Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5206, the OBIM Authorization Act of 2018. First, I want to begin by commending the gentlewoman from Arizona for sponsoring this piece of legislation. It is very thoughtful and certainly very timely. Of course, I am not surprised that she would come up with such a great idea, knowing that she originally hails from Rhode Island and comes from great roots. So I am not surprised that she would come up with a great idea like this. Mr. Speaker, for the past decade, the Department of Homeland Security has collected biometric data from foreign nationals and U.S. citizens for a wide range of purposes, including counterterrorism, border security, credentialing, national security, and public safety. Over that time, the Office of Biometric Identity Management, or OBIM, has become a repository for more than 240 million biometrics, such as fingerprints and photographs collected by DHS. OBIM is charged with analyzing biometric data, sending updates to critical terror watch lists, and sharing information with trusted partners inside and outside the Federal Government to support law enforcement, public safety, national security, and homeland security. Given the sensitivity of this type of biometric data and its increasing integration into security programs, I am pleased that H.R. 5206 requires this office to comply with privacy policies and procedures established by the DHS privacy officer.…”