John Katko

Mr. KATKO

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Dold).

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5338) to reduce passenger wait times at airports, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Dr. Grazyna Kozaczka. Dr. Kozaczka is a native of Krakow, Poland, where she received her doctoral degree in American Literature from the Jagiellonian University. Dr. Kozaczka is a distinguished scholar and renowned Professor of English at Cazenovia College in Cazenovia, New York. Dr. Kozaczka is also the Director of the Honors Programs at Cazenovia College. Dr. Kozaczka will be honored at the 2016 Syracuse, New York Polish Festival, receiving the ``2016 Pole of the Year'' Award. She will be recognized for her dedication to studying Polish American history and for all of her scholarly achievements. Dr. Kozaczka has published scholarly essays, short fiction, as well as popular articles in both Polish and English. She is the President of the Polish American Historical Association, a member of the Polish Institute of Arts and Sciences of America, and a member of The Jozef Pilsudski Institute of America and the Modern Language Association. I am honored to recognize Dr. Grazyna J. Kozaczka for her incredible scholarly accomplishments and for being named the ``2016 Pole of the Year'' by the Syracuse Polish Scholarship Fund, Inc.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. I yield to the gentleman from Idaho.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Chair, I ask unanimous consent to withdraw my amendment.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Chairman, over the past several years, the Northern Border Regional Commission has provided vital resources to economically distressed communities along the northern border of New England and New York. Each year, the commission selects a number of projects through a competitive process that are aimed at spurring economic development, improving infrastructure, and increasing access to health care among other things. This region, like many other communities in our country, has experienced severe economic challenges in recent years. Mills and factories have closed, populations of States are static or have declined in some areas, and some industries are particularly hard-hit, like the nuclear industry, and the change in market dynamics related thereto. For example, the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant is closed. The FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in my district is closing and putting out of work 600 individuals with very high-paying jobs in an economically distressed community. This commission provides a smart, efficient, and targeted way of spurring economic development across this region. My amendment would increase the appropriation level in this bill from $5 million to $8 million in order to maintain the vital work of this commission. This increase is fully offset by a decrease in funding for the Energy Information Administration. This amendment can give displaced workers job training, give them back work, improve infrastructure, and boost the economy across this challenged region. At this time, however, I will withdraw my amendment, but I hope I can work with the chairman moving forward to ensure that this vital program is maintained to the benefit of the economies in the northern border region.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I once again urge my colleagues to support this strong bipartisan piece of legislation. It is commonsense legislation, but it is very important to institutionalize things that are working to some extent within the Department of Homeland Security and the counterterrorism advisory board. The tweaks that we have in this legislation are going to make it a good, firm setting for fighting the counterterrorism activity going forward. I do want to note for a moment as well that there have been an awful lot of bills that came out of Homeland Security this term, and the vast majority of those bills have had bipartisan support. I am proud of the work we are doing together with our colleagues on both sides of the aisle, and we are going to continue to do that moving forward to keep this country safe. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time to close.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4407) to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish in the Department of Homeland Security a board to coordinate and integrate departmental intelligence, activities, and policy related to counterterrorism, and for other purposes, as amended.

