Bennie Thompson

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I rise today in support of my colleague's amendment requiring TSA to establish expedited screening protocols for passengers with a Top Secret Security Clearance. This amendment enhances section 234 by requiring TSA to establish special protocols for individuals in the Registered Traveler Program who possess a valid Top Secret Security Clearance issued by the Federal Government. These individuals have access to some of the most sensitive secrets this country has. TSA should be able to figure out how to adopt a screening system to take into account that these passengers are well- known to the Federal Government, have this special status and, as added layers of security, are traveling with a biometric card that confirms their identity. I'm pleased that Mr. Mica worked with me to fine-tune this amendment, and I urge my colleagues to adopt this amendment. Mr. Chair, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, while not in opposition to the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim the time in opposition.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for the purpose of closing.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Oregon.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Oregon for the purpose of opposition debate.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I rise in opposition to the amendment.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, as you have heard, my amendment helps to strengthen the underlying bill and addresses the issues of interest to my colleague. I urge its adoption.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer my manager's amendment which makes a few perfecting changes to H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration authorization bill. My amendment helps make the bill even more comprehensive by addressing five areas. First, in the area of public transportation security assistance, my amendment improves the Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security Grant Program by streamlining the award process. My amendment ensures accountability and transparency by requiring annual reports from TSA on the status of outstanding grant awards. It was developed in response to concerns expressed by public transportation agencies about when the clock should start ticking on the grant performance period. Under my amendment, it doesn't begin until grantees are actually able to access their awards. Additionally, this amendment would prohibit cost sharing for transportation security grants to ensure that grants are awarded efficiently and fairly. It also provides public transportation agencies with the tools and support they need to conduct comprehensive risk assessments in order to better secure their systems. Second, Mr. Chair, this amendment tackles the question of whether TSA needs to be reorganized to get TSA away from behaving like the Aviation Security Administration. Specifically, it requires an honest assessment of creating two equal positions at the deputy assistant secretary level, one for surface transportation security and one for aviation security. It also articulates a sense of congress that the creation of a deputy assistant secretary for surface transportation security will provide the focused leadership and resource management necessary to secure surface transportation in a manner commensurate with aviation security. Third, in the area of pipeline security, the amendment contains a provision offered at the markup by the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bilirakis). This provision instructs the Comptroller General to study the roles and responsibilities of DHS and the Department of Transportation with respect to pipeline security in order to better secure our pipelines against intentional breaches. Fourth, Mr. Chair, regarding workforce improvement, the amendment instructs the DHS Secretary to study the feasibility and merits of establishing a centralized advanced aviation training facility. Finally, Mr. Chair, the amendment contains a provision to address the special needs of travelers with artificial metal implants. The amendment contains a provision requiring TSA to establish a program to screen passengers with metal implants. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment that makes key improvements to an already robust security bill. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I have an amendment at the desk.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself the balance of the time. In closing, I would emphasize the importance of passing the Transportation Security Administration Authorization Act. This bill is the first comprehensive authorization bill for TSA since its creation in 2001. It is the product of extensive bipartisan negotiation and reflects input from GAO, DHS, IG and oversight conducted by the Committee on Homeland Security. It makes major investments in surface transportation and triples the overall funding for TSA activities. Mr. Chairman, let me for the record say that there are 239 detainees presently housed at Gitmo. Under this legislation, all those individuals, if they were found innocent or guilty, will go on the No Fly List. So there is no question about the intent of this legislation to put those individuals on the No Fly List. Apart from that, this is a good bill, and I urge its adoption.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I recognize the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. Lowey) for 1 minute.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, I recognize the gentlelady from California (Ms. Richardson) for 1 minute.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, may I inquire how much time is remaining?

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I would like to acknowledge and recognize the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. DeFazio) for 1 minute to make another attempt to clarify for this body the issue around Gitmo and detainees on the No Fly List.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I agree with you. If those individuals have been captured who have been released, then the procedure automatically places them on the No Fly List. There is no question. As to how many there are, I don't know. But, again, I say to my colleague from Texas, there is no real debate on the issue of being on the No Fly List.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. But that has nothing to do with the legislation before us today.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. I thank the gentleman for yielding the time. If you read the legislation, it talks about those detainees from Gitmo being on the No Fly List. So I don't know what is it we can do to solve the issue other than to refer people to page 87 of House bill 2200 and you can see--and we don't have a disagreement.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. At this point, I'll take it in two phases. There are some obvious misunderstandings of this legislation.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton).

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, again, I support the amendment. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chair, the Roskam amendment builds on this effort to require TSA to engage in an open and constructive dialogue on the security priorities that matter most to State and local transit agencies. In these difficult times, it is more important than ever that we endeavor to make sure our State and local transit agencies are able to maximize their limited resources to implement effective and cost-effective security programs. The Roskam amendment supports that effort. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to vote ``aye'' on this amendment. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Chairman, while not opposed to the amendment, I ask unanimous consent to claim in time in opposition.