September 11, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5821 

to a 48-month course to able to get 

through some of these things. That 

makes no sense, and it’s putting our 

veterans at a disadvantage. 

So I want to thank Mr. STIVERS for 

making this possible. The transition 

can be there. I also want to thank our 

States that have been so willing to 

work with us. There are eight States 

that have already implemented this 

proposal. It will make it easier. It’s the 

right thing to do for our veterans. It 

will give employers great dependable 

employees, and it will make sure these 

veterans do what we know is best for 

their mental health, for their family, 

and for this country—get back to work 

and start doing the things that they 

want to do. 

With that, I thank everyone involved 

for this great bill. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 4057. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. I am happy to yield 

2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio 

(Mr. STIVERS), a veteran of Operation 

Iraqi Freedom. 

Mr. STIVERS. I would like to thank 

the gentleman for yielding, and I would 

like to thank my colleague, Mr. WALZ, 

for his help as we’ve tried to enact the 

Hire at Home Act, which has been 

rolled into this bill. The legislation 

came from a roundtable in my district 

of veterans last fall. And as veterans 

return home today with military training they’ve received, that training is 

not recognized by civilian authorities 

and States, and therefore they’re 

forced to go through redundant training to do the job they were doing in the 

military. 

However, if somebody can do a job 

while serving in a war zone, they can 

certainly do that same job at home in 

a safe environment. 

With so many veterans returning 

home from Iraq and Afghanistan, we 

need to make sure we do everything we 

can to help get them back to work. It’s 

shameful that the unemployment rate 

among post-9/11 veterans is 12.7 percent, according to a recent report of 

the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s 

why we introduced the Hire at Home 

Act. It will help, as Representative 

WALZ said, remove barriers in front of 

these soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines and get them the civilian certifications they need to get them to work 

as soon as they get home. It forces 

States to do this by ensuring that in 

order to receive certain workforce development grants, they have to streamline these certifications. 

I would like to thank all those who 

have helped make this bill happen 

today: Representative WALZ, Representative BILIRAKIS, Representative 

MILLER, and Representative STUTZMAN. 

And I’d like to thank Senator PRYOR

for his interest in the Senate. I would 

like to call on the United State Senate 

to pass this bill as soon as we get it 

done. I’d like to thank the Members of 

this body for their support and urge all 

the Members to support this legislation. 

Mr. FILNER. Mr. Speaker, I have no 

further requests for time, and I yield 

back the balance of my time. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, how 

much time do I have left? 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman has 6 minutes remaining. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 

3 minutes to the gentleman from West 

Virginia (Mr. MCKINLEY). 

Mr. MCKINLEY. Thank you, Congressman BILIRAKIS and Chairman MILLER, for bringing this bill to the floor 

today. 

Let me take this opportunity to 

highlight a segment of the portion 

dealing with safe housing for homeless 

veterans. I had previously sponsored 

this concern in a separate piece of legislation, and it was subsequently 

amended into this bill that’s before us 

today. 

Currently, there are 2,100 community-based homeless veterans service 

providers across the country and many 

other homeless assistance programs 

that have demonstrated impressive 

success reaching homeless veterans. 

I’ve visited some of the shelters in my 

home district in West Virginia and was 

struck by how many were not, unfortunately, in compliance with State, 

local, or Federal building and fire 

codes. 

Consequently, we began to investigate how broad based this issue was 

across America. It was unsettling to 

learn about shelter fires where lives 

have been lost. There’s stories of a 

homeless shelter fire where occupants 

were killed due to the fact that there 

was not a required sprinkler system at 

the facility or dozens were injured 

when a sprinkler system was not working properly or where doors were closed 

that needed to be opened. 

All of these could have been avoided. 

Unfortunately, there is no law mandating a homeless shelter meet building and fire safety codes, only a policy 

within the VA. As a licensed professional engineer, I found this to be an 

egregious omission in the law concerning homeless shelters for veterans. 

