Civil Air Patrol Homeland Security Support Act of 2007

CIVIL AIR PATROL HOMELAND SECURITY SUPPORT ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - June 18, 2008)

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Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1333, Civil Air Patrol Homeland Security Support Act of 2007, introduced by my distinguished colleague from Pennsylvania, Representative Dent. This important legislation is a first step for the Committee on Homeland Security to understand how the Civil Air Patrol can provide necessary Homeland Security assistance.

The Civil Air Patrol is a prime example of how Americans can get involved to support our Nation's preparedness and response to emergencies as well as our Nation's great history of civil aviation and aerospace education. The Civil Air Patrol is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and also serves as the U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, when given an Air Force assignment for a Federal support mission. The Civil Air Patrol flies missions in one of two ways: they are either assigned an Air Force mission, wherein they fly on behalf of the Federal Government as the Air Force Auxiliary, or they fly in their non-profit status based on requests from State and local governments or other organizations, many of which have MOU's with the Civil Air Patrol that govern their partnerships. As such, the Civil Air Patrol

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performs a vital service for this Nation, one which must be further examines and utilized.

Over the course of any given year, the Civil Air Patrol is responsible for conducting over 90 percent of the Nation's inland search and rescue operations on behalf of the Air Force. In fiscal year 2007 alone, the Civil Air Patrol helped save 103 lives. Beyond that capacity to execute search and rescue missions, the. Civil Air Patrol can also provide emergency transport for sensitive medical materials and conducts low-altitude reconnaissance surveys for the Government. Even with the Civil Air Patrol is not in the air but working on the ground, their volunteers have pitched in to assist with disaster response.

This important legislation will require that the GAG examine how the Civil Air Patrol's proficiency in aerial reconnaissance and communications can enhance our border security. It furthermore will assess the Civil Air Patrol's experience in conducting damage assessment and enhancing situational awareness and how that might be utilized to improve our Nation's collective response to an act of terrorism, natural disaster, or other man-made event. The GAG report produced by this legislation will be utilized to paint a clear picture of the cost-effectiveness of using Civil Air Patrol assets for homeland security missions and help this committee to understand whether the current mechanisms for Federal agencies and States to request CAP support are adequate.

In this age of a global war on terror, it is imperative that we utilize aIl the assets available to us to secure our homeland. The Civil Air Patrol has been an invaluable resource for this Nation and embodies the volunteer service that makes our Nation great. I commend the Civil Air Patrol for their commitment to service and protecting this country, and I support this legislation that seeks to further examine how we might use them for their homeland security capacity.

I wholeheartedly support this legislation and strongly urge all of my colleagues to join me in doing so.

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