James Oberstar: “Mr. Chairman, I join at the outset with our chairman, the gentleman from Alaska, in expressing support for reserving to…”

“Mr. Chairman, I join at the outset with our chairman, the gentleman from Alaska, in expressing support for reserving to the next Congress the issue of jurisdiction of homeland security and how the matter of legislative authority over these issues should be handled. Unfortunately, the bill we are considering, H.R. 10, implements only 11 of the 41 recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. Our committee actually reported stronger language and better provisions than are in the vehicle before us today, and, had the process provided for it, our committee proposals in aviation and in transit would have been superior to what is in the pending legislation. Actually the Menendez amendment in the nature of a substitute is superior. It implements all of the Commission recommendations and borrows from the other body's approach, which passed the other body 96 to 2. We are not likely to have that kind of outcome on the House floor today.”