National Bombing Prevention Act of 2009

Floor Speech

NATIONAL BOMBING PREVENTION ACT OF 2009 -- (House of Representatives - February 03, 2009)

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Mr. OLSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

This bill authorizes the Office of Bombing Prevention within the Department of Homeland Security. In previous Congresses, it passed on suspension with bipartisan support.

This office will provide the necessary analysis and coordination of our Nation's bomb prevention capability to best protect our citizens from the threat posed by explosive materials.

We only need to look at terrorist activities overseas to understand that conventional and improvised explosive devices are a terrorist's weapon of choice to target military and civilians.

Within the United States, we have been subject to our own share of explosive attacks, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombings, the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the Centennial Olympic Park bombing, and others.

State and local authorities have developed the capabilities to respond to potential explosive threats and to neutralize them. Yet without the office established in this bill, there would be no analysis of our nationwide capability to respond to explosive threats, or where gaps exist in training, equipment, and personnel against a national baseline. This analysis will assist State and local officials in applying for homeland security grants to fill these gaps.

Further, this legislation will authorize the office to continue to promote information sharing and IED security awareness through advanced bomb prevention techniques and usable information.

The office uses a secure Web site, known as ``TRIPwire,'' to provide to bomb prevention officials across the country access to current terrorist IED tactics, techniques and procedures, along with expert analysis and reports, making it a one-stop shop for actionable information.

I previously mentioned our troops' experience with IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan. This legislation instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to work closely with the Department of Defense to take advantage of what our troops have learned on the battlefield, both in tactics and technology, to improve the capability of our first responders here at home.

Preventing a bomb from going off should involve more than just those first responders attempting to neutralize the threat once the bomb has been placed. Education and awareness programs regarding the threat of IEDs are also a piece of this legislation, providing information on explosive precursors to merchants who can recognize suspicious purchases.

The continued need for the Office of Bombing Prevention is clear. It is important to note that this office is not designed to replace existing elements of counter-explosive expertise already found in the Federal Government, but to assist and coordinate State, local, and tribal capability. In fact, the National Tactical Officers Association supports this legislation.

By supporting H.R. 549, we take another step in upholding our responsibility to protect the lives and livelihood of American citizens.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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