Date: 2010-05-11
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H. Res 1187. "Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with respect to raising public awareness of and helping to prevent attacks against Federal employees while engaged in or on account of the performance of official duties." H. Res. 1187 will resolve that the House of Representatives: Expresses the Nations appreciation for the outstanding contributions made by Federal employees to the United States. Supports the goal of protecting the safety and security of our Federal employees. and Urges that the Government seek ways to improve the safety and security of our Federal employees. I rise today to urge the passing of House Resolution 1187. Not too long ago our country suffered from the Oklahoma City bombing. one of the deadliest acts of domestic terrorism on American soil. This cowardly act of terrorism killed 168 people. 19 of them children. The victims were mothers. fathers. sons. daughters. grandparents. grandchildren. friends. and coworkers. The bombing in Oklahoma City was a direct attack against the dedicated men and women of the Federal Civil Service. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building housed 14 Federal agencies. and nearly 100 Federal employees lost their lives that morning. We must honor their sacrifice by remaining steadfast in our commitment to prevent future attacks on the Federal government. Federal employees. and other acts of domestic terror. I am deeply troubled by recent threats of violence against government employees. This February. an attack on Federal offices threatened the lives of 200 IRS workers and took the life of Vernon Hunter. a 20year army Veteran who served two tours in Vietnam. a loving husband. father. grandfather. and mentor to coworkers at the IRS. The Oklahoma City bombing and the most recent attacks serve as stark reminders that threats against Federal employees may pose real dangers. They remind us of our solemn duty to protect our public servants. After the Oklahoma City bombing. President Bill Clinton directed the Department of Justice to assess the vulnerability of Federal office buildings. Prior to this study. no formal governmentwide standards existed for Federal buildings. The IRS has recorded some 1.200 attacks on its employees since 2001. The Justice Department investigates some 300 cases per year. In March. a deranged individual walked up to the Pentagon entrance and opened fire with a semiautomatic weapon injuring two Pentagon guards. In February. a plane was flown into the IRS building in Austin. TX in an act of murdersuicide that claimed the life of a twotour Vietnam Veteran. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. the responsibility to protect our Federal facilities was transferred to the Federal Protective Service (FPS). The FPS is a federal law enforcement agency that provides integrated security and law enforcement services to federally owned and leased buildings and facilities. As a member of the Homeland Security Committee and Chairwoman of the Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee. I am committed to working with my colleagues to support federal legislation that will protect our federal employees. I support the mission of the FPS that renders federal properties safe and secure for federal employees. officials and visitors in a professional and cost effective manner by deploying a highly trained and multidisciplined police force. As the federal agency charged with protecting and delivering integrated law enforcement and security services to facilities owned or leased by the General Services Administration. FPS employs 1.225 federal staff (including 900 law enforcement security officers. criminal investigators. police officers. and support personnel) and 15.000 contract guard staff to secure over 9.000 buildings and safeguard their occupants. The FPS has a critical infrastructure and key resources of the United States that are essential to our nations security. public health and safety. economic vitality and way of life. FPS protects one component of the nations infrastructure by mitigating risk to federal facilities and their occupants. As we remember the victims and survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing and other acts of terrorism. let us all take a moment to reflect upon the dedication and sacrifices of the men and women who work hard to keep our federal buildings secure and those of us who work in them safe. Federal workers maintain our national parks. wildlife refuges. and forests. and secure our borders. and in times of natural disaster. The more than two million civilian employees in the federal workforce deserve a reasonable degree of personal safety and security while carrying out their duties. It is incumbent upon the Congress and the Administration to look for ways to improve their safety. I support H. Res 1187 and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.