House Passes Seven Homeland Security Bills: Homeland Security Committee Passes 25 Bills Through House in 114th Congress
Press Release
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed seven bipartisan bills that enhance aviation, border, and transportation security at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Homeland Security Committee has now passed 25 bills through the House in the first session of the 114th Congress.
"Yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives took an important step in securing our homeland by passing seven bills that provide the Department of Homeland Security with tools critical to fulfilling its mission. These bills increase DHS' accountability regarding border security technology and strengthen aviation security," said Chairman McCaul. "This is a significant step in the Congressional oversight of DHS and I encourage our counterparts in the Senate to act quickly on this legislation. I would also like to commend the members of the committee for their insightfulness and ability to work together by passing 25 bills this year through the House of Representatives."
Specifically, the House passed the following Homeland Security bills:
H.R. 998, the Preclearance Authorization Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., authorizes DHS to establish U.S. Custom and Border Protection (CBP) preclearance operations in foreign countries to secure the homeland against terrorists and instruments of terror from entering the United States. H.R. 998 passed the House by voice vote.
H.R. 1634, the Border Security Technology Accountability Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., requires DHS to provide written documentation that each border security technology with significant lifecycle cost estimate is meeting cost, schedule, and performance standards. H.R. 1634 passed the House by voice vote.
H.R. 2750, the Improved Security Vetting for Aviation Workers Act of 2015, introduced by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., strengthens the vetting of credentialed aviation workers, who have access to sensitive areas of airports. H.R. 2750 passed the House by voice vote.
H.R. 2843, the TSA PreCheck Expansion Act, introduced by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., focuses on driving-up enrollment and improving the marketing efforts for the TSA PreCheck program. H.R. 2843 passed the House by voice vote.
The House also passed H.R. 2127, the Securing Expedited Screening Act, introduced by Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and H.R. 2206, the State Wide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act, introduced by Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., by voice vote. Additionally, H.R. 2770, the Keeping Our Travelers Safe and Secure Act, introduced by Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., passed the House by a vote of 380-0.
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