Congressman Kevin Cramer supported a counterterrorism bill passed by the House of Representatives yesterday in response to the deadly terrorist attack at Pulse nightclub in Orlando last Sunday.
H.R. 5471, the Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act, was introduced by Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX), chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. It combines the language of three bills the House passed in March dealing with the threat of home-grown terrorism. These three measures were part of a larger package of nine bipartisan bills sent to the Senate for consideration in March after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, Calif. The Senate has not acted on any of the bills.
This bill responds to the high terror threat environment with measures to enhance security by bolstering efforts to prevent Americans from being recruited by terrorist organizations. It is based primarily on the work of the House Homeland Security Committee's bipartisan Task Force on Combating Terrorist and Foreign Fighter Travel. In September 2015, the task force submitted its final report to Congressional leaders and the President, including more than 50 recommendations for enhancing U.S. national security in light of current terrorist threats. The House has since addressed nearly half of the task force's recommendations in legislation sent to the Senate.
"The shooting in Orlando this week is a somber reminder that there is evil in our country being fueled by terrorist groups whose mission is to kill Americans," Cramer said. "This legislation strengthens our ability to address terrorist recruitment and strengthen counterterrorism efforts. I urge the Senate to consider this legislation immediately and quickly approve it."
The Countering Terrorist Radicalization Act combines the following bills passed by the House in March:
HR 4401 -- Amplifying Local Efforts to Root out Terror (ALERT) Act (Rep. Loudermilk, R-GA): The ALERT Act "scales-up" U.S. government efforts to counter radicalization and terrorist recruitment nationwide by allowing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better use existing fusion centers to reach out to communities. There are nearly 80 fusion centers nationwide that bring together law enforcement agencies, intelligence representatives, first responders, and other state and local organizations, and these nodes can be an important point of outreach to help communities with spotting signs of radicalization and disrupting potential attacks.
HR 4820 -- Combating Terrorist Recruitment Act (Rep. Fleischmann, R-TN): The bill requires the DHS to do more to counter-message terrorist organizations like ISIS that are using social media propaganda to recruit and radicalize potential operatives within American communities. It requires the DHS to use the testimonials of former extremists to fight back against terrorist recruitment. The narratives of former extremists and defectors can help prevent other individuals from being lured down the path to violence and terrorism.
HR 4407 -- Counterterrorism Advisory Board Act (Rep. Katko, R-NY): The bill firmly establishes the Counterterrorism Advisory Board (CTAB) into law and ensures the DHS is effectively integrating intelligence, operations, and policy to combat terrorism. The CTAB is the central counterterrorism decision making body at the DHS and sets the procedures for issuing terrorism alerts. The legislation ensures that the CTAB keeps pace with today's evolving threats, outlines its core duties, requires the Secretary to appoint a DHS-wide Coordinator for Counterterrorism to oversee the board, and puts the CTAB on a strong footing for the future.