Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010

Floor Speech

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Mr. WU. I thank the gentlewoman for her kind comments.

I rise in support of the Homeland Security Science and Technology Authorization Act of 2010, which reauthorizes the activities of the Science and Technology Directorate and the DNDO at the Department of Homeland Security.

As the chair of the Science and Technology Committee's Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, I very much appreciate the important role that technology plays in empowering DHS to carry out its very, very important mission. The Science and Technology Directorate is responsible for ensuring that those who are responsible for keeping us safe have the best tools and the most up-to-date technologies to get their job done.

Over the last year and a half, my subcommittee, the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee, has held multiple hearings on the work being carried out by the Science and Technology Directorate and the DNDO. Through these hearings, we were able to identify critical areas where the directorate could use new tools or, in some cases, new direction to help it achieve its mission effectively and efficiently.

I look forward to working with the Homeland Security Committee to address some of the issues that arose during my subcommittee's hearings, particularly those relating to the public's acceptance of new technologies.

For example, I remain very concerned about TSA's decision to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to deploy full-body scanners in airports across the country without fully understanding the potential reluctance of the public to accept these technologies. This research into acceptance should be done before purchase to avoid wasting taxpayer money.

I want to thank Chairman THOMPSON, Chairwoman CLARKE, Ranking Member KING, and Ranking Member Lungren for their work on this important legislation.

I am pleased that our committees were able to work together over the last couple of months to craft this important bipartisan legislation, and I hope that this reauthorization bill will improve the way the Department sets priorities for its research and involves the end users of equipment to ensure that new technology is actually deployable and usable in the field. This has been a gaping shortfall to date.

The reauthorization bill we are considering today takes important steps forward in improving the research and development conducted by DHS, and I look forward to having the Science and Technology Committee work with the chairwoman's subcommittee in exercising our oversight and in continuing to improve the vital research capacity at the Department of Homeland Security.

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