleagues to support its passage. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. I thank the gentleman from California for yielding me this time. And I thank the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Bishop), for moving this legislation through the Natural Resources Committee and to the floor. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the passage of H.R. 2288. This bill simply removes 20-year-old deed use restrictions on 1 acre of land. For over 25 years, a little over 3 acres of land and its associated buildings, which were previously wholly held by the Federal Government, have been maintained by Rockingham County and the Plains Area Daycare Center in my congressional district, the Sixth District of Virginia. In 1989, the Federal Government deeded these 3 acres of land, with restriction, to Rockingham County. But even prior to this official declaration, Rockingham County had already been faithfully maintaining the property, which the Federal Government no longer utilized. The property had previously been used as a garage and maintenance facility for the United States Forest Service. When the government transferred this land to Rockingham County in 1989, the condition was that this property was to be used for public purposes. The county decided that the nonprofit Plains Area Daycare Center in Broadway, Virginia, which provides child care on a sliding scale to many families who otherwise could not afford child care, would benefit from the use of the old garage. Therefore, Congress enacted Public Law 101-479, which allowed the deed to be changed from public use to the particular use of the child care center. Donations by the community, totaling $75,000, turned the garage building into a nursery, a daycare, and an after-school care facility. Additionally, the creation of the daycare center provided for the creation of a playground that the center supports and is open for public use. To be clear, the center and the playground are the sole reasons that this previously abandoned government land is being used by the community. I have visited the Plains Area Daycare Center on many occasions and have seen the immeasurable investments this center is making in the community by providing high-quality child care. Since opening in 1991, the center has always been at capacity and is the only facility of its kind in the community. However, after two decades of consistent use, the facility is in desperate need of repair. Unfortunately, because of the narrow way Public Law 101-479 was drafted and because of the terms of the deed, the daycare center has been unable to get a loan to complete the much- needed renovations. To solve this issue, my legislation would remove the deed use restrictions from the 1 acre of property on which the building resides. While I would like to have seen the entire 3 acres released, this legislation is the result of a compromise that has been endorsed by the National Park Service and Rockingham County. By passing this legislation and allowing Rockingham County and, in return, the Plains Area Daycare Center more authority over the land, it will ensure that more children and more of the community will be served by this land. This bill is the result of hard work over the past two Congresses. The House passed related legislation in the 113th Congress. However, the Senate did not act. This Congress, my staff and I have worked closely with Rockingham County and the Natural Resources Committee to see H.R. 2288 brought before the House. I am hopeful that the Senate will take action this time. Mr. Speaker, while my legislation today is simply a formality, it is of great importance to those being served by this daycare center in the community. For 25 years, the land has been deeded to Rockingham County, but with overbearing restrictions. Since it is clear the Federal Government no longer has a vested interest in the land, it is time to lift those restrictions to allow the Plains Area Daycare Center to reach its full potential.

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield the remainder of my time to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Gowdy), the chairman of the Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee, and ask unanimous consent that he be able to control that time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul), the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, and the chief sponsor of this bill.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on H.R. 4038, currently under consideration.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 531, I call up the bill (H.R. 4038) to require that supplemental certifications and background investigations be completed prior to the admission of certain aliens as refugees, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I support H.R. 4038, the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015. Just one example of a terrorist taking advantage of the United States' generous immigration policy in order to perpetrate attacks on Americans is too many. Unfortunately, there are too many examples to count. Most notable, of course, are the attacks on September 11, 2001, perpetrated by 19 foreign nationals who were admitted to the U.S. through our legal immigration system. The U.S. Government has the ultimate responsibility to protect its citizens. As such, if U.S. immigration policy allows foreign nationals who want to do us harm access to U.S. soil, then the immigration policy must be reviewed and amended. We are faced with such a situation right now. There is a very real possibility that a terrorist, particularly one from, or claiming to be from, Syria or Iraq, will attempt to gain access to the United States as a refugee. In fact, ISIS is making no secret of their plans to have their members infiltrate groups of Syrian refugees. We should take ISIS at its word. Of course, our hope is that such an individual would be screened out through the refugee vetting process. Unfortunately, we have heard time and time again from top counterterrorism and intelligence officials that the current vetting process cannot prevent such an individual from receiving refugee status. In fact, just late last month, FBI Director James Comey told the Judiciary Committee that with a conflict zone like Syria, where there is ``dramatically'' less information available to use during the vetting process, he could not ``offer anybody an absolute assurance that there is no risk associated with'' admitting Syrian nationals as refugees. He told another House committee that ``we can only query against that which we have collected. And so if someone has never made a ripple in the pond in Syria in a way that would get their identity or their interest reflected in our database, we can query our database until the cows come home but . . . nothing will show up because we have no record on that person.'' The administration's foreign policy inaction in Syria, and failure to take seriously the ISIS threat, are responsible for the flood of Syrians currently leaving their country. Of course, we all remember when the President told us that ISIS was the JV team. That JV team just murdered 120 innocent people in Paris, including at least one American. And the Paris JV team included at least one terrorist who was registered as a refugee from Syria. H.R. 4038 requires certification by the FBI Director that the security vetting process is sufficient to prevent an individual who is a security threat from being admitted as a refugee. The bill also requires that the DHS Secretary, FBI Director, and Director of National Intelligence certify to Congress that each refugee is not a security threat prior to his or her admission to the United States. In addition, H.R. 4038 requires the DHS Inspector General to review such certifications annually and report its findings to Congress. The certification procedures apply to aliens who are nationals of Iraq or Syria, those who have no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or who have been present in those countries at any time on or after March 1, 2011. H.R. 4038 puts the administration on notice that their lax attitude toward this issue will no longer be tolerated. And it puts the administration on notice that Congress is not yet finished reforming refugee policy. In fact, our committee has been hard at work long before the Paris attacks working on legislation to make necessary security-related and other changes to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. We look forward to moving that legislation through the House. H.R. 4038 is not meant to be the sole solution to the security problems we face in vetting Syrian and other refugees, but it is an important first step. I look forward to Congress taking additional action to ensure America's safety. I thank the gentleman from Texas and the gentleman from North Carolina for the work they have done on this bill. I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. GOODLATTE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Hudson), the chief cosponsor of the legislation.

Mr. GOODLATTE

Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.