E-mail from Scott Perry:

As part of a larger effort to improve government transparency and keep the constituents of Pennsylvania's 4th Congressional District informed of current legislative business, I send out updates at the beginning of each Session week as an overview of legislative matters to be addressed. This week, the House is scheduled to consider a number of bills related America’s national security and foreign affairs.

Streamlining the Department of Homeland Security      
  The House is set to consider a bill I authored to make the Department of Homeland Security more efficient. The HSA Technical Corrections Act (HR 3859) amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 by updating obsolete language and striking outdated offices and reporting requirements. In the aftermath of September 11, 2001, Congress passed the HSA, the organizing document of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to enhance the ability of the federal government to prevent future acts of domestic terrorism. In the intervening years, agencies have changed names, roles and responsibilities have shifted, and a number of reporting requirements have expired. By cleaning up the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the HSA Technical Corrections Act ensures that the organizing document of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) more accurately reflects the mission of DHS and thereby allows Congress to conduct more effective oversight of the Department. The full text of my legislation can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/1Oel3ER

Foreign Aid Transparency        
The House will also consider the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (HR 3766), which will provide greater oversight of foreign aid programs. First, it requires the President to establish guidelines on measurable goals, performance metrics, and monitoring and evaluation plans for all foreign aid programs. Second, it increases aid transparency by codifying current best practices and increasing the amount of information required to be posted online, including actual expenditures and evaluations. I am a cosponsor of this legislation.The full text of this legislation can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/1SJVuzq

Visa Waiver Program Reform         The House will vote on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act (HR 158), which closes VWP security gaps and adds additional layers of additional protection by:

• Denying VWP status to individuals who have connections to terrorist hotspots.
• Demanding strong intelligence and law enforcement information sharing.
• Enhancing screening of all travelers in VWP countries.
• Preventing extremists from using fraudulent documents to evade detection.
• Increasing threat monitoring of VWP countries.
• Taking steps to ensure VWP travelers do not falsify their background information

As thousands of Syrian refugees are set to be resettled in European countries – most of which participate in the VWP – this has raised legitimate concerns that terrorists could come to the United States through this fast-track system. Reforms contained in this legislation are essential to defend our homeland from these terrorist threats.The full text of this legislation can be found here http://1.usa.gov/1XWO2lWA list of all legislation to be considered by the House this week can be found here: http://1.usa.gov/1ruiQdd       

As always, if you have questions or concerns on any issue or need help with a federal agency, please contact our offices anytime.   Scott Perry

Last edited by Common Sense (12/08/2015 1:16 pm)