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

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

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Since the tragic events of 9/11, this body has endeavored to better integrate intelligence and law enforcement agencies to react to new and evolving threats and to reduce duplicative efforts and waste. To a large extent, we have succeeded in producing a more integrated security apparatus that properly reflects the terrorist threats of the 21st century. However, we must continue to make improvements to counter fast-changing threats like those posed by ISIS. Mr. Speaker, we are seeing the greatest convergence of radical Islamic threats in history, with more than 40,000 jihadist fighters traveling to the battlefield in Syria and Iraq. Furthermore, the United States faces the highest threat level since 9/11--with open counterterrorism investigations in all 50 States in this great country of ours and with more than 80 ISIS-related arrests in the past 2 years, including one just up the road from my district on New Year's Eve. With the current threat environment in mind, I offer H.R. 4407, the Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act of 2016. Initially established at the end of 2010, this panel brings together the Department of Homeland Security's top counterterrorism decisionmakers to respond to threats. However, I led a bipartisan task force, which found that the Counterterrorism Advisory Board, or CTAB, had neither been codified nor had its charter kept pace with today's evolving terrorist threats. That is why we need to pass this bill--to ensure that the DHS is effectively integrating intelligence, operations, and policy to fight terrorism and that it is quickly exchanging threat information. This legislation formally establishes the CTAB in law, and it makes it the Department's central coordination body for counterterrorism activities. The bill also updates the Board's charter to better enable it to confront tomorrow's challenges today, and it requires the Secretary to appoint a Coordinator for Counterterrorism to oversee the Board's activities. It is an important change to the current structure. Additionally, the legislation requires the CTAB to advise the Secretary on the issuance of terrorism alerts, ensuring that top counterterrorism and intelligence officials play a key role in developing these critical notices to the public. Finally, H.R. 4407 ensures continued congressional oversight by requiring the DHS to report on the status and activities of the CTAB so that we can be certain it is meeting its mandate. I thank Chairman McCaul for appointing me to lead the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, which formulated, roughly, 50 recommendations for making our country safer, one of which serves as the basis for this legislation. I also thank Ranking Member Thompson and his great staff for all of the work we have been doing to get a lot of these bills passed into law, and I very much appreciate our bipartisan work together. I am proud to say we have now acted legislatively on more than half of the task force's findings, largely thanks to the hard work of the other members of the task force and their willingness to reach across the aisle and do what is right for our country. I urge my colleagues to support this measure. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. I thank the gentlewoman. Mr. Speaker, during my 15 years as a Federal prosecutor in Syracuse, New York, I witnessed firsthand on a daily basis the devastating impacts of drug use, in general, and of heroin, in particular, and the terrible impacts it had on the well-being of our children, on the lives of those directly involved, and on the safety of our community. Tragically, the devastating impact of heroin and other opioids has gotten much worse in recent years. As a Federal prosecutor, I have seen every possible drug known to man on the streets. I have never seen anything that has had the devastating effects that heroin has had on our communities. Literally, fatal incidents are happening on a regular basis. One of my top priorities during my time in Washington has been to facilitate a community dialogue on this public health epidemic to discuss ways of treating and preventing addiction. At every forum, at every town hall, at every business I visit, at every hospital I visit, I hear from my constituents of the devastation this epidemic is inflicting on our communities. I hear tragic stories about friends or family members succumbing to heroin addiction. I hear from medical workers and first responders about the strain this epidemic is placing on their resources. I hear stories of pain and loss, and I want to share a few of those with you to illustrate what I am talking about. During the course of the six town halls I have conducted or have participated in throughout my district over the last several months, we have routinely heard of the stories of victims. In particular, families have told of the loved ones they have lost. One individual really caught my attention. They all caught my attention, but this one was pretty devastating. Morgan Axe was a beautiful young woman and a great athlete--just a great kid overall--who battled addiction with heroin for several years. At 24 years old, she became pregnant and she stopped taking heroin completely in order to protect her baby. She stopped taking any drugs that would have helped her with her cravings, and she was doing great. At the fifth month--at 5 months of being clean--a boyfriend thought it would be a good idea to give her a dose of heroin. We have the telephone records to show it. She took that heroin and she died, as did her baby. Her mother had to come to that forum and talk about this. I applaud her for the openness with which she talked about it, for the pain that she shared with us, and