The language in this bill would require any organization that seeks funding for VA for services to homeless veterans have documentation that their 

building meets or exceeds all building 

codes. This is commonsense legislation 

that could ensure the well-being of veterans all across America who have fallen on hard times and are in need of the 

most assistance. As a Nation, it should 

be unacceptable for us to allow homeless veterans to be housed in potentially unsafe conditions. 

I appreciate the support of this legislation and this provision from the 

American Legion, the Homeless Veterans Coalition, the International Code 

Council, and the Fire Marshals Association. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for including this language in the bill today and 

for your concern for the safety and the 

living environment of our veterans. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. I am happy to yield 

2 minutes to the chairman of the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, 

the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 

STUTZMAN). 

Mr. STUTZMAN. I thank the gentleman from Florida (Mr. BILIRAKIS) 

for yielding. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong 

support of H.R. 4057, as amended. This 

is a bipartisan bill that at its core will 

help our youngest group of veterans 

make more informed choices about 

how to use their VA education benefits. 

I think it’s very appropriate today that 

as we remember 9/11 and those who died 

that day and those who have died since 

defending our Nation that we are discussing this bill on the floor. The post9/11 GI Bill is a wonderful benefit that 

thousands of veterans are using or have 

used to advance their education and 

training. 

H.R. 4057 will further assist these veterans in making decisions on how to 

best use their GI Bill benefits through 

new, innovative online tools and by 

providing greater transparency on certain data from educational institutions. By helping these veterans make 

more informed choices, we are not only 

putting them on the path to successful 

careers, but we are saving taxpayer 

dollars that may have been misused at 

a training program that didn’t suit the 

veteran’s needs. 

As chairman of the Subcommittee on 

Economic Opportunity, I’m proud of 

the work that Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. 

BRALEY, and the rest of the members of 

the subcommittee have done to improve this bill; and thanks to our colleagues on the Health Subcommittee 

for their provisions as well. I want to 

thank Chairman MILLER and the ranking member for their support of this 

legislation. I ask my colleagues to support the bill. 

Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, once 

again, I encourage all Members to support H.R. 4057, as amended, and I yield 

back the balance of my time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from Florida (Mr. BILIRAKIS) that the House suspend the rules 

and pass the bill, H.R. 4057, as amended. 

The question was taken; and (twothirds being in the affirmative) the 

rules were suspended and the bill, as 

amended, was passed. 

A motion to reconsider was laid on 

the table. 

f 

b 1630 

PUBLIC TRANSIT SECURITY AND 

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT SUPPORT ACT 

Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. 

Speaker, I move to suspend the rules 

and pass the bill (H.R. 3857) to amend 

the Implementing Recommendations of 

the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to include as an eligible use the 

sustainment of specialized operational 

teams used by local law enforcement 


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H5822 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 11, 2012 

under the Transit Security Grant Program, and for other purposes, as 

amended. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The text of the bill is as follows: 

H.R. 3857 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Public Transit 

Security and Local Law Enforcement Support 

Act’’. 

SEC. 2. CLARIFICATION REGARDING USE OF 

GRANT FUNDS RELATING TO OPERATIONAL COSTS OF PUBLIC TRANSIT 

SECURITY. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 1406(b)(2) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135(b)(2)) is 

amended— 

(1) by redesignating subparagraphs (E) 

through (H) as subparagraphs (F) through (I), 

respectively; and 

(2) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the 

following new subparagraph (E): 

‘‘(E) specialized patrol teams, as defined by 

the Secretary in coordination with the recipients 

of grants under this section, including the 

sustainment of such teams without fiscal year 

limitation, as long as the eligible public transportation agency applying for grant funds to 

fund a specialized patrol team submits a 

sustainment plan for maintaining in future 

years the capability or capacity achieved with 

the grant funds;’’. 

(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made 

by subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of 

enactment of this Act and shall apply to grants 

made under section 1406 of the Implementing 

Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 

2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135) on or after such date. 

