Tampa Republic

Washington, D.C. – On July 25, 2023, Congresswoman Laurel Lee (R-FL) released the following statement following the House passing H.R. 4470, the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorists Attacks Act of 2023. This bill will extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) authority to ensure the security measures and standards of chemical facilities are reauthorized.

“The CFATS program identifies and regulates high-risk chemical facilities across the U.S. to ensure they have security measures in place to reduce the risks associated with certain chemicals and terrorist threats posed by foreign actors,” said Rep. Laurel Lee. “My bill will ensure that the CFATS Program remains authorized so that Department of Homeland Security Officials can continue working with these facilities to keep our communities safe.”

“I am proud the House worked on a bipartisan basis today to keep chemical facilities protected from terrorists and safeguard the surrounding communities in the event of an emergency,” said House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green. “As threats to the homeland grow more complex, DHS must continue utilizing CFATS to ensure the physical and cyber security of regulated facilities in strong partnership with the private sector.”

“I applaud the House for working in a bipartisan manner to reauthorize the CFATS Program, ensuring communities across the country can remain protected from terrorist attacks,” Rep. Lee continued. “Collaboration between industry leaders and the Department of Homeland Security has never been more important with cyberattacks becoming more common. I'd like to thank Chairman Green for his leadership and support during the process of moving this bill.”

Read the full bill text here.

This bill heads to the Senate for consideration. The CFATS Program expires July 27th.

Click here to watch Rep. Laurel Lee’s House Floor remarks.

Original source can be found here.