Benjamin Gilman: “I rise to offer my support to Chairman Hyde for his work in the area of antiterrorism. It has been 1 year since the…”

“I rise to offer my support to Chairman Hyde for his work in the area of antiterrorism. It has been 1 year since the bombing attack in Oklahoma and over 2 years since the bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. In an effort to help protect against such events from happening again, we have before us today a measure that will ensure the protection of both our Nation's citizens and its borders. Included in H.R. 2703 are many important provisions aimed at combating terrorism here at home and around the world. First is a provision establishing criminal asset forfeiture authority for visa and passport offenses. This initiative comes about after the revelation that 9 of 35 Federal indictment counts in the World Trade Center bombing were for visa and passport fraud, with the criminal penalties no more than a mere slap on the wrist. Initially we changed this in the 103d Congress. This is the next logical step. Second is waiver authority of written notice based upon denial of certain visa applications, allowing the FBI, DEA, and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies to share data with the State Department for visa denial purposes, without disclosure to alien applicants who have no right to enter the United States. It will also encourage greater information sharing.”