Zeldin’s counterterrorism bill passes House committee

Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) announced on Thursday that his bill, the Counterterrorism Screening and Assistance Act of 2016 (H.R. 4314), has passed the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The measure requires a detailed plan to combat international travel by radicalized militants, speeds up the transfer of certain border security systems to foreign partner governments, establishes minimum international border security standards and authorizes the suspension of foreign assistance to countries not making significant efforts to comply with the new minimum standards. Additionally, the legislation would put a monitoring system in place that would screen for infectious diseases as a means of containing any potential outbreaks.

Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA) offered his opinion of the legislation’s passage and what it means going forward.

“The horrific terrorist attacks in Paris showed how easy it has become for terrorists and foreign fighters to move across open borders,” Royce said. “This important legislation makes several changes to combat this problem by requiring the Departments of State and Homeland Security to produce an annual ‘score card’ assessing the border security efforts of countries around the world and establishing minimum standards for border security.”

The bill awaits a floor vote in the House.