James Oberstar: “I rise in support of H.R. 3068. This bill represents an important step in ensuring the safety of Federal employees and…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 3068. This bill represents an important step in ensuring the safety of Federal employees and all those who work in and visit our Federal buildings. I thank the Delegate of the District of Columbia (Ms. Norton), chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, for bringing this issue to the attention of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and for quickly developing and advancing, in a bipartisan manner, a remedy. On April 18, 2007, the committee held a hearing entitled ``Proposals to Downsize the Federal Protective Service and Effects on the Protection of Federal Buildings''. The hearing probed the Department of Homeland Security's plans to cut the presence of Federal Protective Service, FPS, officers nationally. The reliance on contract security guards to protect Federal buildings is a troubling trend. H.R. 3068 prohibits the award of contracts to provide guard services under the contract security guard program of the FPS to any business that is owned, controlled, or operated by an individual who has been convicted of a felony. The bill directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to promulgate regulations within 6 months to implement the provisions of this act.”