U.S. House Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Don Young,
Chairman
Contact: Steve Hansen (Director of Communications) (202) 225-7749
Email: Steve.Hansen@mail.house.gov
Justin
Harclerode (Deputy Director of Communications) (202) 226-8767
Email: Justin.Harclerod@mail.house.gov
To: National Desk/Transportation Reporter
September 13, 2002
Status Of Airport Security Measures To Be Focus Of
Congressional Oversight Hearing In Orlando On Tuesday
Washington, D.C. - The U.S.
House Subcommittee on Aviation will conduct a Congressional oversight hearing on
Tuesday to examine the current status of efforts to improve airport security,
including the federal government’s ability to meet the upcoming deadlines for a
federal screening workforce and the installation of baggage explosive detection
devices.
The Subcommittee hearing, which
will be chaired by U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), is scheduled to begin at
9:15 a.m. on Tuesday, September 17th, in the Greater Orlando Aviation
Authority Board Room at Orland International Airport. U.S. Rep.
Corrine Brown (D-FL), a Member of the Aviation Subcommittee, will also
participate in the hearing.
Tuesday’s Witness List
- Stephen J.
McHale, Deputy Under Secretary of Transportation for Security,
Transportation Security Administration
- C. W. “Bill” Jennings,
Executive Director, Orlando International Airport
- Rosemarie Grubbs,
Kissimmee, Florida
- Accompanied by: Jim Grubbs
- Mac Curtis, President/Government Solutions Division, NCS Pearson
- John K. Davidson, Vice-President/Airport Security Programs, The
Boeing Company
Airport Security Issues That Will Be Addressed At
Hearing
President
Bush signed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act on November 19,
2001. The legislation included several security provisions authored by
Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Mica and Transportation and Infrastructure
Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska). This legislation removed responsibility for
aviation security from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and established
the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), within the Department of
Transportation, to handle all transportation security matters including aviation
security.
In the 10 months since the law was
passed, a number of issues have arisen that will be the subject of the hearing.
Among the major issues the oversight hearing will examine are:
- Deadline for hiring a Federal screener workforce: The
Aviation and Transportation Security Act requires that all passenger screening
be conducted by Federal employees by November 19, 2002. As of September
10, 2002, the TSA has deployed federal screeners to 93 airports and has hired
nearly 32,000 passenger screeners, but only about half that number are
actually on the payroll. TSA believes that if given enough resources and
operational flexibility, it will meet the deadline. If TSA fails to meet
the November 19th deadline, TSA may have to limit the number of open
checkpoints to those that it can staff. This would result in longer
passenger queues. However, TSA believes it has the legal authority to
continue to use private sector screening companies if necessary to prevent
longer passenger queues.
- Deadline for screening all checked baggage with explosive detection
systems: The Aviation and Transportation Security Act requires
the TSA to deploy enough explosive detection systems by the end of this year
to screen all checked baggage. TSA has said this will require about
1,100 bulk detection machines, such as the CTX or L3, and about 5,000 trace
detection machines. There are now 215 bomb detection machines operating
at airports. Some airports have complained that they will not be able to
reconstruct their terminals by the end of the year to accommodate all the
large bulk detection machines. TSA acknowledges that engineering
problems will cause as many as 35 airports to miss the December 31st
deadline. Although the law provides flexibility in such cases, some
airports are seeking an extension of the deadline. TSA may grant individual
waivers to airports that can't meet the deadline (although the law does not
require waivers) and recommends that intensive hand searches and bomb-sniffing
dogs be used until bomb detection machines are installed. So far, TSA
has hired 440 of the 22,000 checked baggage screeners it says it will
need. The Department of Transportation Inspector General estimates that
TSA will need 27,000 baggage screeners to fulfill its mandate.
- Complaints about the Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
hiring practices: The TSA seems to hire ex-law enforcement
officers for key positions. While they have vast experience in security
matters, they often have little experience with the complexities of managing
an efficient airport and airline operation. Additionally, many
experienced screeners who have passed the new, stricter requirements have not
been chosen to fill management level positions. Once turned down for the
higher-level position, applicants have not been notified whether they will
have screener jobs with the TSA. Also, those who have not passed the
evaluation have had difficulty obtaining information from TSA on why they
failed and how or if they can apply again.
The Orlando
Airport is one of the first airports to be getting Federal screeners as required
by the Act and some of the
existing screeners
are complaining about their treatment by the Transportation Security
Administration;
- Other issues that may arise are those relating to airport and airline
security and implementing the provisions of the Aviation and Transportation
Security Act, including the Trusted Traveler Program, arming pilots, cargo
security, general aviation security and TSA Budgetary issues.
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