Vehicular Terrorism: Does Homeland Security Need to Tell Congress How it’s Mitigating the Threat? (H.R. 4227)

What is H.R. 4227?

(Updated January 14, 2019)

This bill would require the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to examine actions it’s undertaking to combat the threat of vehicular terrorism. Within six months DHS would have to provide the homeland security committees in Congress detailing: the current threat level for vehicular terrorism; actions DHS is taking to guard against vehicular terrorism; ways to mitigate the threat; the extent to which DHS is doing outreach or training with private sector partners to respond to vehicular terror threats; and ways Congress can held DHS mitigate the threat.

Argument in favor

Vehicular terrorism poses a serious threat, and Congress should work with the Dept. of Homeland Security to reinforce and expand upon actions being taken to mitigate the threat. This bill ensures that happens.

Argument opposed

While it’s helpful for the Dept. of Homeland Security to report on what it’s doing and what more can be done to prevent vehicular terrorism, this bill won’t directly lead to any actions being taken.

Impact

The Dept. of Homeland Security; and Congress.

Cost of H.R. 4227

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: Sponsoring Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) introduced this bill to combat vehicular terrorism and direct the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) to provide feedback to Congress on the issue:

“Seeing the rise of this type of tactic in Europe gave me great concern that it was only a matter of time before terrorists would use similar means in the U.S. to kill and injure Americans. This week’s tragic attack in New York City shows that this fear is well-founded, and DHS needs to take the appropriate actions to prevent these assaults on innocent lives. The bipartisan Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act will ensure that steps are taken — and the necessary tools are provided — to prevent these heinous attacks.”

This legislation passed the House Homeland Security Committee on a voice vote and has the support of 11 bipartisan cosponsors, including eight Republicans and three Democrats.

Of Note: In recent years there have been several high profile domestic incidents of vehicular terrorism, including by radical Islamic terrorists at Ohio State University in 2016 (13 injured), in New York City on October 31, 2017 (eight dead, 11 injured), and by a white nationalist in Charlottesville, Virginia (one dead, 19 injured). Additionally there have been numerous vehicular terrorist attacks carried out in Europe, including in London, Paris, and Barcelona.

Media:

• Sponsoring Rep. Bob Latta (R-OH) Press Release