(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 1406(m)(1) of the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 

2007 (6 U.S.C. 1135(m)(1)) is amended— 

(1) in subparagraph (D) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

the end; 

(2) in subparagraph (E)— 

(A) by striking ‘‘10 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘50 

percent’’; and 

(B) by striking the period and inserting ‘‘; 

and’’; and 

(3) by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘(F) $400,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2012 

and 2013, except that not more than 50 percent 

of such funds in each of such fiscal years may 

be used for operational costs under subsection 

(b)(2).’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 

New York (Mr. TURNER) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. THOMPSON) each will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from New York. 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. TURNER of New York. 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. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from New York? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. 

Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 

may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge the 

passage of H.R. 3857, the Public Transportation Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act, which helps 

local law enforcement meet national 

security demands in a troubled economy. 

Today, we solemnly remember the 

tragedy which took place 11 years ago 

at the Pentagon, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and New York City. 

I am personally reminded when I 

travel from my home in New York to 

D.C., I look toward the southern tip of 

Manhattan where the Twin Towers 

once stood. 

As we also remember the brave New 

York firefighters and police officers 

who ran into the inferno of the World 

Trade Center with no regard for their 

own safety, we should think about the 

brave spirit that lives on in every first 

responder. They are truly our last line 

of defense in an increasingly dangerous 

world, and we should make sure they 

are provided with access to all of the 

resources they need to keep us safe. 

In large metropolitan areas, public 

transit systems are among the most 

vulnerable targets. In New York City, 

the MTA carries over 8 million people 

daily on its subways and buses 

throughout the five boroughs. The 

Transit Security Grant program provides funds to public transit agencies 

in high-risk areas for various security 

projects including the hiring of fulltime personnel for specialized anti-terrorist teams, K–9 units, mobile screening, and public awareness campaigns. 

The program is authorized by the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/ 

11 Commission Act of 2007 and administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in consultation with 

the Transportation Security Administration. 

Grant funds are used to create new 

specialized anti-terror teams, but until 

recently could not be used to sustain 

these teams unless the Department of 

Homeland Security provided a waiver. 

This forced law enforcement to face the 

uncertainty of the waiver process or 

risk losing vital security assets. Fortunately, the Secretary provided some relief last year so that a waiver was not 

required, but without this bill, there is 

nothing to stop the Department of 

Homeland Security from reinstating 

another bureaucratic waiver or process. 

H.R. 3857 streamlines the grant program to make it easier for the specialized security teams to receive funding. 

It authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to provide transit security grant programs to sustain teams 

and also eliminate the bureaucratic 

steps of requiring eligible transit agencies to apply for a waiver. This will 

help avoid countless hours of request, 

preparation, and review. 

I urge my colleagues to support this 

bill because there is nothing more important than protecting our citizens. 

We must make it a priority to ensure 

that the brave men and women who 

work so hard to keep us safe have the 

resources they need as soon as they 

need it. 

I reserve the balance of my time. 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. 

Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3857, 

the Public Transit Security and Local 

Law Enforcement Support Act, and I 

yield myself such time as I may consume. 

As the President stated in his weekly 

address, the anniversary of 9/11 is a 

time to honor and commemorate first 

responders, the victims of the attacks, 

and the members of the Armed Forces 

serving at home and abroad. It’s unfortunate that the Republican majority 

has decided to discontinue the House’s 

tradition of doing just that by considering a resolution honoring the fallen 

and commending our Nation’s bravest 

on this date. 

For years, majority leaders of both 

parties have introduced and scheduled 

consideration of a 9/11 resolution. Surely, if the House has the time to consider the 32 bills scheduled for consideration on the suspension calendar this 

week, it has the time to commemorate 

our Nation’s first responders, the victims of 9/11, and our troops by considering a resolution doing just that. 

