U.S. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. Rep. Don Young, Chairman

Contact:  Steve Hansen (Communications Director)  (202) 225-7749
    Justin Harclerode (Communications Assistant)  (202) 226-8767

To:  National Desk/Transportation Reporter
December 3, 2001

Implementation Of New Baggage Explosive Detection Law To Be Focus Of Congressional Hearing

        Washington, D.C. - The implementation of the new law requiring explosive detection screening of all checked bags will be the focus of a Congressional oversight hearing on Friday.

        The hearing by the U.S. House Subcommittee on Aviation, chaired by U.S. Rep. John Mica (R-FL), is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. Friday, December 7th, 2001, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.  A live audio broadcast of the hearing will be available at the Committee’s website:

www.house.gov/transportation

        President Bush recently signed into law the “Aviation and Transportation Security Act” which establishes firm deadlines for the screening of checked baggage.  It also transferred responsibility for aviation security from the FAA to a new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) within DOT.

        Within 60 days, the law requires that all checked baggage be screened by any approved means.  This could include, for example, the use of explosive detection machines where available, matching bags to passengers, profiling high-risk passengers with additional searches of their baggage, hand searches, or the use of bomb-sniffing dogs.

        By December 31, 2002, the law requires that explosive detection systems be deployed to screen all checked baggage.  The law does not actually require that all checked baggage be screened by that date - although Congressional authors of the legislation have stated that this was their desire - only that the explosive detection machines be deployed by that date and when enough machines are deployed, all checked baggage must be screened by them.  Until enough machines are in place, alternative means, such as those previously mentioned above, must be used to screen checked baggage.

Concerns Are Expressed That Explosive Detection Deployment Deadline Will Be Difficult To Meet

        There is concern that it will be difficult to deploy enough explosive detection systems by the December 31, 2002 deadline.  This hearing will focus on what is being done and what needs to be done to ensure that this deadline is met and that the equipment deployed will be effective in keeping bombs off commercial aircraft.

Questions involve:

- The schedule for deploying the machines that will be needed;

- How much money must be appropriated to purchase them;

- Whether the government can rely only on the two currently certified manufacturers or whether it should encourage the certification of additional manufacturers;

- Whether the certification standards should be changed to accommodate more products;

- Whether the existing machines can be upgraded as the detection technology improves;

- How these large machines can be installed in sufficient numbers in airports and integrated into the airline baggage systems;

- What the impact will be on passenger service.

WITNESSES

        Representatives of the certified explosive detection manufacturers as well as other manufacturers who may have an explosive detection product to offer are scheduled to testify.  A technical expert from the FAA may also testify.

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