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DARREN DRAKE ACT
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 4089) to direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate best practices for rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies at the point of sale of a covered rental vehicle to prevent and mitigate acts of terrorism using motor vehicles, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 4089
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Darren Drake Act''.
SEC. 2. BEST PRACTICES RELATED TO CERTAIN INFORMATION
COLLECTED BY RENTAL COMPANIES AND DEALERS.
(a) Development and Dissemination.--
(1) In general.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall develop and disseminate best practices for rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies at the point of sale of a covered rental vehicle.
(2) Consultation; updates.--The Secretary shall develop and, as necessary, update the best practices described in paragraph (1) after consultation with Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies and relevant transportation security stakeholders.
(3) Guidance on suspicious behavior.--The Secretary shall include, in the best practices developed under paragraph (1), guidance on defining and identifying suspicious behavior in a manner that protects civil rights and civil liberties.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this section, including an assessment of--
(1) the impact of the best practices described in subsection (a) on efforts to protect the United States against terrorist attacks; and
(2) ways to improve and expand cooperation and engagement between--
(A) the Department of Homeland Security;
(B) Federal, State, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies; and
(C) rental companies, dealers, and other relevant rental industry stakeholders.
(c) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The terms ``dealer'' and ``rental company'' have the meanings given those terms in section 30102 of title 49, United States Code.
(2) The term ``covered rental vehicle'' means a motor vehicle that--
(A) is rented without a driver for an initial term of less than 4 months; and
(B) is part of a motor vehicle fleet of 35 or more motor vehicles that are used for rental purposes by a rental company.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) and the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Guest) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson).
General Leave
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Mississippi?
There was no objection.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4089, the Darren Drake Act.
This month the Nation observed the 20th anniversary of the September 11th attacks. Next month we mark the fourth anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack to be carried out in New York City since the 9/11 attacks.
In that attack, a lone wolf, inspired by ISIS, rammed a rented truck into pedestrians and cyclists who were out enjoying a sunny Halloween afternoon on a pathway that ran along the Hudson River.
That attack took the lives of 8 people and injured 11 others. One of the victims of the attack was Darren Drake, a 32-year-old bicyclist and the namesake for this important legislation.
While it is not within our power to bring back Darren Drake or the seven other victims of this tragedy, we do have the ability to learn from this event to better address the threats of vehicle-based attacks.
H.R. 4089, introduced by my colleague from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), seeks to ensure that rental vehicle facilities, like the one where Darren Drake's killer rented a truck, are better equipped to prevent vehicle-based attacks.
Specifically, the Darren Drake Act requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop best practices for vehicle rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior in a manner that protects civil rights and civil liberties.
The bill directs DHS to consult and share best practices with State and local partners and rental companies to help strengthen communication and relationships to guard against vehicle-based attacks.
H.R. 4089 is a commonsense measure that acknowledges that vehicle rental companies are important partners in efforts to prevent vehicle-
based terrorist attacks and provide them with the tools to identify suspicious behavior and notify authorities.
I urge my colleagues to support the Darren Drake Act and reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4089, the Darren Drake Act.
In the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, it is critical that we remain vigilant to threats posed by terrorists and extremist organizations.
Over the past two decades, terrorists have carried out multiple vehicle-ramming attacks in North America and Western Europe.
Al-Qaida and ISIS have promoted these type of attacks for years, including in Inspire, the online magazine of al-Qaida, and Rumiya, ISIS's magazine.
ISIS has called upon its followers to conduct vehicle-ramming attacks by buying, renting, stealing, or borrowing trucks and targeting large outdoor events, crowded pedestrian streets, outdoor markets, and rallies.
This legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate best practices for rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement agencies at the point of sale of a covered rental vehicle to prevent and mitigate acts of terrorism using these motor vehicles.
This represents an important tool for addressing extremist threats--
the ability of government and the private sector to work together to mitigate terrorism risk.
I urge Members to join me in supporting H.R. 4089, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Gottheimer), the sponsor of this bill.
Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 4089, the Darren Drake Act, bipartisan legislation I introduced in the Committee on Homeland Security with my Republican colleague and co-
chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, the gentleman from Pennsylvania
(Mr. Fitzpatrick), to help prevent terrorist vehicle attacks and to protect Americans nationwide.
This legislation is named in memory of a constituent from my district, Darren Drake from New Milford, New Jersey, who was one of those tragically killed in the terrorist attack in Lower Manhattan on October 31, 2017, when an ISIS-inspired terrorist drove a rented pickup truck into cyclists and runners for one mile along the West Side Highway, killing eight.
The bill takes critical steps to stop these weapons of terror and help prevent terrorist truck attacks by requiring the Department of Homeland Security to develop and disseminate best practices for vehicle rental companies and dealers to report suspicious behavior to law enforcement.
These best practices will be developed and updated in consultation with State and local law enforcement as well as industry experts.
This crucial legislation will provide rental companies and car dealers with the vital information they need to flag and stop potential terrorist threats in their tracks. We can take no chances when it comes to terrorism, which is why this bill will help ensure all rental companies report suspicious behavior at every point of sale. No excuses. We simply cannot afford any excuses when it comes to a question of life or death.
The bill will also require the Secretary of Homeland Security to report to Congress regarding the implementation of these best practices and other ways they are helping improve coordination between the Department and rental vehicle providers.
This commonsense, bipartisan bill is aimed at stopping ISIS-inspired, lone wolf, and domestic terrorists from easily trucks and other vehicles to wreak havoc and cause mass destruction and health. It is an important addition to our arsenal as we work to eradicate threats of terror across our Nation.
I want to thank Darren's parents, Jimmy and Barbara Drake, who have become dear friends, for working with me on this effort. I thank them for their leadership. We will continue working to ensure this measure becomes law, in Darren's memory and honor, to help prevent future attacks and save lives. It is the least we can do.
Madam Speaker, I strongly urge all my colleagues to support this commonsense, bipartisan legislation to help our Nation fully combat terror wherever it rears its ugly head.
Mr. GUEST. Madam Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I urge Members to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.
Madam Speaker, from the 2016 Bastille Day truck attack in France to the 2017 deadly car ramming in Charlottesville to the 2017 attack that took the lives of Darren Drake and seven others, we have seen the use of vehicles to carry out terrorist attacks become disturbingly common.
Our Nation faces a complex and evolving threat landscape. But the threat of vehicle-ramming attacks is not going away.
As long as would-be terrorists seek to use rental vehicles as weapons of terror, we must provide rental dealers with the ability to do their part.
I urge my colleagues to support the Darren Drake Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Mississippi (Mr. Thompson) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 4089, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. POSEY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion are postponed.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 170
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