Even if some politicians would prefer 

not to mention it, our Nation is still at 

war with Afghanistan. Our troops are 

still in harm’s way, a half a world 

away, fighting a war that was the direct result of the terrorist attacks of 9/ 

11. Accordingly, I would urge the Republican leadership of the House to reconsider their decision to forego consideration of a 9/11 resolution this day. 

As to the legislation under consideration today, I support this bill that, 

thanks to an amendment offered by 

Representative JACKSON LEE during 

committee consideration, authorizes 

$400 million for the Transit Security 

Grant Program. The Transit Security 

Grant Program provides funds to State 

and local jurisdictions that need help 

keeping their transportation systems 

secure. 

As State and local budgets continue 

to face the strain of recovering from 

the economic collapse that occurred 

during the previous administration, we 

have a responsibility to ensure that 

they have the funding needed to build 

and sustain the capacity to protect 

against a terrorist attack. As amended, 

H.R. 3857 does just that. 

With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the 

balance of my time. 

Mr. TURNER of New York. I reserve 

the balance of my time. 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. 

Speaker, I yield as much time as she 

may consume to the gentlelady from 

Houston, Texas (Ms. JACKSON LEE). 

Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me 

thank Mr. TURNER and the ranking 

member, Mr. THOMPSON, for their courtesies of yielding to me and allow me 

to take this moment on the floor on 9/ 

11 to again acknowledge the Members 

of Congress who this morning joined 

each other, if you will, two Houses, 

that came together, on the east steps 

to be able to acknowledge those who 

were lost, and I would like to say those 


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September 11, 2012 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H5823 

who still live in the backdrop of the 

tragedy, for many are still pained by 

the loss of their family members. As we 

know in New York the reading of the 

names, and, of course, the laying of the 

wreath that occurred today at the Pentagon. 

We cannot get those lives back, and 

what we recognize is that those lives 

represented places around the world, 

but it also represented moms and dads. 

Children today have grown up without 

those loved ones because of the horrific 

and heinous tragedy, and some might 

say America’s naivete ́. 

But I am glad to live in a country 

that believes in her freedom. I am glad 

to live in a country of which we claim 

democracy and understand it, understand the freedom of speech and freedom of access, freedom of association. I 

would not want to live anywhere else. 

But we were pained on that day because they attempted to take our 

naivete ́ away from us, our innocence. 

But I am glad that we came together, 

both in terms of allowing people now 

still to travel from the east to the 

west, from the north to the south, to 

have summer vacations, to lay out in 

the open sun. This is our Nation. 

I am grateful for having the privilege 

of serving on the Homeland Security 

Committee. I hold this flag just to indicate that this is a great Nation. 

I’d like to thank our early persons 

who led this committee. Certainly, Mr. 

Chris Cox, Mr. Jim Turner, the Homeland Security Select Committee and 

members who were on that committee. 

b 1640 

I want to acknowledge my outstanding ranking member, Mr. THOMPSON, who has been a great leader on 

these issues. He has been diligent; he 

has been patriotic; he has been loving 

of this country, along with the chairman, Mr. KING, who has worked for the 

common good as we have tried to work 

together. It has not been a perfect 

unity because we have had disagreements. Many of us disagree on the interpretation of democracy and civil liberties, but we all believe in one Nation 

under God, but more importantly, the 

security of this Nation. Mr. THOMPSON, 

I want to thank you for allowing me to 

serve with you and for your leadership. 

It is in that spirit that I rise today to 

speak to H.R. 3857, which amends the 

Implementing Recommendations of the 

9/11 Commission Act of 2007. 

I might just say, Mr. TURNER, that 

there were those of us who were here— 

and you come from New York, and so I 

know that more than likely there were 

people in and around your area, the 

Queens area, who lost their lives, or 

family members. So we acknowledge 

the regions that were impacted, from 

Boston to New York to Pennsylvania. 

And certainly those families whose 

family members were on those airlines, 

we understand, but cannot feel, the 

deep pain that they have today. 

