Congress Increases House Office Building Security

• By Sydny Shepard
• Feb 12, 2016

The U.S. House of Representatives is introducing an additional layer or security at parking garages below House office buildings.

The Capitol’s Sergeant at Arms is bringing the House office buildings’ parking garages within it’s secure perimeter, according to the Committee on Administration, which oversees the Capitol complex.

Currently, security procedures allow drivers who park in the garages in the Rayburn, Longworth, and Cannon office buildings to enter the buildings from the garage without having to go through metal detectors or running their bags through x-ray machines.

Drivers must have the proper staff identification and parking permits to enter the garage, but employees who park in any of the of the House office building garages are not subject to the same security screening as employees and visitors who enter on foot.

As of Feb. 22, that will change, according to the Administration Committee. Starting that day, the first phase of screening will be introduced at Longworth, Cannon and Ford House Office Buildings. The second phase will begin in the fall and is expected to encompass Rayburn.

When complete, the staff will be required to utilize any of 7 access points in the garages to access the House Office buildings. These access points will be equipped with  metal detectors and machines to screen bags. The goal of the initiative is to ensure 100 percent of the people entering the buildings have been properly screened before entering.