Implementing The 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007
IMPLEMENTING THE 9/11 COMMISSION RECOMMENDATIONS ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - January 09, 2007)
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, it is no mere coincidence that this legislation, which will implement the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, is designated as House Resolution No. 1 in this new Congress. Our first and highest responsibility as Members of this Congress is to protect the American people, to defend our homeland, and to strengthen our national security. The fact is, our Nation today, 5 1/2 years after the attacks of September 11th, is still not as safe as it should and must be.
As Tom Kean, the former Republican Governor of New Jersey and cochair of the 9/11 Commission observed just a few months ago, ``We're not protecting our own people in this country. The government is not doing its job.' That is the former Republican Governor of New Jersey, the cochair of the Commission.
Today, however, through this important legislation, this House will take a vital step forward in protecting our people and our Nation. We have taken steps, there is no doubt about that. We have taken steps together in a bipartisan way, but we have not taken all the steps we could take. And that is the point of the gentleman from Mississippi, and I support his contention.
This legislation among other things will substantially improve our homeland security by doing the following:
Significantly increasing the share of state homeland security grants provided on the basis of risk. I know that my good friend, the former chairman of the committee, agrees with that proposition. In fact, we passed it through this House; unfortunately, the Senate did not.
Creating a stand-alone grant program for interoperable communications for first responders. Curt Weldon and I have chaired for a long time the Fire Service Caucus. Interoperability is a critical issue for our country and for our security.
Phasing in the requirement of 100 percent inspection of air cargo over the next 3 years and 100 percent scanning of U.S.-bound shipping containers over the next 5 years. How can we have security in America if literally thousands of tons of cargo is being shipped in either by air or ship that we don't know its content?
Accelerating the installation of explosive detection systems for checked baggage. A critical step.
Furthermore, H.R. 1 will help us prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons of mass destruction. It will strengthen the cooperative threat reduction or Nunn-Lugar programs; create a coordinator for the prevention of weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorism; and strengthen efforts to eliminate a nuclear black market network. I would think all of us would want to see those objectives accomplished.
Additionally, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1 seeks to reduce extremism by enhancing the International Arab and Muslim Youth Opportunity Fund and establishing a Middle East foundation that will promote economic opportunities, education reform, human rights and democracy in the Middle East, all of which was proposed by Governor Kean, Mr. Hamilton and unanimously the 9/11 Commission.
It also bears noting, Mr. Speaker, that this bill will strengthen the Privacy and Civil Liberties Board, removing the board from the executive office of the President and making it an independent agency and granting the board subpoena power.
I mention these provisions because I believe they demonstrate that we can improve our security without compromising the democratic principles upon which this great Nation was founded.
Let no one, however, be mistaken: This legislation alone, nor perhaps any legislation, can immunize our Nation from attack. However, it represents an important step forward for our national security. That is why we wanted to accomplish it in the first 100 hours of our deliberation.
As former Congressman Lee Hamilton, the other cochair of the 9/11 Commission noted, Mr. Speaker, just yesterday, ``The bottom line is, if this bill, H.R. 1, is enacted, funded and implemented, then the American people will be safer.'
That is our objective. I am confident that is the objective of every Member of this House, Democrat or Republican. That is our responsibility.
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle, Mr. Speaker, to support this critically important piece of legislation.
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