The 9/11 Commission, of course, came 

about mainly through the many families that walked the halls. And let me, 

of course, acknowledge those families 

who even in their pain, again, came to 

the Halls of Congress and asked us to 

do something. So this particular legislation is amending the 9/11 Commission 

Act of 2007 to allow public transportation agencies to be eligible for grants 

for security improvements to be used 

for specialized patrol teams, including 

the sustainment of such teams without 

fiscal year limitation, as long as the 

agency applying for grant funds submits a sustainment plan for maintaining in future years the capability or capacity achieved with the funds. That is 

a good step. It allows local jurisdictions to expand their services as long 

as they’re able to sustain it. 

In January 2007, soon after Democrats took control of the House after 

being in the minority, I joined with my 

colleagues across both sides of the aisle 

and we passed the 9/11 Commission Act 

of 2007. This legislative landmark was 

critical in strengthening our Nation’s 

homeland security efforts. Specifically, 

the 9/11 Act established the Transportation Security Grant Program, which 

provides a vital source of funding for 

our transportation systems across the 

United States. 

Shortly thereafter, I remember a 

conference where the House and Senate 

came together, and I remember the opportunity to establish transportation 

security centers of excellence. I am 

grateful that we established one at 

Texas Southern University, among 

other Historically Black Colleges, 

where we looked at ways of improving 

transportation security. 

Having just been briefed by Texas 

Southern University, I know that they 

are finishing their work, and I want to 

thank the team that led on that program. Those funds were truly used productively, efficiently, and effectively 

to provide new technology, new techniques and vetting procedures on how 

we can truly secure America. 

Since the demise of Osama bin 

Laden—led by the outstanding military 

of the United States of America, guided, directed, of course, by the Commander in Chief, President Obama, and 

the excellent military leadership, the 

National Security Agency, that provided all of the guidance for this enormous task—it has been revealed in the 

public domain that terrorists continue 

to be interested in developing plots to 

sabotage mass transit systems, and of 

course the aviation system. This 

threat, however, is not new. Today, as 

I indicated, marks the 11th anniversary 

since the 9/11 attacks, and as such we 

must take every step to commemorate 

the men and women we lost on that 

day. We also have the responsibility to 

make sure that we do not allow another catastrophic loss of life like the 

one we faced that day. 

In the course of the years since 9/11 

we have seen incidents in London and 

Spain, we’ve seen incidents in Mumbai, 

tragic incidents on mass transit. We 

have also seen the individual efforts 

that have been made to bring down another airline over American soil, or 

certainly en route to the United States 

of America. Therefore, it is imperative 

that Congress examine how the Department of Homeland Security and the 

Transportation Security Administration are addressing the current and 

evolving threat to our transportation 

systems and continue to support programs that have yielded a positive security impact, such as TSA’s Transportation Security Grant Program. I have 

seen in my own transit system the utilization of these funds. I’ve seen the 

utilization, as it has been very effective in canine units. 

Let’s come together around recognizing that the security of America is 

holistic—first, of course, the 

frontliners, meaning the United States 

military; then, of course, the men and 

women who overlap in jurisdiction 

under Homeland Security, the many 

different law enforcements that every 

day work on the border, work on internal enforcement, work at airports, coalesce and collaborate with the FBI and 

DEA and ATF, and others, around the 

question of security. 

I am glad these programs are being 

expanded for security purposes, for efficiency purposes, for utilization of our 

tax dollars in the right way. That is 

why I am pleased to see that the majority and the ranking member, along 

with members of the Democratic part 

of the committee, at my request and 

submission of an amendment, accepted 

my amendment during committee consideration to authorize $400 million for 

the Transportation Security Grant 

Program for FY12 and FY13. This funding will ensure that transportation 

agencies have the resources needed to 

secure our public and mass transit system. I would argue that it complements what we’re doing in aviation, 

which, together, maintains the nucleus, if you will, of transportation security. 

