In a vote of 57-39, a majority of the Senate last night voted in support of bipartisan legislation coauthored by Senator Susan Collins that would provide legal protections to individuals who report suspicious activity that may reflect terrorist threats. The bill would provide civil immunity in American courts for citizens who, acting in good faith, report threats to our transportation systems to appropriate law-enforcement and transportation-system officials, without fear of being sued. The bill would not protect individuals who knowingly make false statements.
While the vote would have required 60 votes for passage, Senator Collins viewed the recent vote as a positive step in advancing the legislation and will continue to work to pass this bill in the Senate.
Other lead sponsors of the bill include Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Joe Lieberman (D-CT).
In a speech to the U.S. Senate, Senator Collins said, “An alert citizenry is one of our best defenses against terrorist attacks. That is why the New York City subway system has signs reading, ‘If You See Something, Say Something.’ That is just what a group of airline passengers did recent in reporting suspicious activity that they thought represented a terrorist threat. The result was that those passengers, the pilot, and the airport were all sued.”
Senator Collins further explained, “Our amendment would protect from lawsuits individual citizens who report suspicious activity.”
During a recent speech to the Senate when Senator Collins introduced the legislation, she explained that the recent arrests in Fort Dix, New Jersey, which foiled a plot to attack and kill American soldiers, was the result of a tip from a vigilant citizen, coupled with effective coordination by state and federal law enforcement officials.
Senator Collins said, “The recent arrests in New Jersey of six men charged with conspiring to murder American soldiers at Fort Dix underscores the need for this bill. Law-enforcement officials have noted that their investigation was triggered by an alert clerk’s report that a customer had brought in a video that showed men firing weapons and shouting in Arabic, which reminded him of the 9/11 terrorists. That store clerk’s action may have saved hundreds of lives, and represents a core truth of the dangerous times in which we live: Our safety depends on more than police officers, intelligence analysts, and soldiers. It also depends on the alertness and civic responsibility of American citizens – including the peaceful and tolerant people who form the vast majority of our American Muslim communities.”
Senator Collins added, “We must encourage citizens to be watchful and to report behavior that appears suspicious or threatening. “
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