Date: 2012-12-31
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

First of all. I want to thank Mr. GOWDY very much for the attentiveness to this legislation and shepherding it so that it has come from the Senate and accepting the Senate amendment. I am on Homeland Security. and I believe that the amendment that has been provided under this legislation originally. H.R. 2076. will expand your intent. and I believe that you believe it as well. I think it is very important to emphasize that we now have extra investigatory skills and techniques and a collaborative effort between Homeland Security personnel and those in the Department of Justice to be utilized by the Homeland Security Secretary. and as well the Attorney General. helping to investigate violent acts or shootings that occur in venues such as schools. colleges. universities. nonFederal office buildings. and other places of public use. This includes mass killings that are three or more killings in a single incident. We all recognize the tragedy of Newtown. but there are tragedies that have faced us over the last couple of years. The President indicated Newtown was the worst day of his administration. but compounded was the Aurora killings. the killings in the Sikh temple. and the acts of heinous murder that occurred in Houston. Texas. where a mother and her daughter were murdered on Christmas Eve. So there are times when the local authorities need immediate assistance. Or the time when we had a child predator. Although this legislation may not define violent acts as such. I can tell you that the community felt violated when a number of children were preyed upon. Through the kindness and the understanding of the local FBI office in Houston and my persistence and the difficulty of coordinating with local authorities because of the sort of uncomfortableness of the involvement of the Federal Government. we overcame that and they participated. and shortly thereafter the predator was captured. Children are impacted. and that is why this legislation is enormously important. I also want to take note of the fact that the gentleman from South Carolina is right that the FBI did not have statutory authority to assist in the investigation of mass killings or other violent crimes that are carried out in nonFederal public places such as schools and universities. We now have put forward this Federal law. Madam Speaker. I rise today in support of H.R. 2076. the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2011. This legislation is an appropriate and necessary measure to keep our citizens safe. Currently the Federal Bureau of Investigation. FBI. does not have statutory authority to assist in the investigation of mass killings or other violent crimes that are carried out in nonfederal public places. such as schools and universities. As of now. when the FBI is asked by state and local law enforcement to assist with related investigations. they frequently comply with the request. despite the possibility that in doing so. the responding officers may be found to be acting outside of their jurisdiction. The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act grants specific authority to the FBI to respond when asked for help by state and local law enforcement. without expanding the jurisdiction of the FBI. The bill allows the FBI to assist in the investigation of a violent crime or mass killing only when asked to do so. The FBI has lent their resources to several high profile investigations in recent history. Last September. when an armed intruder entered the Discovery Communications Building in Rockville. Maryland. the FBI SWAT team assisted the Montgomery County Police Department. and FBI investigators processed the crime scene. In 2009. the American Civic Center in Binghamton. New York was the site of a mass killing when an armed subject killed 13 people. The FBI was asked to assist. and lent their Evidence Response Team. Victim Assistance program. and Behavioral Analysis unit. The FBI also assisted in the investigation to identify the student who opened fire at Virginia Technical Institute in 2007. The FBI lent invaluable assistance to state and local law enforcement to these and many other cases. However. as the law currently standards. there is no specific statutory authority allowing them to do so. The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act specifically authorizes. by legal statute. that which the FBI is consistently asked and expected to do. This bill is an important measure aimed at increasing the safety and security of the American people. When faced with a mass killing or other violent crime. our state and local law enforcement officials should have access to every necessary resource in order to mitigate the situation. identify the perpetrators. and bring them to justice. In Houston. Texas. where I represent the 18th Congressional District. the FBI reports that 22.491 violent crimes in 2010. I know that my constituents would appreciate knowing that their local law enforcement officials have access to the resources of the FBI. should they need them. As a senior Member of both the Judiciary and Homeland Security committees. I have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of the American people. and this legislation does just that. I am pleased at the bipartisan manner in which this bill is being considered. and urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2076. the Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act. I think that is enormously important. Again. I congratulate the passage of this legislation. and I am particularly sensitive to the utilization of the SWAT team. I will take a moment. just to deviate. to be able to thank the chairman of the committee and the ranking member and the ranking member on the Crime Subcommittee for their commitment and interest in children. Today. we were going to further proceed with our commitment to children. and that is in the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant. But my fight will continue in the next term. and I want to thank you. Mr. SMITH. for understanding that the practical aspect of what we were doing was to save children and to prevent a youngster like this from not having a juvenile system that they could in fact have access to. It plays into some of what Mr. GOWDY is speaking about. but it plays into an earlier stage. and that is to ensure that there are court systems. there are mental health systems. there are a number of other systems that our juveniles can have access to that are intervention. that in fact we can take note of the fact that juveniles are bullied. that theres cyberbullying. But I believe its important to stand to fight for another day. So as we support the legislation of