John Katko

Mr. KATKO

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon), my friend and colleague. With increasing focus on the threats at the southwest border, we must be mindful that our adversaries can and will adapt as they seek to gain entry into our homeland. As illicit pathways are squeezed on the southwest border, the Nation's maritime border is a likely alternative route for our adversaries to utilize. The brave men and women of the United States Coast Guard are responsible for patrolling our Nation's maritime border, conducting counter-drug and migrant interdiction operations, as well as search and rescue missions to ensure the safety and legitimacy of travel and trade in the maritime environment. The Coast Guard also interdicts and often rescues migrants who are attempting to reach the United States not only from the Caribbean and Latin American region but, as recent cases have indicated, from countries outside the Western Hemisphere, including China, India, Pakistan, and Jordan. Cocaine is one of the most highly trafficked drugs throughout the maritime border, especially in the transit zone, a 7-million-square- mile area that includes the sea corridors of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, and the eastern Pacific Ocean. I know that firsthand from the time I spent for 2 years in the mid-nineties prosecuting international drug organizations in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The Coast Guard interdicts thousands of pounds of cocaine every year; though, according to the DHS Office of Inspector General, only about 8.2 percent of the total cocaine flow through the transit zone was interdicted in fiscal year 2017. Unfortunately, we currently do not have the resources to turn back or interdict all the threats in the maritime environment. To make matters worse, the devastating effects of the 2017 hurricane season diminished local law enforcement operational capabilities and resources available to combat maritime-based threats in the U.S. territories, putting further strain on our Federal law enforcement agents and officers. Many of the hurricane-affected areas are still not back to pre- hurricane conditions. Under this environment, by the time a threat reaches our coastal waters, it is too easy to slip into the country and often too late, from a law enforcement standpoint, to intercept that threat. H.R. 5869 requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a threat analysis of the greater U.S. maritime border, to include the territorial waters of Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands as well as the transit zone. The bill requires the examination of terrorist and criminal threats posed by individuals and groups seeking to enter the U.S. through the maritime border. The bill also requires the Secretary to identify vulnerabilities in law, policy, and cooperation between State, territorial, and local law enforcement, and it asks the Secretary to review the impact of the geographic challenges of the maritime border and of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate on general border security activities related to the maritime border. The Maritime Border Security Review Act is a necessary and timely piece of legislation, and I want to thank the gentlewoman from Puerto Rico for introducing it. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 5869, and I reserve the balance of my time. Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, House of Representatives, Washington, DC, September 4, 2018. Hon. Michael T. McCaul, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC. Dear Chairman McCaul: I write concerning H.R. 5869, the Maritime Border Security Review Act. This legislation includes matters that I believe fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In order to expedite floor consideration of H.R. 5869, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will forgo action on this bill, including seeking a sequential referral. However, this is conditional on our mutual understanding that forgoing consideration of the bill does not prejudice the Committee with respect to the appointment of conferees or to any future jurisdictional claim over the subject matters contained in the bill or similar legislation that fall within the Committee's Rule X jurisdiction. Finally, should a conference on the bill be necessary, I ask that you support my request to have the Committee represented on the conference committee. Please place a copy of this letter and your response acknowledging our jurisdictional interest in the Congressional Record during House Floor consideration of the bill. I look forward to working with the Committee on Homeland Security as the bill moves through the legislative process. Sincerely, Bill Shuster, Chairman.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 6 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Puerto Rico (Miss Gonzalez-Colon).

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I will be prepared to close in a moment, but I do want to follow up on a couple of remarks from my colleague from Puerto Rico. I served there as a Federal organized crime prosecutor in the mid- 1990s in San Juan, and during that time I saw firsthand how much of a vulnerability the maritime areas have of the United States in general, but Puerto Rico in particular. The HIDTA report, which refers to the high intensity drug trafficking report, talks about severely diminished capabilities for law enforcement post-hurricane. But that doesn't begin to describe what really goes on down there. When I first walked into the U.S. Attorney's Office in 1996 in Puerto Rico, there were about five or six major fast boats lined up in a parking lot that had been seized. They were seized because of large shipments of cocaine coming across the water directly from Colombia, which is only about 500 nautical miles away. These boats could go anywhere within Puerto Rico. It doesn't have to come to a port. It can pull up to shore anywhere and offload whatever contraband they are trafficking. Certainly any one of those boats carried millions upon millions of dollars of poison that were going into drug users in this country, but they could easily be carrying terrorists. Once they get into Puerto Rico, you are in the United States. That is what people have to understand. Once you are in the United States, there is more customs scrutiny. So getting it into Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, or the Virgin Islands, or other territories of the United States, and not knowing what those vulnerabilities are is a serious gap in our security in this Nation. We did a similar threat assessment of the northern border, and it was very illuminating to see how much the northern border is wide open and how much of a threat it actually is. I would venture to guess that what we will see from this report when it is issued is much more eye- opening. It is a vulnerability in the world where people don't want us to survive as a democracy and, instead, want to impose terroristic views on our society. It is incumbent we pass this bill to get the full scope of the extent of the threat. