Opening Statement By Rep. Bart Gordon

I’d like to welcome everyone to this morning’s markup, the first full Committee markup of 2008.

Today we will consider three bills reported out of the Technology and Innovation Subcommittee with unanimous support. These three bills deal with public safety, improving the environment and border security—addressing some of the Nation’s most pressing issues.  

H.R. 4847, introduced by the Vice-Chair of the Subcommittee, Representative Mitchell, and co-sponsored by Subcommittee Ranking Member Gingrey, reauthorizes the U.S. Fire Administration.  The U.S. Fire Administration is an important resource for our Nation’s firefighters, providing training, fire safety awareness for the public, data collection, and R&D on fire suppression and prevention research and technology.  This important bill will help ensure the continued success of the USFA in its mission to protect lives and property from fire.

We will also consider H.R. 5161, the Green Transportation Infrastructure Research and Technology Transfer Act, introduced by Chairman Wu. This bipartisan bill supports the development and use of green technology to protect our Nation’s water supply through innovative techniques and materials that can be integrated into transportation infrastructure such as roads and parking lots. By filtering stormwater and slowing runoff, green infrastructure mitigates pollution while saving money and energy. This bill builds upon the good work going on at the Department of Transportation to promote green infrastructure’s widespread use. 

Finally, H.R. 3916, introduced by Ranking Member Hall, authorizes programs at the Department of Homeland Security to improve the technology used to protect the nation’s borders and ports of entry. Border Patrol agents are responsible for securing nearly seven thousand miles of land borders to the North and South, as well as ninety-five thousand miles of shoreline. While our current corps of border patrol agents is doing a commendable job, their job is daunting. Technology can play a vital role in extending observational capabilities, helping border patrol agents locate suspects and monitor the border more effectively.

Mr. Hall’s bill authorizes important programs to enhance the border patrol’s ability to carry out its mission by supporting short and long term research priorities.  It also ensures that new technologies will be useful to border patrol agents by mandating that DHS work to meet cost and training needs of end users when developing these technologies.

I want to commend the T&I Subcommittee for bringing these issues to the Committee’s attention.  All three of these bills were developed via a regular order process of identifying the problem, holding a hearing, and then developing legislation.

I strongly support each of these bills, and look forward to working with my colleagues on the Committee to advance this important legislation.