So I’m hoping that this will move 

quickly through the United States Senate and find itself on the President’s 

desk. It is crucial. I then hope that my 

colleagues can come together for us to 

put on the floor a Transportation Security Administration reauthorization. 

We’ve done it before; I know we can do 

it now. And I ask my colleagues to 

come together in the name not only of 

security, but of the families, the 9/11 

Commission, who now bear the brunt of 

that tragic day, along with so many 

others. 

Thank you to our first responders, 

and of course to the men and women 

who now serve around the world and 

those who have come home. I ask my 

colleagues to support H.R. 3857. 

H.R. 3857, ‘‘Public Transit Security and 

Local Law Enforcement Support Act—Amends 

the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/ 

11 Commission Act of 2007 to allow grants to 

eligible public transportation agencies for security improvements to be used for specialized 

patrol teams, including the sustainment of 

such teams without fiscal year 


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H5824 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE September 11, 2012 

limitation, as long as the agency applying for 

grant funds submits a sustainment plan for 

maintaining in future years the capability or 

capacity achieved with the funds.’’ 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 3857, 

the Public Transit Security and Local Law Enforcement Support Act. 

Mr. Speaker, In January 2007, soon after 

Democrats took control of the House, I, along 

with my colleagues across both sides of the 

aisles, championed the 9/11 Commission Act 

of 2007. 

This legislative landmark was critical in 

strengthening our Nation’s homeland security 

efforts. Specifically, the 9/11 Act established 

the Transportation Security Grant Program 

which provides a vital source of funding for 

our transportation systems across the United 

States. 

Since the demise of Osama bin Laden, it 

has been revealed in the public domain that 

terrorists continue to be interested in developing plots to sabotage mass transit systems. 

This threat, however, is not new. 

Today marks the 11th anniversary since the 

9/11 attacks. And as such, we must take 

every step to commemorate the men and 

women we lost on that day. 

We also have the responsibility to make 

sure that we do not allow another catastrophic 

loss of life, like the one we faced that day. 

Therefore, it is imperative that we, Congress, examine how the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security 

Administration are addressing the current and 

evolving threat to our transportation systems 

and continue to support programs that have 

yielded a positive security impact, such as 

TSA’s Transportation Security Grant Program. 

Which is why I am pleased to see that the 

Majority, at my request, accepted my amendment during Committee consideration to authorize $400 million for the Transportation Security Grant Program (TSGP) for FY 12 and 

FY 13. 

This funding will ensure that transportation 

agencies have the resources needed to secure our public and mass transit systems. 

Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. 

Speaker, I have no more speakers. If 

the gentleman from Mississippi has no 

further speakers, I am prepared to 

close once the gentleman does. 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. 

Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 

may consume. 

Mr. Speaker, on this day, above all 

others, we turn our thoughts to those 

who were lost in the tragic events of 9/ 

11. It is unfortunate that the Republican leadership of the House has decided not to continue this body’s tradition of considering a resolution to commemorate first responders, the victims 

of the attack, and members of the 

Armed Forces serving at home and 

abroad. 

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to 

join me in calling for the consideration 

of a 9/11 resolution, and in support of 

H.R. 3857. H.R. 3857 authorizes funds 

critical to ensuring our Nation’s transportation systems are secure. It does so 

to the tune of $400 million, dollars that 

State and local jurisdictions desperately need. 

With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back 

the balance of my time. 

Mr. TURNER of New York. Mr. 

Speaker, I urge Members to support 

the bill, and I yield back the balance of 

my time. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. The 

question is on the motion offered by 

the gentleman from New York (Mr. 

TURNER) that the House suspend the 

rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3857, as 

amended. 

The question was taken. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the 

opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being 

in the affirmative, the ayes have it. 

Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. 

Speaker, on that I demand the yeas 

and nays. 

