Sheila Jackson Lee: “As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, and former ranking member of its Border and Maritime Security…”

“As a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, and former ranking member of its Border and Maritime Security Subcommittee, I rise in support of H.R. 3586, the ``Border and Maritime Coordination Improvement Act.'' Our Nation has thousands of miles of coastlines, lakes, and rivers and hundreds of ports that provide opportunities for legitimate travel, trade, and recreation. There are currently 328 ports of entry to the U.S., including 167 land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico, staffed by approximately 21,000 CBP officers in the U.S. and abroad. There are more people and goods coming through our ports of entry than ever before. Last fiscal year, CBP inspected more than 360 million travelers at our air, land, and sea ports of entry. Since 2009, we have seen growth in both trade and travel. In Fiscal Year 2013, total passenger volume was 6.4% higher and total import value was nearly 40% higher than in Fiscal Year 2011. Houston's George Bush International and the William P. Hobby Airports are vital hubs for domestic and international air travel: 1. Nearly 40 million passengers traveled through Bush International Airport (IAH) and an additional 10 million traveled through William P. Hobby (HOU); 2. More than 650 daily departures occur at IAH; 3. IAH is the 11th busiest airport in the U.S. for total passenger traffic; and 4. IAH has 12 all-cargo airlines that handled more than 419,205 metric tons of cargo in 2012.…”