for the lessons that can be learned from this. It can happen to anybody. It is not an inner city drug. When we were growing up, we used to think of heroin users as individuals who would be under a bridge somewhere or in an alley, but that is not the way it is. It affects those in the suburbs, the wealthy, the poor, and everyone in between. I have one other quick story. When I was renting my congressional office, the individual who was showing me the office had a sad look in his eye. He began to tell me the story about his daughter, who was the Final Four MVP for the NCAA Junior College Lacrosse the year before. She died of a heroin overdose because she got into heroin after that championship. It is an epidemic with enormous consequences, and it is getting worse. The epidemic of addiction is claiming the lives from every age, class, and race, like I mentioned. I know that society doesn't like to talk about drugs, addiction, and overdose, but this is a problem that we can no longer ignore, and it is one that we must absolutely, positively, address. The scourge must be stopped. I am absolutely proud to be part of the House action that is being taken this week on several measures that will help to fight against this growing opioid epidemic and through the passage of my drug kingpin bill earlier today. Much remains to be done, and I hope that Congress will build on the actions this week and will continue to work on efforts in a bipartisan manner so we can fight back and save people from addiction.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, let me start by thanking Judiciary Committee Chairman Goodlatte for his efforts and his committee's efforts in shepherding this bill through the committee, where it received unanimous support. I also want to thank my colleague across the aisle, Representative Rice. We have partnered together on many bills that have passed the House to help keep our country safe and to keep it free from drug trafficking. Both of us having a background as prosecutors on a Federal level will help us going forward. This legislation makes important changes that strengthen the Kingpin Act and enhance the protection of classified information. The Kingpin Act has played an important role in our Nation's efforts to fight drug trafficking for nearly two decades. In the last two decades, I was heavily involved with drug trafficking as a Federal organized crime prosecutor, so I understand the importance of the statute on a firsthand basis. The act established a process to sanction individuals involved in international narcotics trafficking. More than 1,800 individuals, all non-U.S. persons, have been designated as drug kingpins by the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control under the Kingpin Act. This designation precludes these traffickers from using the U.S. financial system and, in so doing, places a major obstacle in front of their efforts to move and use their ill-gotten gains. Many of the individuals placed on the kingpin list are put there on the basis of classified information. The law provides a process by which these individuals can seek removal from the list in Federal court, but, unfortunately, the law currently doesn't protect classified information in such delisting cases. This opens up the possibility that some kingpins won't be sanctioned at all or will be removed from the kingpin list, despite significant evidence of their illicit activities, in order to protect classified information. This bill simply makes it clear that the Office of Foreign Assets Control may submit classified information in defense of its kingpin designations in a nonpublic, protected setting in order to safeguard classified information. This bill will make it easier to sanction international drug kingpins who cause enormous problems both in the United States and in their home countries. It will make it harder for these criminals to carry out their dangerous and destructive drug trade. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful for the House's consideration of this bill, alongside several other important measures, to fight back against the opioid epidemic gripping much of our Nation, and certainly in my district as well. My district has been extremely hard-hit by this epidemic as well as a scourge of dangerous synthetic substances, which I hope to address at a later time during this Congress. Almost every family in my district has been affected by this epidemic or knows someone who has. We need to fight back against the kingpins for profiteering off this misery. It is gratifying to see the House working together across the aisle to tackle these enormous problems, and our country will be better off for it.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Taiwanese American Heritage Week. During this week, celebrations of Taiwanese culture, the history of Taiwan, and the contributions of Taiwanese Americans will take place across our country, including in my district, in Central New York. This year marks the 37th anniversary of the enactment into law of the Taiwan Relations Act which functions as the cornerstone of U.S.- Taiwanese relations. Today, this law continues to provide a strong foundation for the bond between the people of both countries. Taiwanese Americans have made invaluable contributions to the diversity and prosperity of American society. Taiwanese Americans have succeeded as successful and notable artists, Nobel Laureate scientists, researchers, human rights activists, business leaders and so much more. Taiwanese American Heritage Week provides us with an opportunity to learn more about the outstanding contributions men and women from Taiwan have made to our nation, and to the world. During this special week, we are able to embrace America's diversity and celebrate the spirit of community that binds us together as one nation.