The yeas and nays were ordered. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this question will be postponed. 

f 

b 1650 

NO-HASSLE FLYING ACT OF 2012 

Mr. WALSH of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, 

I move to suspend the rules and pass 

the bill (H.R. 6028) to authorize the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration) to modify screening requirements for checked baggage arriving 

from preclearance airports, and for 

other purposes, as amended. 

The Clerk read the title of the bill. 

The text of the bill is as follows: 

H.R. 6028 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in 

Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘No-Hassle 

Flying Act of 2012’’. 

SEC. 2. PRECLEARANCE AIRPORTS. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 44901(d) of title 

49, United States Code, is amended by adding 

at the end the following new paragraph: 

‘‘(4) PRECLEARANCE AIRPORTS.— 

‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For a flight or flight 

segment originating at an airport outside 

the United States and traveling from an airport outside the United States where U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection has established preclearance operations, the Assistant 

Secretary (Transportation Security Administration) may, in coordination with U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection, determine 

whether such baggage must be re-screened in 

the United States by an explosives detection 

system before such baggage continues on any 

additional flight or flight segment. 

‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The Assistant Secretary 

may not exercise the authority under subparagraph (A) unless an agreement is in effect between the United States and the country from which the flight originates requiring the implementation of security standards and protocols that are determined by 

the Assistant Secretary in coordination with 

U.S. Customs and Border Protection to be 

comparable to those of the United States and 

therefore sufficiently effective to enable passengers to deplane into sterile areas of airports in the United States. 

‘‘(C) REPORT.—The Assistant Secretary 

shall submit to the Committee on Homeland 

Security of the House of Representatives and 

the Committee on Homeland Security and 

Governmental Affairs of the Senate an annual report on the re-screening of baggage 

under this paragraph. Each such report shall 

include the following for the year covered by 

the report: 

‘‘(i) A list of airports outside the United 

States from which a flight or flight segment 

traveled to the United States for which the 

Assistant Secretary determined, in accordance with the authority under subparagraph 

(A), that checked baggage was not required 

to be re-screened in the United States by an 

explosive detection system before such baggage continued on an additional flight or 

flight segment. 

‘‘(ii) The amount of Federal savings generated from the exercise of such authority.’’. 

(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 

44901 of title 49, United States Code, is 

amended by striking ‘‘explosive’’ each place 

it appears and inserting ‘‘explosives’’. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. WALSH) and the gentleman 

from Mississippi (Mr. THOMPSON) each 

will control 20 minutes. 

The Chair recognizes the gentleman 

from Illinois. 

Mr. WALSH of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, 

I yield myself such time as I may consume. 

GENERAL LEAVE

Mr. WALSH of Illinois. I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 

have 5 legislative days within which to 

revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill 

under consideration. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there 

objection to the request of the gentleman from Illinois? 

There was no objection. 

Mr. WALSH of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, 

earlier this year I introduced H.R. 6028, 

the No-Hassle Flying Act, which is a 

very simple bill that streamlines baggage security measures for international flights. 

Over the past decade, the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol has designated 

14 international airports as 

preclearance airports. They are located 

in Canada, the Caribbean, and Ireland, 

and continue to exhibit comparable security standards to ours right here in 

the United States. When passengers 

originate from one of these airports 

and fly into the U.S., they are not required to go through security again because they have already been fully vetted. Unfortunately, an ambiguity in 

U.S. law does not exempt their bags as 

well. 

U.S. law today requires all baggage 

entering the United States to be rescreened by a TSA agent, regardless of 

where it originates. That means that 

passengers, often on short or late-night 

layovers, must exit security, claim 

their bags from baggage claim, recheck 

them, and go through security again. 

This double security does not equal 

double safety. It equals missed flights, 

more hassles, and it wastes taxpayer 

dollars. 

Therefore, all this bill does is give 

CBP and TSA the authority to exempt 

baggage coming from one of those 14 

preclearance airports from being rescreened as well. This issue was 

brought to my attention by TSA, and 

H.R. 6028 has come together with a 

great deal of their help. 


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