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to reclaim the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 5869, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6374) to require the Department of Homeland Security to streamline Federal contractor fitness determinations, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6374, the Fitness Information Transparency Act of 2018, otherwise known as the FIT Act. This legislation seeks to improve how the Department of Homeland Security vets the character and conduct of contractor employees, known as a fitness determination. Homeland Security relies on thousands of contractor employees every day to achieve its missions. From IT work to construction and janitorial services, Homeland Security and contractor employees work hand in hand to secure our Nation. With the department's unique mission of protecting the homeland, it is vital that everyone working for Homeland Security, be it a Federal employee or a contractor employee, is appropriately vetted to ensure that he or she will uphold the integrity of the department. However, Homeland Security's fitness determination process is bureaucratic in the worst ways: inefficient, inconsistent, and lacking transparency. Currently, the Office of Personnel Management sets minimum fitness standards for all Federal contractors. However, each Homeland Security component can apply the criteria differently, creating disparate standards across the department. For example, a contractor employee who has been deemed fit to work for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, may not automatically be deemed fit to work for Customs and Border Protection. Many contract personnel support a variety of Homeland Security components and may be required to receive separate fitness determinations from each component, creating duplicity and inefficiency. Such inefficiency not only delays the time a contractor employee can start providing necessary services to Homeland Security, but because the contracting company builds the lag time into the bid price, this process also increases the cost to Homeland Security and, ultimately, to the United States taxpayers. This legislation will require Homeland Security to consolidate its varying fitness standards by creating uniform fitness requirements for each position risk level. By doing so, Homeland Security will achieve department-wide uniformity and reciprocity of fitness standards, therefore eliminating the need for one contractor to undergo multiple fitness investigations. The FIT Act also reduces bureaucratic redundancies by allowing, when appropriate, the Secretary of Homeland Security to deem someone who possesses a security clearance to also be considered fit to work for Homeland Security. Moreover, this legislation increases transparency into the fitness determination process by requiring Homeland Security to publish the uniform fitness standards, provide monthly status updates to contractor representatives, and report certain information to Congress. It is important that Homeland Security vet each and every contractor employee prior to working for the department. The FIT Act provides Homeland Security the flexibility it needs to vet contract workers for its diverse missions, while also making the process to do so more efficient and more transparent. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting H.R. 6374, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I echo the sentiments of my good friend and colleague from New Jersey. I once again urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6374, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6447) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish the position of Chief Data Officer of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6447, the Department of Homeland Security Chief Data Officer Authorization Act, sponsored by my colleague, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter). In today's data-driven world, organizations like the Department of Homeland Security generate, collect, and maintain enormous quantities of data in carrying out their day-to-day operations. Unfortunately, data continues to be underutilized as an asset by organizations, especially in the Federal Government, largely as a result of poor internal data management and governance practices. To address these shortcomings, the private sector and Federal, State, and local entities have increasingly begun appointing the position of chief data officer to their management teams. Such a position would work to improve data management and governance at an organization in order to format data for better analysis and use. The work conducted by chief data officers can help organizations achieve operational efficiencies, improve policy insight and decisionmaking, achieve data interoperability across legacy IT systems, and increase transparency. To date, several entities within Homeland Security, including Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, have designated chief data officers. Recognizing this growing trend, H.R. 6447 authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with Homeland Security's chief information officer, to designate a Homeland Security- wide chief data officer. The chief data officer is tasked with overseeing policies to manage, organize, and format Homeland Security data in order to better carry out data analysis for use in departmental operations. Additionally, H.R. 6447 requires the heads of all Homeland Security operational components, in consultation with the chief data officer and component chief information officers, to appoint component-level chief data officers. Homeland Security is charged with the responsibility of keeping our homeland and its citizens safe. As such, it is imperative that Homeland Security possess the capability and capacity and tools to make informed decisions in today's rapidly evolving threat environment. The appointment of chief data officers at the department and its components is integral to providing Homeland Security with the tools to make data- driven decisions in the 21st century. Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to join me in supporting this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I have no other speakers. If the gentlewoman from New Jersey has no other speakers, I am prepared to close once she does.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I agree with my colleague and friend from New Jersey. It is always a pleasure to work on bills with her because there is always very good bipartisan spirit. I think that is something that is lost often in this Chamber. I am happy to support this bill. It is commonsense legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6265) to ensure that only travelers who are members of a trusted traveler program use Transportation Security Administration security screening lanes designated for trusted travelers, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6265, the PreCheck is PreCheck Act of 2018. The name of this bipartisan legislation demonstrates my belief that the Transportation Security Administration should use its PreCheck screening lanes at airport checkpoints as they were originally intended. This bipartisan bill codifies a solution to a longstanding frustration that I and others have reiterated to TSA on many occasions: PreCheck lanes should not be used as tools to manage congestion for passengers in an airport. Instead of employing a one-size-fits-all approach to passenger security screening, the concept underlying TSA's PreCheck program is one of risk-based security. This should, when applied as intended, save taxpayer dollars and result in an enhanced security checkpoint experience for all travelers. However, the