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, as I have come to appreciate the seriousness of the many threats facing our transportation systems, I realize that one of the most targeted and vulnerable points of attack exist for our international in-bound aviation. It is no secret that terror groups across the world value the horrific symbolism of bringing down an aircraft and are continuously plotting to take down planes. They recognize that it is easier for them to attack an aircraft destined for the United States from overseas rather than travel to the United States and then plot a domestic attack. This understanding is nothing new. My own district of Syracuse, New York, tragically learned of terrorists' determination to bring down airplanes when 35 Syracuse University students and students from other local universities, along with my close friend's sister, were killed in the Lockerbie bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 in 1988. Now, with the horrific attacks in Belgium against two transportation modes, including aviation, it has been reiterated that we must not wait for such attacks to occur in the homeland. We must be as determined to mitigate the threat as extremists are in perpetrating their attacks against us. The Brussels attacks took place against the European capital with one of the explosions occurring just a few blocks from the European Parliament. I was near those sites not too long ago, where those explosions took place, when visiting Brussels as part of a congressional delegation focused on stemming the flow of ISIS-affiliated foreign fighters, so I am particularly reminded of how close to home such attacks really are. While a number of security enhancements have been made in recent months by the Department of Homeland Security, Transportation Security Administration, and airlines, more must be done. SAFE GATES is an important, bipartisan bill which requires TSA's Office of Global Strategies to comprehensively assess its own mission needs, with the intent of directing resources in a more intelligence-driven, risk-based manner. Further, the legislation directs TSA to provide better communication and foster stronger partnerships with foreign partners and airlines in order to make sure that everyone with a stake in securing aviation is aware of the serious threats facing our skies. Lastly, the SAFE GATES Act authorizes the donation of critical security screening equipment and bolsters TSA's authority to mandate overseas cargo security standards as a means of building capacity for the security of aircraft headed for the United States. Recently, our colleagues in the Senate added this language to authorizing language for the Federal Aviation Administration. During the amendment process, Chairman Thune of the Senate Commerce Committee added the text of this bill, along with some additional provisions, to push TSA to work toward developing a new generation of security screening checkpoints. This provision incorporates critical stakeholder feedback by empowering the Aviation Security Advisory Committee to make recommendations to the Administrator concerning checkpoints of the future. In preparation for bringing this legislation to the floor today, and in agreement with my Democratic colleagues, we have added this thoughtful provision to our bill as well. I would like to thank my bipartisan cosponsor, Congressman Keating, for his unwavering support of this critically important legislation. Moreover, I wish to thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. McCaul, and the ranking member, Mr. Thompson, for moving this bill through committee so we can bring our efforts to bear on the House floor today. Lastly, I want to applaud Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson of the Senate Commerce Committee for making sure that this bill text was added as a security provision to the Senate's FAA legislation, and I look forward to working closely with my Senate colleagues going forward to get this legislation to the President's desk. This legislation stands as a testament to the rare ability of Congress to come together in a bicameral and bipartisan manner to make the American people more secure. It also serves as a direct refute to those terrorists plotting to harm the American people, the American economy, and our right to move about freely without fear and without hindrance. I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, the time to act is now. Threats to international-bound aviation are proliferating every day, and the Department of Homeland Security, TSA, and airlines need the adequate tools and authorities necessary to ensure the safety and security of traveling Americans. Without the authorities and oversight built into this legislation, I fear that Congress will not be doing all it can to stay ahead of the persistent threats posed by violent extremists. We have seen the threat they pose in Brussels and in last year's attacks on airliners overseas. So we must not wait to mitigate these threats until it is too late. I thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and on both sides of Capitol Hill for working together to develop this important piece of legislation. I again urge my colleagues to support this bill. I want to thank the ranking member for his cooperation. Yes, we had some hiccups, but that is part of the process. The fact of the matter is that we had a very good bill by working together and talking together. While the last colloquy on the last bill, H.R. 2820, showed we do have differences, I dare say that on the Homeland Security Committee we have far more agreements than we have disagreements, and I hope we can continue in that manner going forward. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4698) to enhance aviation by requiring airport security assessments and a security coordination enhancement plan, and for other purposes, as amended.

