Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I am a strong cosponsor of H.R. 809, a bill to provide a higher level of law enforcement professionalism in the Federal Protective Service, or FPS. The FPS is responsible for providing security not only in Federal buildings but also for the public who visit those buildings and the employees who work in them. For over a year, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, Hazardous Materials and Pipeline Transportation has reviewed and considered a bill to make the Federal Protective Service an independent entity within the General Services Administration. Through several Congresses, the subcommittee held hearings on the status of security in government-owned buildings. However, the nature of threats to Federal property changed forever with the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. In general, the subcommittee was concerned about the quality of Federal protection, including the use of contract guard services. The Members focused on the overall management of the FPS and received testimony from the General Accounting Office reporting how well the public building services was managing the protective function. We became convinced that separating the Federal Protective Service from the real estate function in GSA would help achieve a higher level of professionalism we thought essential in Federal buildings today.”