stated benefits of the PreCheck program have been consistently undermined by TSA's practice of moving unvetted passengers into PreCheck lanes for the sake of expediency. I have said it before and I will say it again: Security cannot be sacrificed for expediency. This legislation will require TSA to ensure that only travelers who are members of trusted traveler programs are permitted to use PreCheck security screening lanes at TSA checkpoints throughout the country. To address the issue of passenger throughput, H.R. 6265 also provides a framework for TSA to expedite screening for passengers who have been determined to pose a lower risk to aviation security. The effects of this legislation will be far-reaching. By restoring the PreCheck program to its original purpose, passengers who have elected to participate will experience a shorter checkpoint process they were promised when they first enrolled in the program. Additionally, passengers will be more incentivized to enroll in a trusted traveler program when it is working as it should. To achieve TSA's stated goal of enrolling 25 million passengers by the end of 2019, restricting PreCheck expedited screening lanes to vetted, enrolled passengers is a necessity. Mr. Speaker, I thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, my friend, the gentlewoman from New Jersey (Mrs. Watson Coleman), for cosponsoring this bill and for her leadership on this issue. I also thank my good friend Congressman Keating for his bipartisan support of this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge my colleagues to support this act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, I want to echo the sentiments of my colleague from New Jersey, the gentlewoman, Mrs. Watson Coleman. She is exactly right. This program is not being used like it is supposed to be used. The idea of PreCheck was to have a known, trusted traveler program, a traveler program where someone walks through and gets a different level of scrutiny because you know enough about them in advance. When you put people through that same lane and they get a different level of scrutiny that they shouldn't have because you don't know about them, it entirely defeats the purpose of the bill. With terrorism what it is today and the zest to try to attack our aviation industry, it is not a time we should be cutting corners to manage traffic. Mrs. Watson Coleman is exactly right. We need to have more people staffing these lanes, and we need to have a better running of the PreCheck program itself. If they did those two things, then we would be okay; but we cannot cut corners when it comes to security, especially in the aviation sector. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6265, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 6461) to amend title 49, United States Code, to establish in the Transportation Security Administration a National Deployment Office, and for other purposes.

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.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 6461, the TSA National Deployment Force Act, sponsored by my good friend and the ranking member of the Subcommittee on Transportation and Protective Security, Mrs. Watson Coleman. TSA security operations happen 365 days per year at nearly 440 federalized airports. Our Nation depends on the professionals at TSA who are on the front lines every single day to keep our transportation systems moving and secure. In testimony before the committee, Administrator Pekoske has stated that TSA's greatest assets are its people, and I could not agree more. Transportation security officers are tasked with a zero-fail mission, and their dedication to duty is what helps keep traveling Americans secure when they fly within our civil aviation system. With a strengthening economy, passenger volume has surged over the past few years and is expected to go much higher in the years to come, and TSA has often struggled to accommodate massive traveler volume increases at checkpoints. However, one of the most practical, useful, and helpful tools in TSA's toolbox, the National Deployment Force, helps TSA alleviate long lines at airport checkpoints, providing both a national security value by minimizing public area security risk and providing efficiency by reducing passenger wait times. This legislation authorizes the National Deployment Force, or NDF, within TSA to provide rapid and efficient response capabilities. The NDF is comprised of transportation security officers who may be deployed across the country to supplement existing TSA staffing during periods of high seasonal demand, natural disasters, national special security events, or other scenarios requiring additional security screening support. Recently, the NDF has provided critical screening support for large- scale events requiring additional security, such as the Super Bowl and in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Given the anticipated increases in passenger growth, this bipartisan legislation will help ensure that TSA has the resources it needs to quickly respond to influxes in passenger volume at specific airports. I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation with my good friend and colleague from New Jersey to authorize a National Deployment Force and help make TSA the agile agency the American people expect and deserve. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 6461. I agree with the comments of my colleague from New Jersey, and I think that this commonsense legislation will give TSA more flexibility and more elasticity in facing the ongoing challenges with staffing issues at airports, especially during peak travel times. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to honor the 20th anniversary of the Keepsake Village at Greenpoint, a retirement community in my district dedicated to caring for those struggling with Alzheimer's disease and dementia. Since opening to the community in 1998, the staff at Keepsake Village has worked to provide the level of assistance necessary to improve the quality of life for its memory care residents. For individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias, the importance of a secure environment with caring staff cannot be understated. Keepsake Village at Greenpoint provides services that can be tailored to meet the physical and emotional challenges of its cognitively impaired residents. This memory care community is based on a ``Live More'' philosophy, aiming to stimulate the eight dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, environmental, nutritional, social and vocational. Through this philosophy, residents of this special community are able to live happy and healthy lives, despite struggling with memory loss illness. Alzheimer's is a disease that touches nearly every family in our country. There are more than 5.7 million Americans living with Alzheimer's and over 16.1 million unpaid caregivers who dedicate much of their lives to caring for their loved one struggling with this illness. The toll this disease takes on the millions afflicted, the millions of caregivers and our overall economy cannot be understated, which is why we must continue working to address this epidemic and more importantly, strengthen our efforts to find a cure. Today, I am so proud to honor the Keepsake Village at Greenpoint for their dedication in providing the highest quality of life for each of their residents and their loved ones.