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 materials on the bill under consideration.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee for offering this legislation. Mr. Speaker, America continues to witness the largest convergence of radical Islamic threats in the history of our country. More than any threat before, ISIS demonstrated an ability to radicalize individuals throughout the world by utilizing the Internet. However, these individuals are met with the cold, hard reality that ISIS does not offer luxury, happiness, or peacefulness. On the contrary, these individuals are thrust onto the battlefield with little or no training and little or no regard for their lives. Some, when faced with the truth, try to turn back. Among those who recognize ISIS for the barbaric, destructive force that it is, some have actually dared to speak out against them, using their experience to dissuade others from risking their lives in order to wage war on innocent people. One of these individuals was mentioned by my colleague, Chairman Mike McCaul, and that individual grew up across the river from here in Alexandria, Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support the efforts of our law enforcement and intelligence officials by supporting this bill. The Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act of 2016, of which I am a cosponsor, requires a dissemination of testimonials from ISIS defectors to help stop the radicalization of at-risk individuals. This bill comes from the bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel, of which I served as a Republican lead. Using these testimonials would fill a gap that our bipartisan task force identified in a bipartisan manner. I thank Chairman McCaul, who has led this effort. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Honor Flight Syracuse. Honor Flight Syracuse is a private, not-for-profit organization and is one of more than 130 regional hubs of the National Honor Flight Network. Honor Flight Syracuse became an official hub in the Honor Flight Network in May of 2012. Honor Flight Syracuse's mission is to honor America's veterans by transporting them to Washington, D.C. to visit the national memorials dedicated to their service and sacrifice. The goal of Honor Flight Syracuse is to help every single war veteran in the greater Syracuse area, willing and capable, to obtain a flight to visit their memorial at no cost to them. Since May of 2012, Honor Flight Syracuse has completed six missions to Washington, D.C., with a seventh mission scheduled for this month. Honor Flight Syracuse gives top priority to America's most senior- citizen heroes--veterans of World War II and any war veteran with a terminal illness. Thanks to Honor Flight Syracuse's dedicated leadership team, board members and volunteers, hundreds of Veterans from the greater Syracuse area, Northern New York State, and the Mohawk Valley have been able to travel to Washington, D.C. and visit the memorials that honor their service and sacrifice. I am honored to recognize such an incredible organization dedicated to helping veterans in our community. I want to pay tribute to all who have made Honor Flight Syracuse such a remarkable program and to thank all of the veterans who have participated in Honor Flight Syracuse for their sacrifice and dedication to our country.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor and recognize Mr. James Hall and Mr. Timothy Lavallee. Mr. James Hall is a World War II veteran who had the opportunity to participate in Honor Flight Syracuse's fifth mission in April, 2015. Mr. Timothy Lavallee is a VNA Homecare Physical Therapist who works with Mr. Hall and accompanied him as his Honor Flight Guardian. Mr. Lavallee encouraged Mr. Hall to apply for the Honor Flight mission and together they embarked on an adventure that deepened the strong bond the two men share. At 90 years old, Mr. Hall embarked on a journey during which he and Mr. Lavallee spent a day in Washington, D.C., exploring our nation's monuments and spending time at the World War II memorial. Mr. Hall describes his experience as ``bittersweet.'' Mr. Hall states that the ``trip brought back a lot of memories, both happy and sad.'' Mr. Hall enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942, at just 17 years old. Mr. Hall was stationed on submarine chaser PC 1119 in the Pacific Theater and participated in five major battles during the invasion of the Philippines. Mr. Lavallee is a veteran of the Air National Guard. Mr. Lavallee has made a profound difference in the lives of his patients, especially that of Mr. Hall. He believes the success of caring for someone at home goes beyond clinical care, saying, ``It's about caring for the whole person, not just the patient.'' It is evident that Mr. Hall and Mr. Lavallee share a very special bond and I am pleased to honor both men today. I wish both men the best and I want to personally thank both Mr. Hall and Mr. Lavallee for their service to our country.

Mr. KATKO

Mr. KATKO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support the advocacy efforts of the McMahon/Ryan Child Advocacy Center, a wonderful and renowned central New York organization that is dedicated to ending child abuse through intervention and education. This month, McMahon/Ryan is launching its Go Blue 4 Kids campaign to help end child abuse. Go Blue 4 Kids is a first-of-its-kind collaboration among five central New York healthcare leaders who are focused on raising awareness about child abuse prevention. In recognition of April being National Child Abuse Awareness Month, myself and hundreds of my constituents will be wearing blue, painting a blue pinwheel, or attending local events to raise awareness about child abuse prevention. As a former Federal prosecutor, I am all too aware that much remains to be done if we are to guarantee a safe and happy upbringing for all American youths. I ask my colleagues to join me and the 24th District of New York to join the Go Blue 4 Kids campaign. I commend McMahon/Ryan for the excellent work they do in our community, and I will continue to support their efforts to end child abuse.