[House Hearing, 116 Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] MEMBER DAY HEARING ======================================================================= HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED SIXTEENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION __________ OCTOBER 31, 2019 __________ Serial No. 116-48 __________ Printed for the use of the Committee on Homeland Security [GRAPHIC NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT] Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.govinfo.gov __________ U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 40-464 PDF WASHINGTON : 2020 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- COMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY Bennie G. Thompson, Mississippi, Chairman Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Mike Rogers, Alabama James R. Langevin, Rhode Island Peter T. King, New York Cedric L. Richmond, Louisiana Michael T. McCaul, Texas Donald M. Payne, Jr., New Jersey John Katko, New York Kathleen M. Rice, New York Mark Walker, North Carolina J. Luis Correa, California Clay Higgins, Louisiana Xochitl Torres Small, New Mexico Debbie Lesko, Arizona Max Rose, New York Mark Green, Tennessee Lauren Underwood, Illinois Van Taylor, Texas Elissa Slotkin, Michigan John Joyce, Pennsylvania Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Dan Crenshaw, Texas Al Green, Texas Michael Guest, Mississippi Yvette D. Clarke, New York Dan Bishop, North Carolina Dina Titus, Nevada Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey Nanette Diaz Barragan, California Val Butler Demings, Florida Hope Goins, Staff Director Chris Vieson, Minority Staff Director C O N T E N T S ---------- Page Statements The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security.............................................. 1 The Honorable Michael Guest, a Representative in Congress From the State of Mississippi....................................... 1 For the Record The Honorable Bennie G. Thompson, a Representative in Congress From the State of Mississippi, and Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security: Statement of Hon. Alcee Hastings, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida.................................... 1 MEMBER DAY HEARING ---------- Thursday, October 31, 2019 U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Homeland Security, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 8:32 a.m., in room 310, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Bennie G. Thompson [Chairman of the committee] presiding. Present: Representatives Thompson and Guest. Chairman Thompson. The Committee on Homeland Security will come to order. Pursuant to section 103(j) of House Resolution 6, the committee is meeting today to conduct a Member Day. Without objection, the Chair is authorized to declare the committee in recess at any point. I want to thank Members both on and off the committee for their hard work and contributions to the committee's work for this Congress to date. As always, I welcome input from all Members of the House, as the committee works to help ensure the security of the homeland. The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Mississippi, Mr. Guest, for any statement he might have. Mr. Guest. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for holding this Member Day hearing. I appreciate the committee providing all our colleagues the opportunity to testify here today in accordance with House rules. This forum provides an important opportunity to hear from Members outside the Homeland Security Committee on the critical issues they are working in within our committee's jurisdiction. I hope the testimony we hear today helps inform our committee's work, moving forward. I look forward to hearing from my colleagues on their legislative priorities. I yield back. Chairman Thompson. The committee has received testimony in writing, which will be part--made part of the record. [The statement of Hon. Hastings follows:] Statement of Hon. Alcee Hastings, a Representative in Congress from the State of Florida October 31, 2019 in support of h.r. 2550, the prevent bleeding act of 2019 Chairman Thompson, Ranking Member Rogers, and Members of the House Committee on Homeland Security: I am deeply appreciative to have the opportunity to submit this testimony to the House Committee on Homeland Security in support of H.R. 2550, the Prevent Bloodloss with Emergency Equipment Devices Act of 2019, or the Prevent BLEEDing Act. I introduced this bipartisan legislation earlier this year with my colleague, Dr. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH-2), and a bipartisan companion bill will soon be introduced in the Senate. I respectfully request this committee's assistance in scheduling this bill for a markup so that it may be brought to the House floor for consideration. This legislation amends the Homeland Securily Act of 2002 to expand access to Bleeding Control Kits (BCKs) in public gathering places across the country. H.R. 2550 authorizes the use of Homeland Security Grant Program funding for States to purchase and distribute anti-blood loss supplies to schools, places of worship, shopping malls, and other public gathering places, and to support training on the proper use of such supplies. Our legislation makes a one-time authorization of $10 million to carry out these provisions. Approximately 214,000 people die every year from traumatic incidents. Motor vehicle crashes, shootings, natural disasters, and workplace accidents, to name just a few, oftentimes result in situations where people suffer traumatic blood loss. Such an injury can lead to death within 5 minutes, where many of these deaths can be prevented. As Members of this committee are aware, the first National awareness campaign related to emergency blood loss began in the months following the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012. The Joint Committee to Create a National Policy to Enhance Survivability from Intentional Mass Casualty and Active Shooter Events brought together representatives of the Federal Government, members of the medical community, and others to publish a set of recommendations, known as the Hartford Consensus, for increasing National resilience in the face of mass casualty events. As a result of the Consensus, a Federal interagency workgroup initiated the ``Stop the Bleed'' campaign to train and equip the public with the necessary skills to help in bleeding emergencies before professional help arrives. Stop the Bleed is now being taught Nation-wide as the rate of mass casualty events continues to grow, with the goal of making this type of training as widely known as CPR, the Heimlich Maneuver, and ``Stop, Drop, and Roll,'' so that any bystander may assist during times of crisis. BCK's include easy-to-use, life-saving equipment such as tourniquets and wound dressings that promote blood clotting. These tools can make all the difference during emergencies with traumatic bleeding injuries, which is why several States have already started to take action to place them in schools. At the end of last year, Georgia became the first State to offer these kits and trainings to every public school. A new law in Texas requires school districts in the State to have a bleeding control program in place by January 2020 and will provide training to students in grade 7 and higher. And, in my own district, the Broward County Sherriff's office has purchased more than 8,000 kits, with plans to purchase thousands more, to place them in every public and charter school in the county. H.R. 2550 will continue these efforts and help expand access to trainings in our community on the use of emergency blood loss supplies. The legislation is supported by The American College of Surgeons, the Society of Trauma Nurses, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Trauma Center Association of America, and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and has more than 2 dozen bipartisan cosponsors. I thank the committee for this opportunity and again urge consideration of this legislation. Chairman Thompson. This concludes testimony before the committee today. Without objection, the record shall be kept open for 10 days. We would like to welcome our Member to a standing-room-only session. [Laughter.] Chairman Thompson. Hearing no further business, the committee stands adjourned. [Whereupon, at 8:34 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] [all]