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Bill enacts recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, protects terror tipsters

U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx today voted for the final version of a bill (H.R. 1) that will enact several recommendations of the 9/11 Commission. The bill contains provisions that allow for the screening of seaborne cargo as well as strong protections for individuals who report suspicious activity to authorities.

“This legislation grants crucial protection to average Americans who are on the lookout for activity that looks suspiciously like terrorist activity,” Foxx said. “While this bill is far from perfect, it builds on previous Republican legislation that acted on 39 of the 9/11 Commission’s 41 recommendations to protect Americans.”

The issue of protecting tipsters arose after a number of “John Doe” defendants were recently sued for reporting the suspicious behavior of fellow passengers on a flight last November. These protections were included in the bill at the urging of Republicans in both the House and Senate. In addition to measures to protect terror tipsters, this bill will improve homeland security information sharing among branches of the government.

Though unrelated to the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, a provision granting collective bargaining rights to the Transportation Security Administration’s 56,000 baggage screeners was initially part of this bill.

“Thanks to the efforts of Republicans, a Big Labor payback that would have hindered the government’s ability to protect travelers and respond to national security threats was removed from the original bill,” Foxx said. “This provision would have allowed Big Labor’s union contract negotiating to pull vital security personnel off the job, undermining our homeland security. Thankfully, this harmful provision did not survive the negotiating process.”

The 9/11 Commission legislation passed the House on a vote of 371-40.

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